The Children’s Museum of Eau Claire, located in the downtown area, has a daily admission cost of $11 per person, and many of the events they host come with an extra cost as well. 

From 5 to 7 p.m. on April 10, a group of UW-Eau Claire students organized a “Free Family Night,” where families could come and participate in their event at no cost.

The purpose of the event was to educate kids and families on class differences through fun, age-appropriate activities.

Alaina Rupple, a third-year integrated strategic communications student, was involved in the event and said it was part of their class on women, gender, class, race and the social construction of these identities.

“As a big project, our professor wanted us to do some sort of event to promote social change,” Rupple said. “Because the class is centered around race, gender and class, we got to choose one of those to work with, so we chose class. That’s kind of what brought us to start planning the event.”

Rupple is currently employed at the Children’s Museum, so she had the connections to book the event. Knowing the expense that comes with visiting the museum, the group decided to host it there so anyone could experience the space without worrying about the cost. 

Chrissy Johnson, the operations manager of the museum, assisted Rupple in scheduling and getting resources for the event. 

“We believe that play is essential for learning and growth, and we wanted to remove any barriers that might prevent families from experiencing that together,” Johnson said. “It’s also a great way to introduce new visitors to the museum, build community connections and showcase all the amazing things we have to offer in an inclusive and welcoming environment.”

Norah Selby, a third-year political science student, was also involved in the event. She said that one of their activities was a “needs versus wants” game, where kids could sort items like food, clothes and electronics into a “need” or a “want” category.

According to Selby, their main activity was creating a gratitude wall.

“Kids could either write how they plan to help or are helping people in their community who may be lower class,” Selby said. “Just getting them to think about what they’re grateful for, what they do have, building up that recognition of, ‘What do you have that maybe other people don’t?’”

Rupple said the gratitude wall received many positive responses from the kids, but the “needs versus wants” game wasn’t as big of a hit as they had hoped. She said the kids seemed more interested in the museum itself. 

“Frankly, I’m here for it,” Rupple said. “At the end of the day, I wanted them to come in and just enjoy themselves.”

The students talked about the current state of the economy and how being class-conscious and aware is important, even for kids. Selby said that having that understanding at a young age will instill greater empathy for others.

According to Johnson, families are experiencing a range of economic realities right now, so the topic of class differences is especially relevant.

“Kids notice these differences, whether it’s in the clothes their friends wear, the activities they can or can’t join or even what they bring for lunch,” Johnson said. “By starting these conversations early, we’re helping raise a generation that’s more compassionate, inclusive and aware of the world around them.”

Although the museum technically closes at 5 p.m., the group said they decided to have their free event after hours to make it more accessible for parents and guardians who work during the regular open hours.

The group said they had a turnout of around 20 people, which was more than they expected. Ava Loehrke, a first-year journalism student involved in the event, said they also handed out a brochure to families of other local low-cost or free events.

“Even though the turnout wasn’t huge, it was great to help even just a few families within the community,” Loehrke said. “It was also cool to see our ideas actually impact people, going from brainstorms during class to an actual community event.”

According to Rupple, this event was also a great way to advertise the museum’s new admission and membership offers to families. For those receiving government assistance, daily admission is now $4 instead of $11, and a one-year membership is now $30 instead of $179.

“For me, a lot of this is about interaction,” Rupple said. “I just want everybody to feel welcome. I think that being aware of how we can do that through a night like this was really informative.”

Matczak can be reached at [email protected].