Social Story for Tinkertown Exhibition

Museum Foyer and Ticketing Desk

I am going to visit the Tinkertown exhibit at Scienceworks. I will need to buy an extra ticket for this exhibition.

I might have already bought our ticket online, which will have a time and date that we will visit. I can buy Tinkertown tickets online here.

Or, I might need to line up and buy a ticket when we get to Scienceworks.

Sensory Bag

Before I go into Tinkertown, I can ask the adult I'm with to borrow a sensory bag from the Information Desk.

A sensory bag contains:

Noise reduction earmuffs
Communication card
Sensory tools

I can use the sensory bag throughout my day at Scienceworks, and then I'll bring it back to the Information Desk before I leave.

Entering Tinkertown

I will need to wait at the entrance to show a staff member my ticket to get into Tinkertown.

There may be a line because other people want to play in Tinkertown, too.

Entering Tinkertown

When I enter Tinkertown, I will see one big, open space with lots of different areas to explore and play.

There is a Tinkertown Museum with cool inventions that I can look at. There are lots of interactive spaces where I can engage in hands-on building and playing.

There are benches available if I need to take a break.

I can look at this map to understand how Tinkertown is set up.

Tinkertown Museum

The Tinkertown Museum has different types of inventions that I can look at and read about.

I can see a motor car chassis, a morse code typewriter, a giant Swiss Army Knife model and so much more!

Exhibit Interactives: The Neighbourhood Ring

The Neighbourhood Ring has interactive walls where I can experiment with Whisper Tubes, code a message or create a pattern in a giant popper wall, make a rollercoaster track or solve tangram puzzles.

The walls are double sided. I can access them from inside or outside the Neighbourhood Ring.

I may have to wait my turn to play with an interactive or share the wall with another person.

Exhibit Interactives: The Neighbourhood Ring

The interactive walls have a space in the middle where you can see through to the other side.

I can play by myself, or I can build with my family, my teacher, or my friends and share the building materials.

Sensory Supports

Parts of Tinkertown might be noisy because of other people.

I might like to wear the earmuffs from the sensory bag if I think this will help me.

I can also sit down on a bench and use the sensory tools if I feel like taking a break.

Exhibit Interactives: Town Round

The Town Round is in the middle of the Neighbourhood Ring. It is full of colourful magnetic cushions. I can use these cushions to build a cubby house, a rocket ship or whatever I want.

Other children may also be playing with the cushions. My building may accidently get knocked over by someone else. If this happens, I can go take a break or I can rebuild.

Exhibit Interactives: The Workshop

The workshop is an area where I can build with loose parts. There are wooden boxes and wheels and connectors and lots of interesting materials. I can build something on the ground, or I can use the walls and tables as a launch point.

I can be an engineer in the workshop as I test out different ways of building something like a car or a bridge. Or, I can just start building and see what I create.

Leaving Tinkertown

If I am visiting Tinkertown with my school, I might be there for 1 hour. I will ask my teacher how much time we have.

If I am visiting with friends or family, the adult with me will tell me how long we will be in Tinkertown. We can come back to Tinkertown during our visit to Scienceworks.