Villa Zebra is an interactive children’s museum. To stimulate children in discovering the world around them, this visual art museum has focused on art for children right from the start. The birth of Villa Zebra starts with Jet Manhro who is active in 1996 with her travelling BoekieBoekie-museum. The need for a permanent location arose, and the foundation Kinder Kunsthal was founded for this purpose. Villa Zebra is a fact in April 2001 and starts in the Museumpark in Rotterdam. Four years later the Villa moves to the Stieltjesstraat; the current address of the children’s museum on the Kop van Zuid in Rotterdam.
Villa Zebra in Rotterdam
Through the combination of art and children, Villa Zebra wants to stimulate creativity in children. The world of the children is enlarged by the experiences they gain. Children see art differently, and playfully, they learn to increase their imagination. In Villa Zebra, they learn to look at art in their approach, and through various assignments, they express the impressions they have gained. Crafts, painting and drawing tasks are some of the possibilities.
The exhibitions are for two categories, children from 3 to 6 years, and children from 7 to 12 years. The organization uses its method and, in addition to workshops and providing educational material at schools. The museum is also involved in projects in the neighbourhood. Nowadays the children are read aloud live via the internet, while the watch beautiful illustrations.
By increasing the child’s imagination, he or she learns early on to deal with challenges in a creative way. Children learn by observing and listening carefully to come to a solution. By learning to depict and imagine at an early age through the method of Villa Zebra, the children can deal with various obstacles in daily life.
Villa Zebra is a must for the whole family. Various exhibitions and workshops keep visitors busy. Also, ask about the projects at school or in the neighbourhood. For an excellent live reading session, you can follow the Facebook page.
In the vicinity of Villa Zebra
You will find Villa Zebra in the district Feijenoord, along the Nieuwe Maas, opposite the Noordereiland in Rotterdam South. So after you visit the Villa, it is worthwhile to explore the area. Walking across the Koninginnebrug to the Noordereiland while looking to architecture and beautiful buildings around you. You pass by the old train bridge De Hef; a national monument in memory of the trains that left Rotterdam through this bridge until September 1993. Behind this beautiful green bridge, you can see the Unilever office, built above existing buildings to save space. It is built on piles and is, therefore, twenty-six meters above the ground, a beautiful piece of architecture by JHK Architects made in 2005.
