“Doing the unexpected for children and community.”

This was the goal of Dr. Wanda Newell when she decided to open up Pigs-In-Flight, Vicksburg’s very own children’s museum.

The new museum is located downtown at 722 Belmont St. in what was once the Econ accounting office. Newell, accompanied by her family and friends, Mayor George Flaggs Jr. and the Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce, cut the red ribbon officially opening Pigs-In-Flight to the public Tuesday morning at 9:30.

“I want it to be a crown jewel to the City of Vicksburg,” Newell said as she described her dreams for the new museum. Newell plans to use Pigs-In-Flight to inspire children to learn. Feeling, hearing, seeing and tasting are just a few of the senses children will use at Pigs-In-Flight.

The museum is comprised of 15 exhibits, which are full of hands-on activities.

Each exhibit is planned around a child’s storybook. From porridge to tea parties, each exhibit will give children the chance to experience the stories in a very realistic way.

Children are asked to touch everything. “There are no ‘do not touch signs,’” Newell said.  Children will have the chance to experience pieces of adulthood on a child-based level while participating in scenes from different stories.

The fun isn’t over when the story ends. After reading each story, the children are welcome to play in the exhibits. Parents and teachers are encouraged to interact and play with the children during their tour of the two-story museum. From an active 3-foot gym to an equally tiny kitchen, parents have the opportunity to bond with their children while teaching them about day-to-day activities.

On the first floor children will be able to work in a woodshop and learn about different tools and how they function. In the fully working gym, using little weight-benches and miniature treadmills children experience the importance of fitness and health.

After pulses are checked, children are given the opportunity to get in touch with their creative side in the art studio. Here they are inspired to create art while they learn about artists like Vincent Van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci.

Also on the first floor, children can visit a movie theater where they will enjoy popcorn and a movie. A fully stocked 4-foot kitchen is the right size to teach children how to cook and prepare a meal.

After making their way upstairs, children are invited to an all-exclusive tea party in Wonderland. Even the Mad Hatter will admit that a tea party is the perfect place to teach children about good etiquette and table manners.

Just as little girls will squeal with delight over tea parties and dress up, so will little boys at the sight of fishing and campfires. As they hike through the woods they will learn how to be safe while exploring nature. While in the woods, children are likely to hear the chirping of birds, located in the pet shop along with other animals.

In the Common Core-friendly classroom, children will have the chance to play teacher and student.

From chalkboard to lessons, this authentic classroom is the perfect place to learn. Around the corner at the post office, they are free to write and mail letters home.

In the last exhibit children take advantage of the library. Here they can sit on the floor, in a chair or up in the reading corner to enjoy their favorite books and stories.

Newell is a tenured associate professor at Alcorn State University. She received a Ph.D. in child development from Auburn University. It was during a trip to Italy that Newell was inspired to open a children’s museum as she learned what other countries had to offer their children. Newell has actively worked to open Pigs-In-Flight for the last five years. The museum can be contacted by phone at 601-456-4867.