Nutrien Wonderhub opens for business

The Nutrien Wonderhub children’s museum officially opened for business Friday morning.

It’s located at the old Mendel Art Gallery at 950 Spadina Cres. E.

The opening ceremony welcomed the museum with a bang.

A craft contraption is used to cut the ribbon at Nutrien Wonderhub. pic.twitter.com/KjbMXyIUki

— Dom Lucyk (@DomLucyk) June 28, 2019

Indigenous drumming at Nutrien Wonderhub's opening ceremony pic.twitter.com/IVVpT0Ow2W

— Dom Lucyk (@DomLucyk) June 28, 2019

Mayor Charlie Clark had no trouble naming what he values about Wonderhub.

“The creativity that has gone into the design for this, the focus on children, the hands-on learning experiences, the play value and the imagination,” he said. “It’s absolutely incredible.”

The lineup was packed with families eager to check out the many exhibits.

Ava Poettcker came with her mom, Alana, and her brother, Hunter.

“I’m very excited to see the First Nations exhibit because I was learning it in school, and it sounds very interesting,” she said.

Parents were excited to have a space for their kids to learn and play.

Ian Miller brought his son for opening day. He said it’s a good way to keep the boy engaged when school is out.

“Places where you can go and have fun while learning something is really important, especially in the summer when they’re not doing as much schoolwork or anything like that,” Miller said.

One of the exhibits is a simulated potash mine. Maureen Hessdorfer said her grandchildren were very excited about it.

“Our grown-up kids are both in the mining industry, so this is really going to be fun for us,” Hessdorfer said.

City councillor Randy Donauer said the museum was the right choice from the beginning.

“When (Wonderhub) was presented to council, the lights came on for us,” Donauer said. “Right across the street from Nutrien Playland … we just thought, ‘What a perfect fit and a hub for kids and families to come down and enjoy our city.’ ”

Admission is $8 per visit. Wonderhub is open every day of the week except Monday and holidays.