Lexington Children’s Museum to host ‘Pop Up and Play’ events at UK Cornerstone

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 15, 2026) — The Lexington Children’s Museum, the University of Kentucky Cornerstone’s new Community Innovation Partner for 2026-27, will host two “Pop-Up Play Dates” this month, inviting people of all ages to explore different types of play-based learning.

The events are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, and noon-2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20 at the UK Cornerstone.

The pop-up play sessions are designed to explore play-based learning together. Each session will feature six activities the museum currently offers through its classrooms, camps and outreach programs:

• Circuit Boards: explore electricity, circuits, insulators and conductors by making working circuits to power lights, fans and more.
• Wind Tunnel: play with the museum’s wind tunnel to learn about airflow and lift with a creative twist.
• Indi Bots: jump right into robot coding with color coding car robots.
• Stop Motion Videos: get creative and learn how to make stop motion videos.
• Earthquake Plates: build an earthquake-proof structure.
• The Wildcat Challenge: think like an engineer while crafting machines to save the “KY Wildcat.”

Participation is free and open to the public. Attendees are asked only to stop by the Cornerstone to play and complete a short online survey before they leave.

“With so many ways to learn through play, diverse feedback helps us curate programs that meet the needs of our community in fun and inventive ways,” said Mary Franey, the museum’s play and learning director. “We’re excited to share some of our latest ideas at The Cornerstone and learn more about how visitors experience them.” 

Erik Jarvis, senior administrator for Smart Campus at the University of Kentucky, said the events reflect the broader goals of the Cornerstone space.

“The Cornerstone was designed to be more than a building: it’s a space where the campus and community can come together in ways that create real value for both,” Jarvis said. “Having an organization like the Lexington Children’s Museum bring programming like this into the space is exactly what we hoped for. It activates the Cornerstone in a new way, opens it up to families and neighbors who might not otherwise walk through our doors, and shows how partnerships between the university and community organizations can turn a shared space into something truly meaningful.”

Organizers encourage community members of all ages to attend either date and take part in the free play opportunities.