In 1990, the Baltimore Children’s Museum formed its own501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and merged with the Maryland Children’sMuseum. The merged entity’s Board of Directors, with the support andencouragement of Baltimore’s Mayor Kurt Schmoke, decided that an Inner Harborpresence was necessary to reach the broadest possible audience of children andfamilies in the Baltimore region, the state of Maryland and the United States.
A 35-million dollar capital campaign, led by the Board ofDirectors, resulted in the renovation of Downtown’s historic Fish Marketbuilding, which became the new home to Port Discovery Children’s Museum inDecember 1998. The 80,000 square foot facility served as the anchor for theredevelopment efforts of the City in the eastern basin of the Inner Harbor.
As part of their new unique “Kick It Up! Brought to You by UnitedHealthcare,” programthe museum has added its latest permanent exhibit to help fight childhood obesityby promoting physical activity, wellness and prevention through the power ofExergaming. When deciding on who to workwith they went with the leaders in the Exergaming Industry, Exergame Fitness.
Since Exergaming came to the forefront of the healthindustry, Exergame Fitness was the first company to bring all of the separateproducts on the market together to design an “Exergaming Concept”.Long ago they had seen a need for these products and waited to get enoughproducts tested to create an Exergaming Concept that works. Exergame Fitnessdoesn’t just sell products, they sell “proven products” that create aconcept and gets fitness based results!
Some of the more interesting products that Port Discoveryadded to their unique exhibit was the TWall, WebRacer, iDANCE MultiplayerSystem and iJoy Boards.
The rules for T-wall are simple but challenging: on a wallwith numerous touch surfaces, red signals light up in sequence of varyingpositions and speeds. Your task: deactivate the light as soon as itappears by quick touch. Act and react asquick as you can. Your goal: Be faster than light.
WebRacer allows the user to remain fully engaged andmotivated while training or racing. Utilizing the latest technology WebRaceroffers different routes live on screen and enables you to race with fellowriders. Whether it is within the studio, via the internet connected to otherclubs live on screen, you are never short of a partner to train with or a groupto race with.
The Positive Gaming™ iDANCE multiplayer concept is arevolutionary Exergaming system that was designed specifically for environmentssuch as Schools, YMCA’s, JCCs, Park Districts and Health Clubs. It is unique inmany facets including the fact that it provides the user with a combination ofphysical, social and cognitive benefits and that it accommodates up to32-players at once on up to 3 separate difficulty levels with real-timeperformance feedback.
Hop on the non-slip iJoy Board at Port Discovery and try outthe balance trainer platform, selecting your program and speed using theinfrared wireless remote control and enjoying the unique. This is a interactive way to flatten yourstomach and strengthen your legs and core muscles. Test your skills by varying the speed — slow,medium or fast — or choose the 15-minute program that irregularly varies theboard’s speed.
In its short history, Port Discovery Children’s Museum hasserved over 2.9 million visitors and ranks 4th among the Top 10 Children’sMuseums in the United States by Child Magazine. Exergame Fitness is proud to call Port Discovery a partner in the fightagainst childhood obesity.