Celebrating real-life heroes at The Children’s Museum at Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) – In honor of the Worldwide Day of Play, The Children’s Museum at Saratoga hosted a Superheroes Day to help inspire the next generation of first responders and teachers.

Jonathan Madden, Museum Educator, was dressed as Thor for the day.

“We are celebrating the superheroes, not only the ones you see on television and in the movies. But the regular superheroes,” he said.

Heroes like teachers, firefighters, nurses, doctors, and military personnel. This event was organized to help inspire the next generation of heroes… while also having fun.

“Kids need to play,” Sarah Smith, Executive Director of The Children’s Museum at Saratoga, said. “Whether they are 11, or whether they're four, kids need that unstructured time in their day to just explore and create.”

Some real-life superheroes were able to bring their families to enjoy the experience, like Katie Massie, who is a mom and a teacher.

“The kids love it; they love playing with the ice cream, playing with the grocery store or the theatre,” she said. “Get out of the house and do something-it’s a great place to be.”

And her daughter already wants to be a teacher, just like her parents.

Those attending were also able to create superhero masks and get the chance to experience how to put out fires.

“And hopefully, we are inspiring that next generation of leaders. And they get to dress up and pretend to be a firefighter. To make sure that they’re not scared of firefighters when they need their help,” Sarah Smith said. “But it also might inspire them to volunteer and help out their community, which is so important and needed in this day.