The book that informs and frames our ideas. Centres for Curiosity and Imagination  - When is a museum not a museum? Written by John Pearce, this Gulbenkian Foundation Report describes the development of this movement in America. The book explores questions such as what is a children's museum? It seeks to contextualise the development of these exciting centres, designed to stimulate and stretch the imagination of young people, with the growth of the movement in both the United States and Europe. Our over-arching idea is not a new one - it is the fleshing out of the design, the creation of a particularly fresh West Suffolk interpretation of the model that will both surprising and interesting. Our key text - Centres for Curiosity and Imagination by John Pearce. Paperback 144 pages (September 1998) Publisher: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Language: English ISBN: 0903319780 Buy the book from Amazon here - the small profit goes to the Imagination Centre. When is a museum not a museum? When it's a Children's Discovery Centre, Imaginarium, Wonder Workshop, Exploratory, or a Discovery Factory. This report describes the growth of these US centres and looks at what is happening in Europe, and at the work and approaches of institutions in Britain. Amazon.co.uk Available from as little as £3.50 Curiosity and Imagination: Centresforcuriosity.org.uk/ : the national network for children's hands-on learning.  '...this website offers you ideas and information that will help develop your practice in the field of hands-on learning'.   This UK wide organisation is led by the charity 4Children in association with Demos and the Campaign for Learning. The Curiosity and Imagination movement has evolved to include four distinct elements in its approach. They are philosophical and practical strands around play, parents, community and partners. It is this approach that makes the building of a centre such a powerful vehicle for community cohesion, early years and youth development, inclusion and education. Activities delivered through the building and the programme are always fun too. Play: 'Play is a hugely powerful tool for learning for children of all ages and encompasses a wide range of activities. Play is what children do when they are given the freedom to follow their own ideas and interests, in their own way and for their own reasons. Through play, children explore the world around them and make meaning out of it for their own lives '...Centres for Curiosity 2006 Parents and Carers: The Curiosity and Imagination delivery recognises '...that parents and carers can play a crucial role in encouraging and supporting their children's learning, and strives to engage them in the learning process. Parents can be empowered to play and explore alongside their children as an integral part of the provision, or helped to consolidate and extend the learning experiences back at home. This involvement can also bring educational benefits to the parents themselves and encourage them to pursue their own learning' ...Centres for Curiosity 2006 Community: The Imagination Centre will ensure that delivery '...develops from, and responds to, the characteristics and changing needs of the local community. In particular, the C&I approach stresses the importance of involving children in shaping the learning opportunities, so that the provision is in tune with their concerns, interests and needs. This participation by children and other local people will help to foster a strong sense of community ownership, encouraging members of the community to invest time and energy in sustaining and developing the provision'...Centres for Curiosity 2006 Partners: Centres work in a way that '...emphasises the value of working with a range of partners at a local level, sharing expertise and resources...a collaborative approach across different sectors can catalyse the development of innovative ways of working'...Centres for Curiosity 2006 You can see here a variety of Centres, already built, in diverse locations from London to Halifax, Belfast and  Swansea Our Centre is planned to be just as stimulating - capitalising on Newmarket's central road links from London, the Midlands and East Anglia. Our marketing effort will concentrate on making our centre an attraction and feature of the learning landscape for many thousands of children. If you would like to volunteer help, or to receive more information about us - email information@imaginenewmarket.org.uk