Rising Sun Regional Foundation Awards $30,000 to Kids Discovery Factory

Funding will support the creation of the Farmer's Market exhibit within the museum's Honey Factory gallery

(Batesville, Ind.) - Kids Discovery Factory has received a $30,000 grant from the Rising Sun Regional Foundation to support the creation of the Farmer's Market exhibit within the museum's Honey Factory gallery.

The gift will help transform one of the gallery's signature interactive experiences into a vibrant dramatic play area where young children can shop, sort, harvest, and explore the important connection between pollinators, agriculture, and the foods we eat every day.

"The Rising Sun Regional Foundation has been an incredible partner throughout this project," said Executive Director Emili Uden. "Their latest investment is helping us create meaningful learning experiences that inspire curiosity while encouraging imagination, collaboration, and problem-solving. We're grateful for their continued belief in our mission and the impact this museum will have across our region."

Designed especially for children birth to age 8, the Honey Factory gallery introduces children to one of nature's most remarkable manufacturing processes. Just as factories transform raw materials into finished products, bees collect nectar and pollen before working together to create honey and beeswax, demonstrating teamwork, specialized roles, and the incredible importance of pollinators to our everyday lives.

The Farmer's Market will serve as the gallery's dramatic play centerpiece, inviting children to purchase fruits and vegetables, arrange colorful produce displays, weigh items, use pretend cash registers, and interact with one another through cooperative role-playing. These playful experiences encourage communication, early math and literacy skills, creativity, and social-emotional development while helping children connect the work of bees and pollinators to the food on their own tables.

Beyond the Farmer's Market, the Honey Factory gallery will introduce families to the fascinating world of bees and pollinators through a variety of engaging experiences. Children will explore a pollinator garden, climb through a “Bee Hotel”, dress as beekeepers, gather oversized pollen, and explore how bees communicate and work together to accomplish extraordinary things.

The Rising Sun Regional Foundation's investment represents an important step toward completing the Honey Factory, but additional community support is still needed to fully bring the gallery to life. Sponsorship opportunities remain available for several interactive exhibits and play experiences, allowing individuals, businesses, and organizations to leave a lasting impact on one of the museum's signature learning environments.

"Every sponsorship and donation helps transform an idea into an experience that will inspire thousands of children each year," said Uden. "We're inviting our community to be part of creating a place where young learners discover the amazing ways things are made- both by people and by nature."

Kids Discovery Factory is expected to open in 2027 and will serve children and families throughout southeastern Indiana, northern Kentucky, and southwest Ohio.

To learn more about exhibit sponsorship opportunities or support the Honey Factory gallery, contact Kids Discovery Factory at info@kidsdiscoveryfactory.org or visit the organization's website at www.visitkdf.org.