My Day to Play offers sensory-friendly opportunities for children with special needs

The Maine Discovery Museum (MDM) is delighted to announce the restart of one of our most requested programs: My Day to Play. For My Day to Play, MDM is closed to the general public to provide a safe, comfortable space for our families with children who are disabled, autistic, or have specific sensory needs.

Thanks to the support provided by the Penobscot Foundation for Developmental Services, MDM can provide programs twice per month: Come Play at our Place! with the museum open for free play and self-selected exploration and some gross motor skills toys. MDTP STEAM Edition! is staffed with one of our educators to offer a variety of science, animal, and art enrichment activities.

MDM is also happy to work with the Maine Access to Inclusive Educational Resources (MAIER) at the University of Maine. The restart of My Day To Play allows us to use the combined expertise of the MAIER team and MDM educators to ensure a successful program.

My Day is Play is provided at no charge to families, and the expanded work with MAIER includes new and vigorous student training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

Trudi Plummer, Maine Discovery Museum’s director of education, explains, “My Day to Play, a program now entering its 12th year offers a unique opportunity for people with autism to engage with our spaces in a quieter environment and at a gentler pace. We’re so happy to have the support of the Penobscot Foundation for Developmental Services to remove financial barriers and are able to collaborate with MAIER to address the needs of families with children with disabilities continuously. First and foremost we are providing a place for children with disabilities to play, have fun, and socialize at their own pace!”

My Day to Play happens on select Sundays year-round. Upcoming dates can be found online at

https://www.mainediscoverymuseum.org/mdtp