Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog

A big red opening takes place on Valentine’s Day, for a BIG RED DOG named CLIFFORD! Board the Birdwell Island ferry and journey to the world of Clifford™, America’s beloved big red dog with a heart to match.  See Emily Elizabeth™ and many of the residents of Birdwell Island.  Inspired by Scholastic Entertainment’s top-rated TV show Clifford The Big Red DogÒ on PBS KIDSÒ, the exhibit offers numerous immersive “paws-on” adventures that reinforce “Clifford’s Big Ideas”—ten simple tangible life lessons designed to help young children navigate their world:  Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be Truthful, Be Kind, Believe in Yourself, Be a Good Friend and Help Others. Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog opens at the Children's Museum of Virginia, Saturday, February 14, and will be here through May 25, 2015. 

 

Kids can visit a colossal nine-foot high Clifford with a tail to slide down, just like Emily Elizabeth does on the television show.  Children can help fill Clifford’s big dog bowl with bones using a conveyor belt and find “bone”-ifide treasures at T-Bone’s Beach.  Browse the Norman Bridwell Art Retrospective and see 40 years (that’s 280 dog-years!) of artwork and stories by the creator and award-winning author of Clifford The Big Red Dog.

Welcome to Birdwell Island, the home of Clifford and his owner, Emily Elizabeth Howard. Clifford was the runt of the litter when Emily Elizabeth adopted him.  Much to everyone’s surprise, Clifford outgrew all the other dogs because of Emily Elizabeth’s limitless love.  So, the Howards left the city and moved to Birdwell Island, where they made new friends, including Cleo, T-Bone and Mac.

 

Visitors enter Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog by passing a Birdwell Island’s lighthouse and board the ferry.  Children and adults can join “Victor” and “Pedro” in the pilot house and try their hand at “steering” the ferry.  Visitors hear the sounds of seagulls and ocean waves roaring as they navigate their way to Birdwell Island with the help of a three-dimensional map of the island. Children can move “tourists” around the map and visit Samuel’s Restaurant, the Post Office, Cleo’s Backyard, and all of Clifford’s favorite places on the Island.

Say “hello!” to “Samuel” and his son “Charlie,” pull up a stool at Samuel’s Fish and Chips Shack on the pier, and place your order (maybe Samuel’s delicious fish and chips!).  Children and adults can enter Samuel’s Shack and role-play restaurant employees working together to restock the shelves, cook, clean, and serve.  Kids can grab an order pad, take their family and friends orders and total their bill at the cash register.   

No island is complete without a beach!  “T-Bone” welcomes children and adults to a bone-shaped “beach” where kids can hunt for buried treasures.  Kids can follow Clifford’s Big Ideas and “Play Fair” by taking turns hunting for seashells. 

A nine-foot Clifford greets visitors in his backyard outside his doghouse.  Children can take a seat next to Emily Elizabeth on the giant paws of her big red best friend and slide down Clifford’s tail. 

Kids can “Be Responsible” by helping fill Clifford’s giant dog bowl using a bone-shaped conveyor belt to keep the crimson canine’s giant dog bowl full of bones. 

Visitors enter Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog by passing a Birdwell Island’s lighthouse and board the ferry.  Children and adults can join “Victor” and “Pedro” in the pilot house and try their hand at “steering” the ferry.  Visitors hear the sounds of seagulls and ocean waves roaring as they navigate their way to Birdwell Island with the help of a three-dimensional map of the island. Children can move “tourists” around the map and visit Samuel’s Restaurant, the Post Office, Cleo’s Backyard, and all of Clifford’s favorite places on the Island.

 

Kids can “Be Responsible” by helping fill Clifford’s giant dog bowl using a bone-shaped conveyor belt to keep the crimson canine’s giant dog bowl full of bones. 

“Mac” invites visitors to take the stage with Clifford and his pals in Emily Elizabeth’s Backyard Theater.  

 

A giant graphic of Clifford forms the backdrop of the stage.  Dressed in Cleo, T-Bone, or Clifford costumes, visitors can get “red” dye to be the best in show.  Kids can perform for family and friends sitting in the audience on bone-shaped benches.  Young children use their imagination to create their own performance using a variety of instruments. 

 

Children and adults can visit The Howard’s house.  In the front of the house, kids can pick, sort and replant flowers in a flower box.  Fans can “Be a Good friend” to Emily  Elizabeth and Clifford by using lawn tools, watering cans and lawn mower to spiff-up the backyard.   

 

Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog’s youngest visitors will dig Cleo’s Backyard, designed especially for tots with a soft floor and “stone” wall enclosure.  “Cleo” encourages toddlers to crawl through a tunnel, or play a shape-sorting activity at Cleo’s doghouse.  At the “stone” wall, kids can enjoy activities as they open the doors to T-Bone’s doghouse, and are greeted by their reflection in a mirror; turn a crank to make Clifford go in and out of his doghouse; and spin two tumblers to match Birdwell Island characters to their home.  

 

Children can join “Mr. Carson” at the Birdwell Island Office, and help sort and mail letters.  Then they can deliver mail and pictures to the Birdwell Island residents’ mailboxes.

In the Author’s Corner, “Jetta” invites visitors to explore the Norman Bridwell Art Retrospective and view clips from an interview with Norman Bridwell.  Children and adults   can also browse artwork and get an inside look at Clifford’s character and story development during the past 40 years. 

 

Take a break from all the action and cozy-up for a reading adventure.  Browse bookshelves filled with Clifford stories in the reading area.  Our youngest visitors can get hands-on with interactive Clifford books while older children and adults share their love of reading.