A pilot seat installation inside “AIM HIGH” allows children to explore aviation through hands-on play. (Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Atlanta)
A new interactive exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta invites children to explore the history of flight through hands-on play, imagination and movement. “AIM HIGH: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen,” on view through May, introduces young visitors to aviation, STEM learning and the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen through immersive, kid-centered experiences.
Designed for children ages 4 to 14, the exhibit blends interactive play with historical context, encouraging kids to test ideas, roleplay and learn through repetition.
According to Karen Kelly, the museum’s director of exhibits and education, “AIM HIGH” came to Atlanta through collaboration with the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, which is known for developing durable, kid-centered traveling exhibitions.
Learning through play and experimentation
Children move wooden airplanes across a runway play table as part of the AIM HIGH exhibit. (Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Atlanta)
Inside “AIM HIGH,” children explore core concepts of flight by building and redesigning paper airplanes, launching rockets they’ve designed themselves, and testing how small changes affect performance. The activities are intentionally iterative, allowing kids to try, adjust and try again.
Kelly says the exhibit reflects the museum’s broader mission to support STEM and STEAM learning through play — often before children realize they’re engaging with scientific concepts at all.
More immersive experiences, including a pilot seat and cockpit simulator, invite visitors to engage in roleplay inspired by aviation careers, blending imagination with real-world ideas about how planes fly and pilots operate them.
Young visitors sit at a cockpit simulator, engaging in roleplay inspired by aviation history. (Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Atlanta )
Connecting play to history
The exhibit also includes activities tailored to younger visitors. Toddlers and preschoolers can strap on wings and measure how far they can jump, introducing basic ideas about motion and lift through physical movement.
As children grow, roleplay becomes a key learning tool. Dressing up as a pilot or sitting at the controls helps kids begin to picture themselves in adult roles, building empathy and curiosity alongside technical understanding, Kelly says.
While much of “AIM HIGH” emphasizes movement and experimentation, the exhibit also grounds the experience in tangible history. Authentic artifacts connected to the Tuskegee Airmen, including a technical flight manual and a sewing kit carried by airmen, offer families moments to pause and talk about the people behind the legacy.
Those objects help bridge generations, giving caregivers a concrete way to connect play-based learning to real lives and historical achievements.
What’s next at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta?
Children’s Museum of Atlanta exhibit “AIM HIGH” remains on view through May, followed by Wild Kratts: Ocean Adventure this summer. Looking ahead, the museum is also planning programming tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well as the return of Doc McStuffins later in the year for a new generation of visitors.
