Merrill Seven-Year-Old Opens Museum

To celebrate her seventh birthday, Hannah Kieliszewski did not request the usual cake, ice cream and presents. Instead, she hosted an invitation-only grand opening of her nature museum. More than 45 people came through the museum during the two-day event. In addition to viewing the displays, museum guests completed a scavenger hunt highlighting key displays, created pinecone birdfeeders and nesting balls, and dug for gems.

When asked how she thought everything went with her grand-opening, Hannah said, "I was so happy with my museum. I worked really hard. It was exciting to share what I did with my friends and family. I think everyone had fun and learned something. The only bad thing is that my ostrich egg got broken on the second day."

The museum started last spring with a curious six-year-old and a bug collection. Over the following 12 months the bug collection grew to include seeds, game bird feathers, skulls, rocks, shells, fossils and more. It grew and grew until it became Hannah's Nature Museum. The goal of the museum is to display God's handiwork. Each display area provides information about how God's intelligent design is evident throughout creation.

Hannah is a young girl with big goals. She plans to continue to collect and create displays in order to open the museum to the community in three years. She hopes to begin collecting pelts and small animal mounts and to expand her insect, rock & mineral, fossil, woodland and skull displays.

While Hannah collected and created displays for the majority of the specimens in the museum, she received donations and support from many individuals and organizations. She would like to thank: the Wisconsin DNR and Eek! as well as Federal Fish and Wildlife which supported her efforts both in information for displays and by donating giveaways, Buddy Davis, from Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum, who offered assistance in creating the fossil display as well as the Origin of Time display, and D & D Commodities Ltd, for donating giveaways for each museum guest. A big thanks to local friends and family who donated or loaned specimens to the museum including the T. Larson Family of Tomahawk, the W. Gremler family of Merrill, the D. Christianson families of Wisconsin Rapids, the D. Kieliszewski family of Milladore and Jen at To Your Health Market.