The Thrill of Victory : La Habra’s Children’s Museum Captures the Best of the ‘Olympic Spirit’

Your kid’s team didn’t just lose. They were creamed. Wiped out. In a word: annihilated.

You rummage through your bag of parental tricks for soothing words about the value of good sportsmanship. Failing miserably, you patch his or her ailing ego with a double scoop of chocolate chip and pray for inspiration before next weekend’s game.

The Children’s Museum at La Habra comes to the rescue with “Olympic Spirit,” an interactive exhibit that offers a nuts-and-bolts introduction to the Olympic games as well as a hands-on lesson in the spirit of fair play. “Olympic Spirit” continues through Sept. 12 in the museum’s main gallery.

“Olympic Spirit,” coordinated by curator of education Carrie Wictor, features displays and activity stations accessible to a range of ages, from preschoolers to junior high school students. After taking in a brief lesson in the games’ history at the gallery entrance, visitors can try their hands at Olympic events such as boxing and basketball. Docents are on hand to answer questions and provide additional information, and guided tours can be arranged for groups of 10 or more.

With the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona just around the corner (the opening ceremonies are July 25), Wictor hopes the exhibit will help children appreciate the physical and emotional demands placed on Olympic athletes, and perhaps inspire them to be better sports themselves, on and off the playing field.

“Sportsmanship is what I’ve asked the docents to emphasize to the kids,” Wictor said. “The whole exhibit is really about the spirit of the Olympics (and) the idea that it’s a friendly competition.”

As with most Children’s Museum exhibits, hands-on experience is the learning tool here. As they enter the gallery, children take in a small photo and graphic display explaining the roots of the Olympics, including a quick introduction to French nobleman Pierre de Fardi, Baron de Coubertin, credited as the father of the modern games.

Begun in the village of Olympia in ancient Greece as a competition and cultural exchange between warring city-states, the games were held until 393 A.D. In the early 1880s, after German archeologists uncovered the site of Olympia, the baron helped rekindle world interest in the games and worked to establish the first modern Olympiad in Athens in 1896.

Fittingly, the first hands-on station offers kids a chance to don togas of torn bed sheets and faux olive wreaths. Steps away, the accouterments of modern athletes--including baseball jerseys, gymnasts’ leotards and a pair of swimmer’s goggles--are available to try. En route to other activities, children pass by memorabilia from past Olympics, including a souvenir silver goblet from the ’48 games and an assortment of Sam the Eagle trinkets from the ’84 Games in Los Angeles. An Olympic torch, used in a pre-games relay in 1984 by La Habra resident David McRoberts, is also on view.

Ringing a large floor mat in the gallery are posters and photographs lauding gymnastics, wrestling, track, basketball and more. Children can turn a somersault, teeter on a balance beam, sink a Nerf basketball or heft an eight-pound iron shot. Donning boxing gloves, they can take a punch at a child-size “heavy bag” or sling foam arrows at a target before grabbing an imitation gold, silver or bronze medal and taking their bows on the winners’ platform.

Although she recognizes the problems that politics have caused in past games, Wictor says she purposely steered away from the issue and focused instead on more positive ideas such as the spirit of cooperation amid competitors.

“I wanted to stress the idea that people from all over the world can come together and compete against each other without pussyfooting around world leaders.

“That’s really the point for me. If you can do it on a small scale like this, then maybe someday the generation that’s growing up can do it on a global scale. It’s enough to just plant the seed.”

What: “Olympic Spirit.”

When: Through Sept. 12. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Where: Children’s Museum at La Habra, 301 S. Euclid St.

Whereabouts: From the Orange (57) Freeway, exit at Lambert Road and drive west. Turn right on Euclid.

Wherewithal: Admission is $2.50 to $3.

Where to call: (310) 691-4464.