WonderTrek Blog
Stories, Updates & Exploration
A Mother’s Day Reflection on Wonder, Play, and Community
Mother’s Day is a chance to celebrate the women who help shape a child’s earliest view of the world. Mothers,...
Construction Starts on WonderTrek Children’s Museum’s Outdoor Space in Baxter | Lakeland News
Apr 9, 2026 | By: Xzayver Curry Following last year's groundbreaking, construction is now underway for WonderTrek Children’s Museum’s Outdoor Adventure campus in Baxter, which will offer outdoor play for kids of all ages. The museum, which is known for its interactive exhibits...
Building Wonder in the Brainerd Lakes as Spring Construction Commences
Imagine a place where children’s laughter echoes through immersive play spaces, where curiosity meets creativity, and where young minds are inspired to explore. That place is becoming a reality right here in the Brainerd Lakes Area at WonderTrek Children’s Museum. We’re...
Understanding WonderTrek’s Approach: Learning From Children Through Inquiry and Play
Written By: Emilee Mailhot At WonderTrek, we believe children are natural explorers. When given time, space, and interesting materials, they investigate, experiment, and discover in ways that often surprise us. Rather than starting with a lesson plan or predetermined outcome,...
Wonder Scoop: Building Wonder This Spring
How a Local Business is turning Generosity into Something Generations Can Stand on.
Perch Pictures is Lakes Proud
Some stories just feel personal. For Anthony Augustinack of Perch Pictures, donating personal time and...
A Gift That Opens New Adventure Trails
At WonderTrek, we are continually inspired by the people who go above and beyond to make the Brainerd Lakes Area a wonder-filled place to live, work, and play. Today, we are honored to highlight a story rooted in community, legacy, and the power of outdoor exploration in our...
WonderTrek Children’s Museum in the News: The Pilot-Independent Newspaper
WonderTrek Children’s Museum was recently featured in the Pilot Independent Newspaper, highlighting the organization’s mission to reimagine learning through play and the community support helping bring the project to life. Read the Full article here: The Pilot Independent...
WonderTrek Inquiry: Exploring Risk in Play
What We’re Asking and Why Through our ongoing Online Risk Series, we’re asking families, caregivers, and educators how they define “safe enough” and how that varies across different settings, ages, abilities, and experiences. We want to understand how comfort levels shift...
Celebrating Local Generosity: Cosmetic & Family Dentistry Sparks Adventure!
This giving season, we’re celebrating the power of local generosity and the difference it makes for children and families across our region. We’re thrilled to recognize Cosmetic and Family Dentistry for sponsoring WonderTrek’s Outfitter Station, the heart of WonderTrek's...
Posts & Platforms Receives a New Name: Roots & Rigging!
Roots & Rigging Exhibit Naming Contest Results 🎉 Big news, WonderTrek family! 🎉 After an amazing outpouring of creativity in the exhibit-naming contest, we are thrilled to announce that the winning name is Roots & Rigging. The entry was submitted by Peyton from Motley,...
October 2025 WonderTrek At-home!
A Fall Scavenger Hunt for Kids! Take the children outside and see how many colors of fall you can find together! Look for red and orange leaves, yellow flowers, green pine needles, brown acorns, or even the bright blue sky. Bring a basket or bag to collect safe treasures like...
WonderTrek Inquiry | Parent Messaging
What We Asked and Why We aimed to understand how signage influences parents’ perception of play as a valuable form of learning. Our goal was to identify which messages encourage parents to pause, reflect, talk with their children, and see play as meaningful. Short, Clear...
Voyage Magazine Interview with Sheila Boldt about WonderTrek Children’s Museum
"Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheila Boldt. Hi Sheila, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?I started working with WonderTrek in February 2023 as a contractor doing grant writing, and by October 2024, I was hired part-time before...
Reader Opinion: WonderTrek Museum | Brainerd Dispatch
Investing in our children always makes sense. The return on our investment is priceless. During a recent groundbreaking for the WonderTrek Children’s Museum, it was declared, “I have been to a lot of groundbreakings, but this is the most exciting one I have seen.” This project,...
Children’s Museum Breaks Ground in Baxter | Brainerd Dispatch
BAXTER — A project 10 years in the making is now taking shape. On a woodsy piece of land in Baxter lies the first stages of a place of possibility and wonder, where nature meets learning and imaginations can run as wild as the children behind them The WonderTrek Children’s...
Groundbreaking Ceremony | Lakeland Television
Lakeland News was on-site for our Groundbreaking Ceremony on July 22, 2025! Click to watch their video recap of the ceremony, Phase 1 & a summary of WonderTrek Children Museum's future 9-acre site in Baxter, MN. Shoutout to Miles Walker with Lakeland News, Thank you!
Shovels Hit the Dirt for WonderTrek Children’s Museum in Baxter | Widseth
Excitement filled the air today in Baxter as community members, local officials, and project partners gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the WonderTrek Children’s Museum. The event marks a major milestone for the long-anticipated museum, which will provide a dynamic...
KAXE/KBXE Live Radio Interview!
🗣 THANK YOU to KAXE/KBXE for the interview with Sheila Boldt, Communications Manager, on June 12th! It was great to share where WonderTrek is in development, why it's SO important for kids to have time to PLAY! AND - with support, when we're hoping to open this winter! 👏 ✨...
WonderTrek Breaking Ground 2025
Theresa Bourke from The Brainerd Dispatch interviewed Sheila Boldt, communications manager, at The Franklin Arts Center Interim Play Lab to discuss the 2025 Phase 1 ground-breaking in Baxter, MN as well as why it will be beneficial to our region. Kelley Humphrey, photographer,...
I’m ready to help!
We’re building something extraordinary at WonderTrek Children’s Museum, but we can’t do it alone. With your support, we can bring this vision to life. Every gift moves us closer to opening day — and closer to a place where play is endless and exploration opens every door to wonder.
“So exciting to see this new museum come to life
We love the community events and Studio Explorations!”
– Mary
“I’ve been able to attend and observe at several of WonderTrek’s Studio Explorations.
Each time, I saw children across a range of ages discover something fascinating to explore, sometimes giant blue blocks, colorful scarves, balls, or wobbly worlds. This kind of play—child-directed, social, physical, and joyful—is not only fun, but also critical to children’s well-being.”
– Jeanne
We're ready for you
After ten years of dreaming up a children's museum like no other, we’re gearing up to open WonderTrek’s Outdoor Adventure in early 2026.
But first, we need you. More than $6,000,000 has been raised thanks to visionary donors and lots of grant writing. Now, we’re in the final push and WonderTrek needs everyone who cares for kids and the vitality of our region to join the campaign. With $1 million to go, every donation counts!
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