By Abigail Oleniczak
The excitement of KidVenture began 25 years ago when then EAA Chairman Tom Poberezny and Vice President Greg Anderson asked EAA Director Dan Majka to create somewhere for kids to be involved with aviation on the EAA grounds.
Dan said he wanted a venue that would attract the whole family. KidVenture started in 1999 as a big tent by the Eagle Hangar. Dan said he thought 500 kids would show up, but surprisingly, 2,000 kids came ready to participate in hands-on aviation activities and projects.
Today, KidVenture has 450 volunteers, and 20,000 youths and parents come to explore all it has to offer.
“It has grown tremendously, and it is all because of volunteers,” Dan said. “I never imagined it to look and grow the way it has in the past 25 years.”
The vision from the beginning was to provide an environment for children to experience and appreciate all the different areas of aviation. Dan’s hope was that kids would learn skills they never would have imagined — for example, building and soldering a radio to listen to air traffic control. Dan hopes youths take that success and excitement and carry it over to all areas of life.
Many of the youths have found a deeper appreciation for aviation and enjoy the hands-on tasks. “The mission is working, absolutely. I wouldn’t devote my time if it wasn’t,” said Dan, who has been the chairman since the program’s inception.
KidVenture is free for all youths and made possible entirely because of donations. The Ray Foundation is a large donor and has been with KidVenture since almost the beginning. Dan said, “These people believe in the mission.”
Recently, KidVenture has added a laboratory to the second floor of the Pilot Proficiency Center, located next to the EAA Aviation Museum. It is a permanent space used by homeschoolers, school groups, and individuals.
Boeing is another large donor that helps make KidVenture dreams come true. Andrew Mallek of Boeing has been volunteering for the past four years and said, “Investing in KidVenture is investing in the future through promoting jobs and STEM. It is more than just the Boeing company here, but we want to inspire the next generation.”
This year, Boeing has paper rockets that children can build and launch outside. They can also design the rockets and be creative.
Matt Miedwig has volunteered for the past 13 years as KidVenture’s operations chairman. “Moving forward, we want to keep expanding on the number of activities. We try to keep things fresh and changing,” he said.
One exciting hands-on project you can discover at KidVenture is learning how to rivet. Matt said, “We hope that kids will realize that you can do it and try new things.”
KidVenture is open 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. daily through Saturday, and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sunday.
Other family activities include:
AeroEducate Center — Located at the south entrance to Aviation Gateway Park, the center host youth forums and hands-on activities for ages 10-18. It is open through Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
NASA STEM Zone — Kids can enjoy hands-on activities, demonstrations, and exhibits that highlight some of NASA’s missions and programs. It’s appropriate for ages 5-17. It is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Sunday.
The Charles W. Harris Youth Aviation Center — Located in the Vintage area, the center gives youths the chance to have a hands-on experience using hammers, pliers, and other tools to discover how aircraft are maintained. Kids will also have the opportunity to talk to pilots and hear their flying stories.
Flight simulators are also open to youths in the Warbirds area.