For example, children will be able to select shoes that are cool, such as palm-fiber sandals from Tonga or thong sandals from Niger. For shoes that are warm, kids would choose sheepskin boots from Afghanistan or reindeer fur boots from Finland. Visitors also try on shoes including Dutch klompen, Korean rice straw jipshin and Peruvian tire sandals to learn about the people who wear them and the countries where they are worn. Activities invite kids to read stories and view artwork, photographs and shoes collected from children in 16 countries who describe their lives from their shoes' point of view. In the homes of three families from Kiribati, Mongolia and Iceland, children experience everyday life through shoes, music and photo albums.
Visitors also learn how shoes are made through a shoe factory.
Children use an interactive world map and phone to order shoe parts. Kids test shoe materials and custom design their own shoes using a drafting table, templates and light boxes. On the assembly line, they can weave, make a moccasin or assemble a sneaker. Finally, the process is completed as visitors check the incoming and outgoing shipments of shoes while watching videos of shoes being made. The exhibit is presented in English and Spanish.