U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson toured Vicksburg’s newest museum Tuesday and helped its curator come up with plans to fund the educational museum.

Thompson and members of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen toured Pigs-in-Flight Children’s Museum, 722 Belmont St. Thompson said the educational museum is unique in his congressional district.

“I’m absolutely impressed beyond words. Once you get inside, each room becomes more impressive, and it shows that a lot of planning and organizing went into this idea,” Thompson said.

Wanda Y. Newell, a retired educator self-funded and opened the museum in October in the former Boyd’s Accounting building. The two-story office building has been transformed into a series of themed rooms with interactive, educational displays. Students who visited Tuesday read “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss before cooking themselves a meal of green eggs and ham.

“We don’t just let them read the book. They can bring the book to life,” said Deborah Jefferson, a museum worker.

They also explored a replica coalmine and a miniature forest, straight out of “Hansel and Gretel.”

Soon, children will have a completely different experience when exploring the museum.

“The difference in this museum is we change every three months,” Newell said. “We try to include things they are learning in school.”

Since the museum opened, attendance has been steady, Newell said.

“We average about 88 kids a month, provided we have field trips,” she said.

If the museum is able to attain federal funding, it could obtain even more interactive displays and allow a greater number of children to tour, Newell said. Thompson offered Newell advice in how to obtain funding and said his office would support her efforts.

Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said he was also impressed with the museum.

“What we’re trying to do is incorporate it into the curriculum at schools,” he said.