The Annie Oakley Society of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum has announced that ground has broken on a new education centre at the museum that will combine thematic STEAM subjects with citizenship.

Called Liichokoshkomo’!, which is from the Chickasaw phrase for “Let’s Play”, the new centre at the museum in Oklahoma City, US, will be an interactive experience that places diversity and history at its forefront.

Aimed mainly at children, the museum’s goal for Liichokoshkomo’! is "to inspire children to learn from the past while providing the tools for their future success".

Almost US$14m (€12.3m, £11m) has been raised by the Annie Oakley Society, making up 93 per cent of the total US$15m (€13.2m, £11.8m) financial goal for the project and enabling the beginning of construction.

"Liichokoshkomo’! will be a stunning natural outdoor environment dedicated to providing imaginative and interactive educational opportunities to complement the extensive narratives, resources, and programming at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum," said Annie Oakley Society national chair Cathy Keating.

"The outdoor education experience will be a wholly original, immersive experience that will complement the museum’s mission and goals, serving as a natural extension of it."