The most supportive contractor ever has been at the Children's Museum for about two weeks now, and he's helping the museum set attendance records.

Based on the extremely popular PBS children's TV show, Bob the Builder even makes appearances on weekends to support the 2,000-square-foot multimedia traveling exhibit "Bob the Builder -- Project: Build It," making its West Coast debut.

"Can we do it? Yes we can!" is Bob's mantra, teaching children the power of positive thinking and teamwork. Museum visitors are encouraged to get involved in the hands-on exhibit, helping to fix things, including the sink in Bob's mobile home.

KC Gauldine, CEO of the museum, says February attendance is now at 47 percent above the same time last year.

"It's because Bob the Builder is a rock star," Gauldine says with a laugh. "And the girls love it as much as the boys. It's very colorful and very interactive and, of course, the kids love that they get to drive all of Bob's friends."

Bob and his helpful crew live in Sunflower Valley and espouse "green" building practices and teamwork to solve problems. Bob, who always puts safety first, is business partners with the tech-savvy Wendy. She's the one who makes sure the construction site is well organized.

The rest of their can-do crew includes: Benny the Small Digger; Roley the Steamroller (with Bird usually perched on his cab); Muck the Digger Dumper; Lofty the Crane; Scoop the Digger; Travis the Tractor; Scrambler the All-Terrain Vehicle; Dizzy the Cement Mixer; Farmer Pickles; Spud the scarecrow; Scruffy the dog; and Pilchard the cat.

Even though the exhibit is lots of fun, Gauldine says it's specifically designed for the national pre-K social studies standards for children ages 1 to 5, including following directions, listening and observing, practicing good citizenship, compromise, cooperation and socialization.

"Fifty-six percent of children who enter kindergarten aren't ready for kindergarten," according to national studies, she says. "And when you add low-income and at-risk, it becomes 74 percent who aren't ready, and that's social, emotional and cognitive skills."

Bob the Builder, and children's museums in general, hope to change that statistic by teaching children how to be helpful, friendly and to exercise self control.

"Folks think about the Children's Museum as 22,000 square feet of squeals and laughter and excitement, and it is all those things, but it's also about learning," she says.

A life-size Bob is part of the exhibit (so kids can still get a picture with Bob even when the "real" Bob isn't there). In the Build the Machine Shelter section of the exhibit, visitors can help lay stones for the walls and build sleeping stalls for Roley, Scoop, Benny, Muck and Scrambler.

In the Drive a Machine section, children can ride Scrambler, Roley and Scoop. In Wendy's Caravan, Wendy needs help refurbishing and decorating her caravan and planting special flowers. Her trailer also has solar panels on top to make the lights go on, so children learn about energy and conservation.

At the Water Pump, children can help bring water (buckets of blue balls) to Sunflower Valley and learn about water conservation, one of Farmer Pickles' favorite lessons.

The Talkie Talkie section has a picture of each team member. Push a button and hear each one's famous catchphrase, from Scoop's "No prob, Bob" and Wendy's "Well, we'd better get started, team!" to Lofty's "Yes we can -- er, well, I think so" and, of course, Bob's "Can we build it? Yes we can!"

While the exhibit is aimed at young children, Gauldine says older children also love it, especially if they have younger siblings. The older child can take a leadership role and show his or her little brother or sister how things work. It also teaches the older child how to cooperate and compromise with someone younger, who may not understand compromise yet.

"Any child that's under 5, it's all about preparing them for school," Gauldine says. "It's not about the ABCs or teaching them how to count; it's all those social and emotional skills to get along with others and help themselves be successful."