This week at the Detroit Children's Museum we are continuing our celebration of Native American Heritage Month. We have several new displays with Native American Regalia that are beautifully decorated with feathers and porcupine quills. This Saturday, Nov. 20, we will be having a special Corn Husk Doll making activity (while supplies last), our Sky Tellers planetarium show, plus our special Native American exhibits.

Registration is now open for our first annual Gingerbread House Contest. Go to www.detroitsciencecenter.org for more details on rules, registration and prizes.

Julie's Journal - From the Director's Desk

Our Oct. 30 Spooky Science event was a wonderful success! We had over 200 visitors for our special activities including pumpkin bowling, bat activities, giveaways and more. The Candy Corn Contest winner guessed there were 500 pieces in the jar. The actual count was 556. Great job!

This month is our salute to Native American Heritage Month. We will have special planetarium shows highlighting stories from native Americans about the constellations in the night sky called "Sky Tellers." These will be shown Tuesday - Friday at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. In addition, we have several Native America exhibits for you to explore as well as arts & crafts activities throughout the month. Plus we have some new arrivals on our hands-on activities including the Marble Inclined Plane and the Weather Map.

We hope to see you soon. Mention this update when you visit to receive a free Detroit Children's Museum pin.

Curator's Corner by Don Bogart

The museum is already decorated for Halloween—pumpkins galore! It is a very festive environment. But there’s even more fun on the way…

Exhibit updates

We just opened a new display on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). It is a display of figurines from Mexico celebrating that special holiday.

We will also be bringing up more Native American artifacts soon, to celebrate Native American Heritage month in November.

Where’s Earl (the squirrel)?

Also, we have a taxidermied black squirrel that likes to “migrate” around the museum. He is usually very hard to find for both staff and patrons alike. He usually “goes out for a walk” at least once a week, making him hard to keep a finger on. Look for him next time you visit!

Going Batty at the Children's Museum!

We’re going batty for Halloween at the Detroit Children’s Museum!

Join us this Saturday for Spooky Science. We have extended our hours for this event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and all activities are free with admission.

Learn about bats and see an actual bat skeleton. Play a game of pumpkin bowling. Go on a bug hunt. Guess how many candy corns fit into a jar. We will also have a costume contest, our fall night skies planetarium show and so much more.

Julie's Journal - From the Director's Desk

Fall has arrived at the Detroit Children’s Museum!

• Who is Johnny Appleseed?
• Why does it get dark so early in the evening?
  
• What is a gourd?
  
• Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?
  

You can find out all these answers plus a whole lot more at the DCM. Join us this weekend for hands-on activities for all ages. Make your own Johnny Appleseed hat, see our new Fall skies planetarium show and much more.

While you're thinking about pumpkins and seeds, a fun (and yummy) Halloween activity besides carving pumpkins is cooking the seeds! Try this recipe!

Baked Pumpkin Seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Separate the pumpkin seeds from the fibers. Wash, drain, and dry the seeds on paper towels. Coat 11/2 cups seeds with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Toss the seeds with salt (or omit salt and toss seeds with any of the suggested seasonings below), and spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Deviled Pumpkin Seeds

Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper.

Sugar and Spice Pumpkin Seeds

Add 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice.

Cheesy Seeds

Add 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning.

Popcorn Month, Teacher Day and Birthday Parties

Shout it from the rooftops!

The Detroit Children’s Museum is open to the public and to all school/organization groups.

Our hours:

Tuesday-Friday 9am-4pm

Saturday 10am-4pm

Saturdays are Special at the Children’s Museum and this Saturday we have twice the fun! Celebrate National Popcorn Popping Month at the DCM with 3, 2, 1 POP! where you can learn about the history of popcorn. Learn more about National Popcorn Month here including really great recipes, popcorn trivia and more!

POPCORN FACTOID: Most popcorn comes in two basic shapes when it's popped: snowflake and mushroom. Snowflake is used in movie theaters and ballparks because it looks and pops bigger. Mushroom is used for candy confections because it doesn't crumble.

Saturday also features our first Teacher’s Appreciation Day. All educators (with valid ID) will receive free admission to the Children’s Museum. We will have information packets, free drawing for a class field trip to the DCM and much more. Tell the teachers in your life about this wonderful opportunity.

Our new BIRTHDAY PARTIES have been very popular! We have special parties just for the youngsters in your life. Check out our website to see what all the excitement is about or call our reservations department for information at (313) 577-8400 option 5.

Hispanic Games Day and other upcoming events

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Join us at the Detroit Children’s Museum on Oct. 2 for our Hispanic Games Day!

Learn how to play some traditional Hispanic games, explore our exhibits including some dedicated to the Hispanic/Latino culture, enjoy an art activity and more. We hope to see you there!

Other upcoming events include:

Oct. 9, all day

Teacher Appreciation Day – Free teacher admission with ID; no reservations required

3,2,1 Pop! – Learn about the beginning of one of our most beloved foods: popcorn!

Oct. 16, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Teacher Professional Development Day -- Pre-registration required for this course on Earth Science Basics and graduate credits are available. More information including cost, registration information available here.

Hispanic Heritage Day Activities

Celebrate National Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month with us at the Detroit Children’s Museum on Sept. 25. We have a wide variety of special activities for all ages.

• Hispanic/Latino Heritage Exhibits are located throughout the museum. Look for the cases showcases artifacts from jewelry to sombreros. (Main gallery)
• Storybooks-read your child a story representing this proud culture (Preschool area)
• Explore the hands-on toys and musical instruments of this culture. (Science Area)
• Explore the fall night sky; learn about the Harvest moon and other constellations in our night sky planetarium show.
• Art workshop on Mexican Huichol Yarn Painting* (front lobby, 10:30 to noon and 1-2pm)

* The yarn painting workshop has limited space. We will try and accommodate all participants on a first come, first served basis. Recommended for children age 4 and up.

We hope to see you there!

National Hispanic/Latino Month festivities

The weather’s getting cooler and what better place to play than at the Detroit Children’s Museum?

This week we are celebrating National Hispanic/Latino Month. We have several new exhibits celebrating this proud culture. Check out our Mayan artifacts, sombreros and other treasures.

The theme of this coming Saturdays are Special on Second is Hispanic/Latino Heritage Day. Please join us on the final Saturday of September for hands-on fun, stories, arts, crafts, and more.

Julie

Curator's Corner by Don Bogart

We have been very busy creating exhibits that will bring people back to see more! With our extensive collection, we will be continuously changing out the display cases. We are also committed to creating more hands-on exhibits that will engage children who learn as they play.


I just filled two new display cases with Latin American historical pieces. We have a collection of funeral sculptures from the Mayan Civilization that are over 3,000 years old. I have more new display cases, which I will be filling soon also, probably with more Latin American artifacts for Latin American Heritage Month.


Our new Native American exhibit just opened with a buffalo hide from the Battle of Little Big Horn. It is arguably the most culturally significant piece we have in our collection. It is beautiful to behold, decorated by the Native Americans of the West. There is a chief's head dress from the north west coast tribes also featured in this display case.


We also opened an Egypt exhibit case with a Tom Cat mummy that is over 2,500 years old and complete with x-rays. There are also a few pieces of tomb art that date from that time period.


We have also opened our new Vet Lab, the general store called the Silverbolt Grocery Store, and our Silverbolt Mine, where kids can dig for treasures and get a prize if they find a "gold" piece. We have a new Magnet Table for kids to enjoy the power of magnetism "it draws them every time."


That is just some of the new eye-opening items on display at the museum. As you can see, we are excited about the happenings around here.


If that doesn't sell you, admission is very affordable and parking is free! How can you beat a family of 4 for $12?



Don Bogart is the Curator for the Detroit Children's Museum. Don also has experience in building exhibits and is always anxious to receive any gifts-in-kind to add to our collection. You can contact Don at dbogart@sciencedetroit.org.

New exhibits and fun events at the DCM

We are closed this week as we build an even better Children's Museum, but I wanted to tell you what's in store for you when we re-open on September 13. We are adding two new exhibits this week: Zookeepers Place and Silverbolt Grocery Store. These special permanent exhibits will allow our young visitors to explore the world through the different jobs found in zoos or grocery stores.

Zookeepers Place-Visitors will be able to take on the role of a zookeeper and feed the animals or as a veterinarian and make the animals feel better by looking at x-rays, bandaging up any boo-boos on the animals or just hugging the stuffing out of them. Children will learn the zoo is a place where all kinds of wild animals are kept and taken care of.

Silverbolt Grocery Store-Join the fun in this interactive grocery store. Kids will be able to shop for food, be a cashier, bag it up, and even restock it again.

We are looking forward to starting this new school year. Check out the website for our latest Saturdays are Special at the DCM as well as our HomeSchool Days.

A quick look at the rest of the month:
Sept. 14 Homeschool Days /Everyday Math

Sept. 18 Fall Back into School / The Cat in the Hat is back for storytime at 11am, 1pm and 3pm and a fun way to learn math with Papa Luigi’s Pizza Predicament

Sept. 25 We have a special National Hispanic/Latino exhibit as well as Popcorn Popping Fun.

Join us for these great events!

See you there.

Julie

DCM is listening to your feedback!

I just wanted to share some quotes from some of the on-site surveys that we've been collecting:

“I love this place”

“I like the magnet walls.”

“Make it bigger!”

“I’m so glad that Detroit actually has a children’s museum again. I’ve been to children’s museums all over the country. This is really nice.”

“Need more hands-on”

“This was a great experience. We will be back soon!”

“Need more dinosaurs.”

“More art activities”

Well, we have about 100 more surveys and more suggestions. We are currently working on adjusting and adding to the DCM. In September we will have two new exhibit areas and special themed Saturdays. Look for more details on our website. If you have any feedback of your own, please contact me via email at jjohnson@sciencedetroit.org.

The rest of this month we will be celebrating the Dog Days of Summer. Come down and join us for some “doggy” good fun.

Julie

What Do Dogs and Cars Have in Common?

The Detroit Children's Museum, where we'll be celebrating both all week long!

Join us Aug. 16-21 for these special events:

Aug. 16-21: It's the Dog Days of Summer and we'll be highlighting the Dog Stars, doggy crafts and a special workshop on Saturday, Aug. 21, on learning to draw a cartoon dog.

Aug. 19-21: It's Future Cruisin' over at the Detroit Science Center and here at the Children's Museum we'll be doing Classic Car Match Up, Crafty Cars and Truck Rally activities.

We hope to see you there!

Meet the newest DCM staff member!

Meet Sheldon.

Sheldon is our newest staff member--an adult Russian Tortoise. He came to us from the Every Animal Rescue League. We are very happy that he is now a part of our team. He loves to look at you from his tank. When no one is looking, he takes walks with our staff just to make sure that everything is where it should be. Come down and say hello--I'm sure he'll be happy to meet you!

We have also added a new hands-on exhibit called "Silverbold Gold & Silver Mine." Try your hand at finding gold or silver nuggets from our kid-friendly mine. Kids receive a special prize for finding the nuggets. Just present them to the front desk staff to redeem your nuggets for a prize.
We hope to see you soon!

Thanks,
Julie

Julie's Journal 7/26/10

Julie Johnson is the new Director of the Detroit Children's Museum under its new association with the Detroit Science Center. Julie will be blogging her thoughts as she works toward the reopening of this Detroit institution! Here is her eleventh post:

July 24, 2010 was one of our busiest days. We had over 670 visitors explore our museum and join us for our first Family Fun Day sponsored by PNC Foundation Grow Up Great Initiative. Our visitors received free admission, planetarium shows, train rides, art activities and much more. We had some wonderful volunteers from PNC Bank, who graciously helped all our guests make their own world or baseball figure. This day was a non-stop excitement filled day. One of the stations was Baseball speed throwing. This station allowed our guests to throw a baseball and have their speed timed. One of our young visitors through the ball at 66 mph. Well Done! In addition we had several drawings for fun things like Tiger’s baseball tickets, Puppet Art Theater tickets and DCM t-shirts and mug. Congratulations to our winners!!! O. Oluwole, M. Smith, and N. Ferreira. We are looking forward to seeing all of our visitors again soon. Join us next month for the “Dog Days of Summer” Aug. 1-31.

Thanks,

Julie

First Steps at the Detroit Children's Museum

Julie Johnson shares a story about a great moment at the Children's Museum:

"Thursday, July 23 marked another first for the Detroit Children’s Museum. One of our youngest visitors was here with her family. She was very excited about all the kites, animals and preschool area. In fact, she was so excited that she let go of her Mom’s hand and took her first steps on her own. It was just a few at first and by the time she left she was up to 10 at a time. We are very honored that she choose our museum to launch her walking debut."

PNC FAMILY FUN DAYS AT THE DETROIT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OFFER FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION

New Joint Membership Program Includes Both the Detroit Children's Museum and the Detroit Science Center!

There's never been a better time to discover the wonders of science and hands on exploration in Detroit! The Detroit Children's Museum and the Detroit Science Center are now covered under one membership! A Family level membership gets two adults and all children in the household under 18 into both museums for one year for only $70! More information and other membership levels and benefits here. You can purchase your membership online via PayPal here. Have any questions? Contact the Membership Department at 313.577.8400, ext. 433, or by e-mail membership@sciencedetroit.org.

Children's Musuem Grand Re-opening Celebration Schedule!

This is going to be SO MUCH FUN! See you there!

Grand Re-Opening Celebration is coming up soon! Don't miss!