Photos from the Fire House tour!

Thank you very much to our neighbors at the Lake Avenue Fire House for giving us two wonderful tours of their station!

Tomorrow: Tale of Peter Rabbit Puppet Show!

The popular Dorothy Nolan Elementary Puppet Club returns to present the Tale of Peter Rabbit for SaratogaArtsFest! Come early, because space is limited! 

Friday, June 10, 4:30 pm to 5 pm. Free with museum admission, membership, or to guests with a SaratogaArtsFest Pass. Please note, the museum will not be open for playing during the performance.  

Art in 3D

The Children's Museum at Saratoga is holding a special workshop during Saratoga Arts Fest Weekend, Art in 3D. This workshop will take place Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12, 2011 from 1:00pm - 3:00pm. Art in 3D is a two day workshop of three-dimensional maedia on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's workshop will be clay building for younger children and paper mache for older kids. In continuation with Saturday, Sunday's workshop will be decorating and finishing the clay and paper mache objects.

This workshop is free with an ArtsFest Pass, museum membership, or normal museum admission.

Bike Safety

We had a blast last Saturday at our bike safety event. The kids had tons of fun riding their bikes around our outside obstacle course, and children and adults alike learned a lot about safe bike maintenance, proper helmet fitting, and using signals while biking. Thank you very much to Dan Lynch and Dr. David Spingarn from the Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network for joining us and providing us with their knowledge about bikes and bike safety!

Dan shows us how to signal a right turn, with our left arm bent at the elbow.

Your helmet straps should be tight enough that you can only fit two fingers between your chin and the strap. It should also come down over your forehead so you can just see the top.

Remember to obey all traffic signs!

Thank you's all around

Thank you for bearing with us as we've had some unusual hours the past week. Come by soon to see the exciting changes! Here's a sneak preview...

Thanks to exhibit designer Sandra Capecci for her wonderful work on our new Pond Life Exhibit!

Thank you to Key Bank employees for donating your time during Neighbor's Day. Check out the beautiful colors in the Community Room.



And finally, thank you to Saratoga Springs High School seniors for their annual give back day!

Colored rice is nice!

For some families, the Children's Museum is synonymous with "rice table." When we pull it out during Tuesdays for Tots, the children and parents alike love the sensory experience of playing in a table full of rice. For extra fun, we mix plain white rice with rice that is dyed with liquid watercolors. It's easy-- just give a few squirts of the watercolors to a bowl of plain, dry white rice, mix it with your hands, and spread out on a flat surface to dry. You can use the same technique to color uncooked pasta, like the noodles we used for our Mother's Day necklaces.

A rainbow of rice

Splat!

The drops of rain falling today remind us of one our favorite ways to paint: splatter painting! Nothing beats throwing droplets of paint, but here's an easy activity to have creative fun during these spring showers while staying dry (and clean!) inside.

To make your own splatter paint in the style of the messy master Jackson Pollock, visit http://www.jacksonpollock.org/.

Your computer mouse becomes your paintbrush, and clicking the mouse allows you to change colors. To begin a blank canvas, just press the space bar.This activity is fun and engaging for children of all ages, from babies as young as 6 months old (who'll love the high-constrast stimuli) to adults.

Please pardon our dust

We're making some exciting changes! Soon you'll be able to enjoy our new Pond Life exhibit, in the Congress Park area of the museum lower level.

We will be closed for the weekend beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 21. Normal hours will resume at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 24.

Keep checking in for photos and updates about the new exhibit!

Firehouse Tour is Full!

Both the May and June tours of the Lake Avenue Fire House are fully booked. We're sorry if you couldn't make it this time; there will be more tours in the future!

Lake Avenue Firehouse Tour!

Join us for a tour of our neighbor, the Lake Avenue firehouse! If you love playing with our pretend fire truck and sliding down our fire pole, then come with us on this fun tour. We will meet at the museum Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 10:30 am to put on our helmets before we walk together to the station next door.

This event is free with museum admission. Please pre-register.

We hope you can join us for this exciting event!

Safety City

May is national Bike Safety Month! On Saturday, May 28, 2011 from 11am - 1pm, we will have fun activities to help you learn more about bike safety. Bring your bike and helmet to practice bike safety while driving around our outdoor obstacle course. A bike officer from the Saratoga Springs Police Department as well as members of the Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network will be here to speak about bike safety and answer any questions you may have.

Don't miss out on this fun and educational even!

Arbor Day Celebration!

Did you know that the sugar maple has been designated the state tree of New York since 1956? Arbor Day began in the United States in 1872 in Nebraska. It is celebrated the last Friday of April every year. The Children's Museum at Saratoga is having an Arbor Day celebration on Friday, April 29, 2011 from 1-2pm.

Join us for a tree party! We'll have stories, crafts, activities and more Arbor Day fun to celebrate the trees around us! This event is free with Museum admission. Please just drop-in.

Hope to see you then!

April showers...

Happy Spring Break!

We made these daffodils at Tuesday for Tots with sections of an egg carton!

Earth Day Family Festival

Let's celebrate spring and Earth Day with an afternoon of environmental activities. On April 18, 2011, 1-3 pm, we will close off our upper parking lot for Earth Day themed crafts, games, and outdoor fun!

There will be a lot of fun activities, so don't miss out! Come join us!

Recycling Matters

Earth Day is coming! Here's how you can help by turning your trash into treasure. The Museum gladly accepts clean items for art projects and other activities. Here are some ideas:

· Orange juice cartons

· Egg cartons

· Small boxes

· Plastic containers

· Aluminum pie tins

· Clean Styrofoam food trays

· Newspapers and magazines

· Beads and buttons

· Oatmeal containers

· Fabric scraps and  sewing accessories

Items may be dropped off at the font desk. Thank you for your support!

  

Cooking Around the World

On April 20, 3-4 pm, we'll send our taste buds on an international adventure! We will be cooking up kid-friendly recipes from around the world.



Please sign up at the front desk. Pre-registration and pre-payment is required. This event is for children ages 3 and older, $10 per chef, $8 for members, drop-off optional.

X, Y, and Z

We are nearing the end of the alphabet! Join us in learning the last few letters of the alphabet and an Alphabet Soup party!

Alphabet Soup will be on the following Wednesday mornings, 10:30 am - 11:30 am.

April 13, 2011: Letter X with Erin 

April 20, 2011: Letter Y with Sally

April 27, 2011: Letter Z with Erin

May 4, 2011: No Alphabet Soup

 May 11, 2011: Alphabet Soup Party with Sally! All your favorite activities, including crafts, stories, and special surprises!

Due to Museum outreach program scheduling conflicts, our wonderful educator Sally is not able to make it to all the programs, but the show will go on!

This program is for preschool age children.

Member's Monday Morning

The Children's Museum at Saratoga was awarded a grant for a special art project that will take place during Saratoga Arts Fest weekend. This month, during Member's Monday Morning, we will have a special art project and will be filming for Saratoga Arts Fest. This filming will be featured in the "Faces Behind Saratoga Arts Fest" video that will be focused on the visual arts. Member's Monday Morning is on April 11, 2011 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Members, come join us on a special Member's Monday Morning!

World Travelers: Italy

We caught the bug--the travel bug, that is! On April 6, 1:30 - 2:15 pm, our guest instructor, the well-traveled Nisha, takes children ages 3 to 5 on an adventure every month visiting new countries and learning their language, snacks, stories, art and songs. Bring your children to enjoy the fun while opening their eyes to our diverse wide world.

This event is free with Museum admission, please pre-register. Don't let your kids miss out on learning more about Italy!

Swimming away in Story Art

"Swimmy," by Leo Lionni, has enchanted generations of children with its beautiful illustrations and celebration of differences. Today's Story Art project was inspired by this Caldecott Honor Book. Here's how to make your own undersea-scape!

You will need:
Water color paper (available at craft stores) or another thick paper
Crayons
Art tissue paper (must be "bleeding" so the colors run)-- shades of blue create the ocean effect best
A cup of water
A paint brush

Draw your undersea picture on the watercolor paper using the crayons. For a fun trick, try drawing things with the white crayon. It won't show up-- yet! We drew a black fish for Swimmy and red fish for his brothers and sisters. For best results, press hard with the crayon.

Tear up the tissue paper into medium size pieces and use them to cover the watercolor paper. Try layering the tissue paper for new color combinations.

Dip the brush in water and paint a layer of water on top of the tissue paper, wetting all the paper.

Peel off and discard the wet tissue paper to reveal your ocean scene!

Walk to Work Day and Stuffee Goes to Health Fairs!

April 1 is National Walk to Work Day! Since 2004, this day is held on the first Friday of April in the USA every year. Try to walk for all or part of your commute to work or school.


In helping to promote healthy habits, like being active and walking to work, Stuffee will be going to the Geyser Road Elementary School health fair on April 2, 2011 and the YMCA health fair on April 16, 2011 to give some healthy suggestions to families.

Start walking and join us for some healthy ideas to implement into your family's daily life!

An Evening with the Mad Hatter

Our fundraiser event, An Evening with the Mad Hatter, was held last weekend! Thank you to all who came and celebrated The Children's Museum at Saratoga with us. We had a lot of fun! In addition to thanking all who attended, we want to thank the following companies who have donated or reduced their costs for products or services in putting this event together. Thank you to Advantage Press, Sandra Capecci-Potenza Designs, Dehn's Flowers Inc., Hidden Gardens, Saratoga, Saratoga National Golf Club, and Toadflax Nursery of South Glens Falls. All of your contributions helped to make this event a joyous occasion.

                                                                                           

            

 

 

Thank you for a wonderful night!

Barefoot Books at The Children's Museum!

Do you and your child love reading? Have you been looking for some new stories to read? Join us at the Children's Museum at Saratoga on Saturday, March 19th for a Barefoot Books book fair! Thirty percent of your Barefoot Books purchase will be donated to the Museum. This is a great way to stock up on gifts for the children in your life and to support the Children's Museum! We love these books here at the museum. In the past, we have used We're Sailing Down the Nile in Story Art and My Daddy is a Pretzel for Stretching with Stuffee.

                         

Barefoot Books is an award-winning children's book publishing company, dedicated to bringing high-quality art and story to children of all walks of life.  It was started by two mothers who were seeking books that inspired children's creativity and imagination, while also instilling respect for other cultures and the planet.  Their books are printed on ancient forest-friendly paper, using soy or vegetable-based inks.

Throughout the month, if you order your books online, you will be supporting The Children's Museum. Go online now and explore Barefoot Books.

We hope you can join us for this fun event!

Special guests at the Museum!

This week at the Children's Museum at Saratoga we welcome special guests joining our programs. Jessica Riley from Kiba Kiba Books will join us for Story Art and Dr. Q from AAC Family Wellness Centers will join us in Stretching with Stuffee.

Jessica Riley, author of Kiba Kiba Books, will be joining us on March 17, 2011 from 10:30-11:00 AM for Story Art. Jessica has hosted a number of workshops in the area and beyond where children illustrate the text of a story she has written. During Story Art she will be reading one of these child-illustrated stories and then leading the children in an art challenge.

Our second guest that will be joining us in Stretching with Stuffee this week is Dr. Q from AAC Family Wellness Centers on March 18, 2011 from 10:00-10:30 AM. Dr. Michael Quartararo graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic, where he received specialized training in pediatrics.

Hope you can join us for these events! Thanks to Jessica and Dr. Q for sharing their talents with us at the museum!

The members of AAC Family Wellness Centers are dedicated to educating our communities that proper spinal alignment and function promotes optimum health and wellness.

Correction: Parent Workshop: Multiple Intelligences with Professor Brent

Join us in the first session of our new parent workshop series! It will be held APRIL 5, 3:30-4:15 PM here at The Children's Museum. In the first session of our new parent workshop series, Professor Donna Brent of the Skidmore College Education Studies Department will give a talk on the theory of multiple intelligences in children. Museum staff will provide supervised play and care for children, age 18 months and older, of workshop participants during the session. The workshop is $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers. This includes museum admission for one child and one adult. Don't miss out on what is sure to be a very interesting and insightful talk!