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June 2009
News on events, programs and exhibits at The Children's Museum
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From The Children’s Museum
June 2009
Dear Friend:
This summer, The Children’s Museum welcomes a new neighbor – the Connecticut Science Center in Downtown Hartford. We look forward to working together to improve science education. After all, The Children’s Museum has led the way in teaching and learning about science and nature for a long time.
Today, what The Children’s Museum and the Connecticut Science Center do is more important than ever. As a recent National Research Council report says, our schools cannot do it alone when it comes to achievement, attainment and literacy in science. We will continue our focus on younger children and families because that’s what we do best. When we succeed, the Science Center succeeds because we capture the wonder and discovery early on that sustains lifelong interest in science.
As members and supporters of The Children’s Museum, you will want to visit the Connecticut Science Center. I’m sure you will also continue to be a part of hands-on science and nature at The Children’s Museum and our Roaring Brook Nature Center, as well as at the hundreds of museums and science centers nationwide where our members get a passport to visit free.*
As Robin Davis, a science educator in Alaska, told me recently in an email, “Often people ask me how my career was molded and I honestly say it was a summer camp at The Children’s Museum in West Hartford that sparked my imagination for learning about nature and the world of science.” That’s what your support makes possible at The Children’s Museum every day.
Thanks.
Kevin
Kevin B. Sullivan
President & CEO
*Please note that the new Connecticut Science Center is not yet participating in the passport program.
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A Child’s World is a
Huge Success
Over 250 guests had a world of fun at “A Child’s World,” The Children’s Museum’s 13th annual fundraiser on
May 9. All proceeds will support the extensive science and nature education initiatives offered by The Children’s Museum at its main location in West Hartford, at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton and in classrooms across the state. The event raised over $200,000.
The Children’s Museum gives special thanks to presenting sponsor The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., lead sponsors TD Banknorth and Travelers, hosts Kara Sundlun and Dennis House, auctioneer Howard Koeppel, and Tumble Brook Country Club for an incredible and memorable evening. See more photos and read more about the event on our website.
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Volunteer Open House
Wednesday June 3, 2009
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Join us for a fun afternoon and an introduction to our Volunteer Program. Meet with the Volunteer Coordinator and staff representatives from several Museum departments. Learn more about what a volunteer can do, experience some of the educational demonstrations in which volunteers participate, and take a tour of the Museum.
Featured departments include:
Development
Education
Facilities & Exhibits
Marketing
Travelers ScienceDome
Guest Relations
Information Technology
The Children’s Museum Preschool
This event is free but pre-registration is required. To register, call 860.231.2830 x44 or e-mail Events@TheChildrensMuseumCT.org.
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Forage with “Wildman”
Steve Brill
Saturday June 6, 2009
10:30 am
Roaring Brook Nature Center
World-famous naturalist and author “Wildman” Steve Brill returns to Roaring Brook Nature Center to present a foraging lecture and an early afternoon hike through Werner’s Woods in search of wild edibles. Brill’s lecture in the auditorium begins at 10:30 am followed by a one-hour lunch break and then an afternoon walk at 12:30 pm.
The cost for both lecture and walk is $10/person in advance. Any remaining spaces will be $15/person at the door. Payment is required with pre-registration. This program is co-sponsored by the Canton Land Conservation Trust. Call the Nature Center at 860.693.0263 to register or for more information.
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Summer Solstice Celebration
Saturday, June 20, 2009
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Join us at the end of the “longest” day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere to celebrate the summer. We’ll have crafts, a bonfire, and s’mores, and we’ll view the skies through our telescopes. Also, we’ll premiere Extreme Planets, our latest astronomy show, in the Travelers Science Dome theatre. Visit our Evening Astronomy Events website for more information.
$8/person for The Children’s Museum members, $10/person for non-members.
To register, call 860.231.2830 x44 or e-mail Events@TheChildrensMuseumCT.org. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.
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Summer Science Camp
The fun and learning continues this summer with our best ever Summer Science Camp. We’re planning an action-packed summer chock full of old favorites and some great new additions. Summer Camp begins the week of July 6 and continues for seven weeks. Our weekly themes include Art Squad, Junior Vets, Young Wizards, Space Cadets, Robo Engineers, Lab Rats and Eco Explorers. New this summer are Fun Fridays, an awesome way to end the week that includes rocket launches, robot races and other extra special activities. Campers will take home different Museum Keepsakes each week like personalized lab gear and working robots. Each camper also receives a Science Camp T-shirt.
To register, contact our Registration Department at 860.231.2830 x 44. For more information about Summer Vacation Camps, visit our website.
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Sponsor an Animal in the
UTC Wildlife Sanctuary
One of the unique offerings at our annual fundraiser is sponsorship of our Sanctuary animals to provide their care and feeding for the coming year. Several sponsorships are still available for our animal groups:
- Lizards - $50 each
- Snakes - $50 each
- Turtles, Tortoises & Terrapins - $50 each
- Amphibians - $30 each
- Arthropods - $30 each
Sponsors receive a photo of their animals and have their names posted in the UTC Wildlife Sanctuary. To sponsor an animal group, please contact Dawn Veillette Diana at 860.231.2830 x51 or email.
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New Museum Store on CafePress
Show your love of The Children’s Museum by wearing some new gear from our CafePress store We’re currently offering items for kids and adults: short-sleeve and long-sleeve T-shirts, sweatshirts, and magnets.
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Adopt a Star in the Travelers Science Dome
Support the educational mission of the Travelers Science Dome by “adopting” one of our stars. For a small donation, you can choose one to be your own for five years. Unlike other star registries that claim to name a faint, distant star after a friend or relative, we’ve chosen only the brightest stars on our indoor sky to be adopted. It would make a wonderful tribute for a birthday or anniversary.
Each adopter will get a colorful certificate of adoption and a star chart that lists the star’s location in the sky. At any time during the five-year period, the adopter may come to the planetarium during regular Museum hours to see his or her star. Also, the adopter’s name, or the name of his choice, will become part of a new donor recognition wall in the Travelers Science Dome for the same time period. Adoption prices vary based on the size and location of the star.
For more information, e-mail Planetarium Director Kristie Mazzoni.
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Peregrine Falcon Chicks Hatch on Travelers Tower
The Children’s Museum, Travelers, and the Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection have partnered to bring you FalconCam, a website with two live webcams monitoring a Peregrine Falcon nest on Travelers Tower in Downtown Hartford. The falcons nested on the tower in March and their three chicks hatched in early May. Watch them grow on the FalconCam.
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Travelers Science Dome Summer Schedule
June 29, 2009 to August 31, 2009*
Monday – Friday
11:00 am – Extreme Planets
12:00 pm – Astronaut
1:00 pm – Extreme Planets
2:00 pm – Molecularium
3:30 pm – Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
Saturday
11:30 am – Molecularium
1:00 pm – Extreme Planets
2:00 pm – Astronaut
3:30 pm – Extreme Planets
Sunday
1:00 pm – Extreme Planets
2:00 pm – Astronaut
3:30 pm – Extreme Planets
*The Travelers Science Dome will be closed for general cleaning June 24-26, 2009.
For more information on Extreme Planets or any of our shows, please visit the Travelers Science Dome website.
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Check Us Out on Facebook
Visit The Children’s Museum on Facebook. If you’ve already signed up for Facebook, you can become one of our fans and get our special updates. However, anyone can visit our page and see our photos, videos, and upcoming events.
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Teacher Professional Development is Back
This summer, The Children’s Museum launches a free training program for fifth and sixth-grade teachers from priority schools in Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford and West Hartford. Funded by a $92,000 Connecticut Teacher Quality Partnership Grant from the Connecticut Department of Higher Education, this program is a partnership of the Museum, University of Hartford science and education faculty, and Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. education staff.
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Major Grants Invested in
The Children’s Museum
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, has made two generous grants to The Children’s Museum. Both grants are funded through the Hartford Foundation’s Nonprofit Support Program, which offers assessments, workshops and grants to help strengthen the organizational capacity of nonprofits.
$50,000 will go to strategic technology improvements that complete a three-year initiative. The improvements and training will support education services and business practices.
$40,000 from a three-year funding program will further strengthen financial management, accounting and oversight. Implementing this grant, The Children’s Museum welcomes new Finance Manager Gail Bruhn, an experienced financial analyst.
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Fore. The Children’s Museum
Guess how many birdies will be made during the Travelers Championship and support The Children’s Museum at the same time! Take part in Birdies for Charity, a fundraising program run by the Travelers Championship to support local nonprofits.
Simply make a pledge per birdie made at the upcoming Travelers Championship – 1¢, 2¢, 10¢, $1 – whatever amount you wish. (Last year, the tournament had 1,673 birdies.)
Fill out a pledge card, hand it in the next time you visit the Museum, or send it directly to the address on the card.
Or click on the Birdie below and pledge online:
- Click “Register Now”
- Select package type: Per Birdie Pledge or Flat Donation
- Create a username and password
- Enter your contact information
- Make a pledge or donation to The Children’s Museum
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100% of the pledges received go directly to us. Encourage all your friends, relatives, and co-workers to fill out a pledge form for The Children’s Museum, and ask them to ask their friends. It’s an easy way to support all the wonderful things you enjoy at The Children’s Museum. In addition, every person who pledges is in a pool to win fantastic prizes including Summer Fun Packs and a World Golf Hall of Fame Vacation grand prize.
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Give a penny to The Children’s Museum every time you search the internet.
Go to GoodSearch.com and enter The Children’s Museum as the organization you want to support. One penny for every search will be given to us without you spending a dime!
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The Children's Museum hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 am – 5 pm; Sundays 12-5 pm
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The Children's Museum is located at 950 Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford, Connecticut
860.231.2824 • TheChildrensMuseumCT.org
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Butterflies, Dragonflies and Other Unusual Insects
Sunday June 7. 2009
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
This walk over relatively easy terrain focuses on butterflies, dragonflies and other unusual insects. Pre-registration is not required. Cost of the walk is adults: $3/person for members, $5/person for non-members, children: $2/person for members, $3/person for non-members. Call the Nature Center at 860.693.0263 for additional information or check the website.
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Nature Center Offers Summer Programs
Spaces remain in several of the Nature Center’s “Summer Discovery” programs. These summer programs offer your child a unique blend of education and recreation that takes advantage of the curiosity and sense of wonder that all children feel towards the natural world. Programs are available for students entering pre-school through Grade 8. For additional information or to receive a summer program brochure, please contact the Nature Center at 860.693.0263 or check the website.
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Nature Center Hours: Tuesday-Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm;
Sundays from 1 - 5 pm. Trails through Werner’s Woods open daily dawn until dusk.
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The Roaring Brook Nature Center is located at 70 Gracey Road in Canton, Connecticut
860.693.0263 • RoaringBrook.org
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