Wonder. Spring 2013.
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Not-A-School Creative Enrichment. Nano Days. Connections: A Network of Support. CCC Partnerships with UCSF and UC Berkeley.
Transcript of Wonder. Spring 2013.
wonderSpring 2013
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Our Mission: To ignite and advance creative thinking for all children.
557 McReynolds Road Sausalito, CA 94965 www.BayKidsMuseum.org
Please note: Dates, times and prices are subject to change. Please check out our Web site for the most up-to-date listings.
letter from the director
Free First Wednesdays:
April 3 May 1 June 5
Free First Wednesdays sponsored by:
Directions
From the North/East Bay: Take the Alexander Ave. exit just before the Golden Gate Bridge. Follow the signs to the Bay Area Discovery Museum and Fort Baker.
From San Francisco: Take Alexander Ave. exit. Follow the signs to the Bay Area Discovery Museum and Fort Baker.
In this Issue 3–5 Who We Are
6 Museum Buzz
7–8 Calendar
9–10 Support and Gratitude
11–12 Programs & Classes
13 Special Events
14 Performances
15 Exhibition Update
16 Connections Update
17–18 Center for Childhood Creativity
Ages The Museum serves children 6 months to 8 years old, their families, educators and caregivers.
Admission Admission: $11 Infants under 6 months: free Members: free
Phone Number Main Line: (415) 339-3900 Fax: (415) 339-3901
Museum Hours Tuesday − Sunday: 9 a.m.− 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays (except when noted), Sunday, March 31 (Easter) and Friday, May 3 – Saturday May 4 re-opening at noon. (Playdate preparations)
Open Mondays this Summer! June 10 – August 26 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
I hope many of you were able to join us for our annual Creativity
Forum luncheon, featuring Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., M.S. Ed.,
F.A.A.P. on Friday, February 8. What an inspiring way to end the week.
Dr. Ginsburg spoke on resiliency and its link with play and creativity
– exactly the focus of the important work being done at the Museum
and our Center for Childhood Creativity. It was also the perfect
backdrop for unveiling our new mission: To ignite and advance
creative thinking for all children. These few words capture the
essence and importance of our work today and the impact we will
have on future generations
As I said in my remarks at Forum, nonprofits, like the Bay Area
Discovery Museum, exist to have impact. Impact, defined as the
effect or impression of one thing on another, is why I took this
job 18 months ago. I believe in the power of the Museum and the
Center for Childhood Creativity to positively and meaningfully impact the lives of children
in our community and beyond. Whether it’s bringing under-served children to the Museum
from places like Bayview Hunters Point for early science learning, providing enriching onsite
programming for the 300,000 children & families that visit the Museum each year or
delivering innovative professional development for preschool through third-grade teachers
though the CCC, we are making a difference.
In a world that moves faster and faster, more and more is expected of and needed by our
children to succeed. The Museum offers the antidote by providing an experience that fosters
risk-taking, exploration and experimentation, imaginary play and problem solving – all critical
building blocks for developing the skills needed to think creatively, solve problems and
ultimately be successful adults.
I am both excited by and deeply committed to this work because it matters and because
it impacts children and society in a meaningful way. If you are as excited and inspired
by our work as I am, you can support the Museum in a number of ways: with your time
by volunteering at the Museum, your participation by attending our events, your loyalty by
joining as a member, your presence by bringing your kids to the Museum, your donation
by supporting our Annual Fund, and your advocacy by sharing your passion for us with
your friends and colleagues.
I look forward to seeing you at the Museum.
Regards,
CEO & Executive Director
Wells Fargo and the Bay Area Discovery Museum are happy to announce a shared partnership to support the Art Studios, the Museum’s maps, Chinese New Year, Playdate, Creativity Forum and Goblin Jamboree. Thank you, Wells Fargo, for continuing our partnership and we hope to make a fun and creative work of art with you in the Wells Fargo Art Studios soon.
THANK YOU, WELLS FARGO!
Open Mondays
This Summer!
June 10 – August 26
A grown-up playdate featuring cocktails, small bites, live auction, raffle & amazing spectacles to delight the senses.
All proceeds support our mission to ignite and advance creative thinking for all children. Tickets available now! For more information, please email Zuzy Martin Lynch at [email protected] or visit www.BayKidsMuseum.org/playdate
6:30 p.m.
Buy ticketsonlinenow!
who we are Over 100 yucky pancakes served in the Yucky Pancake Café.
Not-A-School Creative EnrichmentHeather Posner, Public Programs Manager
3 SPRING 2013
“ I just wanted to say THANKS for doing the cooking station and taking the ‘yucky pancake’ concept even further! [My daughter] was so psyched about it. And we did it at home this morning, too. I just love that you were able to roll with what the kids are interested in and then make up activities to further those interests.
We are big fans of Not-A-School. Thanks again for all your energy and efforts every single day!”
– Not-A-School Parent
Each day after the children go home and the classroom has been cleaned, Not-A-School teachers reflect on the details from our busy morning and then e-mail an update to the parents about what our learning community has been working on. It’s important for us to do this every day because this process of reflection and communication supports children’s learning and allows parents and families to be connected to the creative process of our classroom. Not-A-School is a laboratory where teachers study young children’s creative thinking and we rely on our own creativity to scaffold the children towards every possibility. In our classroom, playing in the exhibitions, or on adventures around Fort Baker, we practice the most distilled version of the Museum’s open-ended, child-directed approach to learning.
Because we have the luxury of building relationships with children and families over the course of 30 weeks, we can co-construct our curriculum around the children’s interests, passions and development, including making “yucky pancakes.”
Our teaching is grounded in the work of John Dewey and constructivist theory. In one of my favorite books about his work, Experimenting with the World: John Dewey and the Early Childhood Classroom, Harriet Cuffaro quotes a central premise of Dewey’s writings, “the object and reward of learning is continued capacity for growth” [Dewey, 1916, p.105] (2012, p.73). In Not-A-School, our goal is always to create fertile ground for the children’s ideas to blossom. The purpose of our curriculum is not to adhere to a checklist of developmental milestones that may be seen as separate, but
to nurture the possibilities for many types of learning to occur simultaneously. Through project work, children build social skills, understand the importance of collaboration, try new things and use their imagination to think of ideas that no one ever has before. We draw inspiration from the reflective practice of the teachers in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and others who are inspired by their work worldwide. Teachers take hundreds of pictures of children’s work, and write notes about their play in order to guide decision-making around curriculum in collaboration with children. Parents often tell us that they are surprised by how many details we can recall about each child; these details are what our work here is all about. Meeting the children as partners in learning on the journey to understand what it is that each child needs
www.BayKidsMuseum.org
and how we can support their growth is what fuels innovation in our classroom. Without these details we would not be able to live our mantra of “open-ended, child-directed.”
Earlier in the year the children told us they wanted to do a project about “mixing.” Over time we have offered them an array of materials with which to experiment with, resulting in beautiful art works, mysterious potions, and now the “Yucky Pancake Café.” Working in this way allows children to not only build their concrete knowledge, “What happens when I mix baking soda and vinegar?” but also their social emotional development as they work together to create baked goods, explore purposeful writing as they create menus, and spend many
minutes in the “flow” state, which, according to creativity expert Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, is critical to building creative thinking skills. As this project unfolds, there are infinite ways we can extend their learning. Perhaps we’ll take a tour of a real restaurant kitchen, or bring a chef to our classroom and the ingredients to make “not-so-yucky pancakes,” maybe we’ll turn our dramatic play area into a proper café with dishes and napkins – there is so much potential for the children’s imagination to guide our work together.
The most important piece of facilitating this process with children is to be open to possibility. In order to do this, teachers need to maintain an attitude of openness and be present in the moment.
www.BayKidsMuseum.org
continued...
From: April Gaston
To: NAS Parents
Subject: Not-A-School Update
Hello Friends!
Today was a fantastic day at Not-A-School.
The weather has been so amazing and
today we got the opportunity to get
outside and really enjoy it with the chil-
dren. In the classroom, all the friends
were so busy playing together!
Mira and Leithian have been really
focused on making “yucky pancakes”
for the past few weeks. They come
back to this idea every time they are
here and last week were even talking
about menus and recipes. So, Danielle
had the brilliant idea of setting up a
whole cooking station at one table. We
put out all kinds of bowls, containers
and tools along with squirt bottles filled
with oil, tubs of flour and sugar. We
have these really fun, old rotary whisks
that the kids really love lately and they
were able to use them to mix up some
really amazing creations! All the friends
loved this activity so much. We were
so happy to see that at one point every
single child was mixing at the table.
It was so interesting to see how each
friend used the materials differently
and how they were able to share the
tools and materials.
After snack, we packed up adventure
kits (binoculars, tweezers, bags etc.)
and headed out for our hike! We
adventured around and ended up
making it to the top of a little hill
where you could see all the way to
San Francisco, Alcatraz and Angel
Island. We made our way back to the
classroom for lunch then it was time
to go home!
What a great day! We had so much
fun on our adventure and were so
impressed with how far the friends
made it! We are so happy to have
you all here and are really grateful
to share these moments with you!
All the best,
April
Two friends taking orders at the “Yucky Pancake Café”
who we are Not-A-School is the first licensed preschool in a museum in California.
5 SPRING 2013 www.BayKidsMuseum.org
Not-A-School EnrollmentNow accepting applications for Fall 2013!Monday, September 23, 2013 – Friday, May 30, 2014
Two, three, four or five days per week. Limited one-day per week enrollments on Wednesday only.
Our Not-A-School program offers children the unique experience of spending time here at the Museum every week. Taught by long-time Museum Educators Heather Posner, Danielle Pitchford and April Gaston, our educational philosophy allows children the freedom to make discoveries, explore and use their imagination. Together, teachers and children co-create the curriculum based soundly on our open-ended, child-directed approach. Each day children spend time in our private classroom as well as outdoors or in our exhibit halls with a maximum of 12 children.
This innovative program is now licensed as a childcare center by the State of California, and features a staff of fully qualified teachers. To learn more about the program, sign up for the newsletter and to apply online, visit www.baykidsmuseum.org/notaschool.
We practice using very intentional language with children; our default answer to most things is not, “No.” When children ask a question, we often say, “That is a great question. What do you think?” Early Childhood Curriculum scholars Mindy Blaise and Sheila Ryan highlight the work of Lenz Taguchi and explain, “This kind of pedagogy requires teachers to shift their understanding of learning from a linear to a rhizomatic process that is multi-dimensional” (2012, p.88). We know that children have ideas, lots of them. Our job as their guides in the process of discovery is to explore the pathways of what they already know and scaffold them towards the incorporation of new knowledge. It doesn’t matter if what they think is right or wrong: the only way for them to grow is to acquire the truth through their own experience. I often use this example: Imagine if a child had only seen a jellyfish in an aquarium. They might not think that jellyfish exist in any other context because they haven’t gathered enough data to know otherwise. When we ask children, “What do you think? Have you ever seen anything like this before?” we’re tapping into their prior knowledge so we know where to start building.
What we do in Not-A-School is offer children ample opportunities to collect data about their universe, synthesize experiences and information, make friends, build confidence and enjoy this time in their life when anything is possible – when there is no limit to their ability to think creatively. It is magical to witness their transformation as they grow with us each week. They begin to adopt our language calling each other “friend,” or saying, “I wonder what would happen if…” and “That is so interesting!” We are so lucky to have such rich territory for exploration – whether it is bobcat hunts, beach visits or yucky pancakes, we learn as much from spending time with children as they do in the process of discovering.
Blaise, Mindy and Ryan, Sharon. “Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: Re-examined, Rediscovered, Renewed.” File, N., Mueller and J. Wisneski, D. (Eds). Using Critical Theory to Trouble Curriculum. Routledge: New York and London. 2012. pp 80 – 92.
Cuffaro, Harriet K. Experimenting with the World: John Dewey and the Early Childhood Classroom. Teachers College Press: New York. 1995. pp 60-63.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihalyi. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper and Row: New York. 1990.
Friends making yucky pancakes.
Our Mission: To ignite and advance creative thinking for all childrern. museum buzz
Supporting Member Benefit
Step up your membership to the Supporting Level today and receive additional benefits, including discounts on summer camps and Not-A-School and recieve invitations to exclusive VIP events.
Call (415) 339-3954 to upgrade your membership to the Supporting Level and take advantage of these exclusive opportunities.
Membership News
Monthly Member PlaydateOn the third Sunday of each month, join us for a Monthly Member Playdate to enjoy creative play with other member families! Playdates will take place in Idea Spot during Art Lab, an art workshop that gives children and parents the opportunity to experiment with different materials and techniques as they relate to the Artist of the Month’s work. Each month will focus on a new theme and different artist. Stay after the program to explore the Museum on your own or with new acquaintances.
New Member Welcome and OrientationWe invite all members for a 30-minute Museum orientation at the beginning of every Monthly Member Playdate to welcome new families and to provide insider tips on how parents can use the Museum to foster their child’s development.
First Member PlaydateSunday, April 21, 2013 Time: 3:30 – 5 p.m. No registration required Meet at the Theatre entrance, Entry Pavilion
Imagination Playground Host Event
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is pleased to partner with Imagination Playground and will offer a Host Event for principals, educators and parents on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20. Since 2011, the gigantic blue foam blocks have provided a wonderful learning environment to foster spatial and interpersonal intelligences, gross motor skills, problem solving and experimentation, among other non-cognitive skills like tenacity, adaptation and planning — all vital tools to support children’s development as creative thinkers.
Staff Picks Spring 2013This spring we are all about Eeboo and Klutz crafts, activity kits, doodle stamps and new titles from Chronicle, Barefoot and Usborne. Wrap your gifts at our gift wrapping station and attach a card from Everyday Love Art, GRQP or 3 Fish Studios.
Visit us after you play!
Spring Tea PartyGreen Toys: Tea Set $27.99 Eeboo: Paper Chains $10.99 & Fancy Scissors $5.00 Green Toys: Chef Set $19.99 & Stacking Cups $10.99
Story TimeBarefoot Books: Fairy Tales $19.99 (from our Once Upon a Time exhibit)
Water Play Green Toys: Seaplanes, Tugboats & Submarines $16.99 – $20.00
Egg HuntGeoCentral: Baby Dino Eggs Excavation Kit & Tortoise Eggs Hatch-em Kit $2.99 – $7.50 Realistic excavation kits for “discovering” egg fossils. The nature science take on an Easter egg hunt.
Ducks, Lambs, Chicks & Bunnies!Folkmanis Puppets: $19.99 – $29.99 Lots of new baby puppets for spring.
Magical HorsesKlutz: Magical Horses $19.99 Dress-up horse paper dolls!
discovery store hours Tuesday – Sunday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
(415) 339-3939
Visit the store anytime. No Museum admission required.
memberssave 10%
Your purchase supports the Museum
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Interested in these exclusive events? Join our Grandparent or Donor Circle today: (415) 339-3952 or [email protected].
we rely on your support
www.BayKidsMuseum.org2013 SPRING 9
council cornerAlexandra Singer, Discovery Council Member
Our family is new to the Bay Area, having just moved to San Francisco from the East Coast six months ago. Before the move, we talked to people about what it was like to raise a family in San Francisco. The Bay Area Discovery Museum came highly recommended as a destination for families with young children.
When we visited, I was impressed by the hands-on exhibits and special programs. And it’s really great that the entire family can participate in learning together. I find the work the Museum is doing in the community, with local schools visiting each day, and programming that is open and accessible to everyone, really inspiring. I am so glad to have joined the Discovery Council, giving me more opportunities to volunteer my time and energy to the Museum. My family and I look forward to years of fun ahead! – Alexandra
Interested in connecting with other moms? Enjoy giving back to the community? Want to support creative thinking in all Bay Area children? Join Alexandra and become a part of the Museum’s Discovery Council. Discovery Council members act as Museum ambassadors, strategic partners and supporters, helping us organize three fun events each year. If you would like to learn more, please contact Lea Wood, Council Liaison, [email protected] or (415) 339-3952.
Love the Museum? Join a Donor Circle today! As a nonprofit organization, the Museum relies on charitable donations to support our nationally acclaimed programs and exhibitions. Gifts to our Grandparent and Donor Circle help us nurture creative thinking in all Bay Area children. Grandparent and Donor Circle members receive Supporting Memberships and special benefits including invitations to complimentary programs led by our talented educators and exclusive events like these:
Donor Circle Springtime AdventureSave the date for our fourth annual Donor Circle spring event. We invite Grandparent and Donor Circle members to join us on Saturday, May 18 at 10:30am in our Outdoor Learning Lab for a special springtime adventure. Museum staff will guide the way as we explore our special exhibit area, play with mud, meet worms and celebrate the beauty of the natural world. Adults and children have an opportunity to collaborate on a sculpture using clay and other natural materials, which you can take home and enjoy. To RSVP, contact Lea Wood at (415) 339-3952 or [email protected]
Speaker Series EventThe Museum, the Center for Childhood Creativity and ScholarShare Speaks are happy to announce the success of our first co-presented speaker series event, held on Thursday, March 14. We would like to thank Nadine Burke Harris, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Youth Wellness in San Francisco for delivering an engaging lecture: “The Buzz on Brains and Babies” at the Bay Area Discovery Museum.
The lecture was preceded by an exclusive Grandparent and Donor Circle reception with Dr. Burke Harris. During the reception, our supporters enjoyed a unique opportunity to connect with Dr. Burke Harris and learn more about her trailblazing approach to addressing adverse childhood experiences as a risk factor for adult disease in urban children.
Watch for our next speaker event coming in fall 2013! To learn more about ScholarShare Speaks, visit www.ScholarShareSpeaks.com.
www.BayKidsMuseum.org 2012 SPRING 10
your contribution makes a difference
www.BayKidsMuseum.org/annualfund
[email protected] (415) 339-3954
5 new books for our toddler
Storytime
new puppets for dramatic play in
Wave Workshop
15 new trains for Bay Hall
3 weeks of art supplies in Studio 5 & 10
week-long summer camp
scholarships for 3 children
$50
$100
$250
$500
$1,000
why i give
members give back
We spoke with dedicated member and Annual Fund donor, Lana Porcello, to learn more about her favorite things about the Museum and why she chooses to support our Annual Fund.
Museum: Why did you decide to become a member at the Bay Area Discovery Museum?
Lana: We originally became members when my daughter, Leithian, was around a year old. After our first visit, we knew we would be returning often. Now as a “big kid” at age 4, Leithian is as inspired by the exhibits as she was during her crawling phase. Each time she comes to the Museum armed with a new skill, an undiscovered corner seems to pop to her attention as the favorite activity, which both complements and challenges her in her current phase of growth.
Museum: What is your favorite thing about the Museum? Your daughter’s?
Lana: As a family, we each have our go-to spots. Leithian heads straight for anything to do with mixing, splashing or climbing; I am partial to the view at the top of the tree-stump staircase; and Papa always finds himself guiding us toward Peek-a-boo Palace for hide-and-seek. But, we always end our visits in the Art Studios—our favorite place to wind down and get into a good craft before heading home.
Museum: Why did you want to give to the Annual Fund this year?
Lana: As both frequent visitors to the Museum and participants in the Not-a-School program, we are immensely grateful for the resources the Museum provides for our family. Its philosophical root in the value and necessity of child-directed, imaginative play is present not only in the types of activities offered there, but in the very architecture of the outdoor landscape, and the consistently engaged presence of the staff. At some point in every visit to the Museum, I find myself looking out toward the Golden Gate Bridge and thinking, “Wow… What I would have given to play in a spot like this as a child” and “how lucky we are that this is here for our child today.”
Museum: Why should other members give to the Annual Fund?
Lana: In joining education and experience, reason and play, creativity and choice, the Museum represents an innovation in supporting developing minds by helping children build confidence in their ability to both shape and respond to the wonders around them. By contributing to the Annual Fund, we as parents can send the message that this is the positive direction we want to see for our children’s education and growth, while simultaneously saying “thank you” for this unique asset in our community.
As we kick off our spring Annual Fund campaign, we want to give a special thank you to the many member families who have deepened their investment in the Museum this year by giving to the Annual Fund. Donations to the Annual Fund help further our mission to ignite and advance creative thinking for all children by funding essential program and exhibit expenses.
Donate Today!Use the attached envelope to send a donation that will fund the costs of our creative programs and exhibits or donate online.
$50 covers the cost of 5 new books for our Storytime programming
$100 purchases new puppets for dramatic play experiences in our recently redesigned Wave Workshop
$250 purchases 15 new trains for Bay Hall
$500 buys three weeks of art supplies in Art Studios 5 & 10
$1000 provides scholarships for 3 underserved children to enjoy a week of Summer Discovery Camp
we rely on your support
Half the Museum’s annual operating budget is made up of contributions
by generous donors like you. When you support the Museum’s
Annual Fund, you help us offer high-quality creative learning opportunities to all Bay Area
children.
programs and classes
www.BayKidsMuseum.org
family classesHave you heard the buzz about our Family Classes for toddlers and their caregivers? Come on down and experi-ence our Outdoor Learning Family Class this April. Explore the outdoors and all the various wonders of our natural surroundings through play and exploration! Each class will be located in a different area of Fort Baker: at the Museum in our Outdoor Learning Lab, at the beach and on the Parade Ground across the street. Taught by our Public Programs team in small groups of about 12 children, these classes high-light our open-ended, child-directed educational philosophy and offer adults a chance to meet other caregivers and learn fun activities to try at home. To register and learn more, visit BayKidsMuseum.org/familyclasses.
Outdoor Learning Class:Class schedule:1st class: Outdoor Learning Lab2nd class: Coast Guard Beach3rd class: Parade GroundThree sessions to choose from:Thursdays, 10 – 11 a.m.April 18, 25 & May 2Fridays, 10 – 11 a.m.April 19, 26 & May 3** Please note the Museum will be closed to the public on May 3.
Saturdays, 11 a.m. – noonApril 20, 27 & May 4** Please note the Museum will be closed to the public until noon on May 4.
Children ages 2 – 4 with caregiversMembers $50; General: $75 (Includes Museum admission for one adult and one child)Each additional child 50% off
Drop-in ProgramsJoin us for our spring drop-in workshops and pop-up programs! Drop-in programs are open-ended, make-up-as-you-go play opportunities around a theme as a way for our visitors and staff to engage with our exhibit spaces and inquiry-based educational philosophy.
Check our onsite chalkboard each morning for specific location and more in-depth program theme.
*Please note: All drop-in opportunities start on time and vary in length from 5 to 45 minutes based on the age range and number of participants each day.
Drop-in WorkshopsExploring themes and materials in our unique exhibit spaces.
Toddler Circle Time, Tot Spot Tuesdays – Fridays, 9:30 a.m.Toddler Circle Time is an opportunity for our youngest visitors to practice language, movement and making new friends.
Art Lab, Idea Spot Wednesdays & Sundays, 3:30 p.m.Art Lab is a process-oriented workshop especially designed to give children and their caregivers the opportunity to experiment with different materials and techniques as they relate to the professional artist’s work we are featuring in our Artist of the Month program.
Storytime Explore new worlds and go on amazing adventures through our interactive storytimes.
Wave Workshop Tuesdays – Fridays, 11 a.m. Saturdays – Sundays, 3 p.m. Sponsored by
Lookout Cove Wednesdays, 1:30 p.m. Thursdays, 3 p.m.
Outdoor Learning Lab Experience, Outdoor Learning Lab Saturdays, 2 – 4 p.m.Bring your rain boots and sunglasses as we engage in all-weather play in our outdoor classroom.
Move!, various locations Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. Beginning in June, move, twist, fly, and jump as we explore our coordination and gross motor skills.
Traveling Exhibit CollaborationOnce Upon a Time…Exploring the World of Fairy Tales
Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m., Thursdays & Fridays, 3:30 p.m. In April and May, have fun in the land of make-believe and imagination. Don’t miss the storytelling and fairytale activities in conjunction with one of our favorite traveling exhibits.
Framed: Step into Art™
Thursdays & Fridays, 3:30 p.m. Beginning in June, celebrate different concepts of art with us, as we welcome this new exhibit.
Pop-up ProgramsPop-up programs are spontaneous, 5 to 15 minute imaginative play opportunities with our Discovery Guides in a specific exhibit that may include:Make-believe in Bay Hall or Wave WorkshopShipwreck Treasure HuntPredator Prey TagHooping Obstacle CourseCheck our daily programs chalkboard on Satterlee Way each day for pop-up play opportunities with our Discovery Guides around the Museum.
All programs are subject to change and cancellation. Please check our onsite program chalkboard for updates.
11 SPRING 2013
New Music Together® Class for Babies
Every child’s development benefits from early exposure to music and movement. Because the early months are so important, the Museum and Music Together are offering a special “Babies Class” this spring. This one-semester introduction to Music Together for babies eight months and younger will be offered at 11:30 a.m. each Wednesday as an introductory semester. This class cannot be repeated. The music activities and materials are specially designed for parents who want to learn as much as possible about music development in babies. Meet other parents of newborns and learn some fascinating music activities you can recreate at home.
Music Together ® Tambourine Collection
Music Together is an internationally recognized approach to early childhood music development. Tuition includes a beautifully illustrated songbook and two-CD set, along with a parent education guide. Classes last 45 minutes.
10-week Spring 2013 Session of early childhood music Wednesdays, April 3 – June 5 9:30, 10:30 & 11:30* a.m. Ages infant – 4.5 years with caregiver *11:30 class is a babies-only class for infants 8 months and younger.
Members $235 first child General $265 first child Additional sibling: $160 Includes Museum admission. Pre-registration required. Class size is limited. Register online at BayKidsMuseum.org/musictogetherMusic Together art & logo design © 1992-2012 Music Together LLC. Music Together is a registered trademark. Music Together Marin is licensed by Music Together LLC. For more locations: www.musictogether.com - (800) 728-2692
www.BayKidsMuseum.org 2013 SPRING 12
programs and classes
Bangin’ Twangin’ & Dancin’ with Miss Kitty
A Bay Area musical treasure, Miss Kitty plays the tunes her pint-sized audience requests. Favorite topics include fire trucks, ballerinas and pirates. This interactive sing-and-dance-along lasts 30 minutes. www.misskittysings.net
Tuesdays & Thursdays April 2 – June 6 10 & 11 a.m. Ages 6 months to 5 years Members $6; General $7 Adults free with child. Drop in, no registration required.
Make New Friends at the MuseumLooking to connect with other families who also value creative thinking? Stop by one of our regularly scheduled daily drop-in workshops at the Museum for an opportunity to informally chat with and meet other like-minded families. Free with Museum admission.
Baby Circle Time2nd & 4th Tuesdays 9:30 a.m., Tot SpotMeet other parents of newborns with a special storytime designed for babies under 12 months old.
Homeschoolers Art Lab3rd Wednesdays3:30 p.m., Idea SpotConnect with other homeschooling families as you explore novel art materials – and leave the clean-up to us.
LGBT Families4th Thursdays3:30 p.m., Lookout CoveMeet LGBT parents and their children during our traveling exhibit-inspired program.
Daddy & Me Storytime1st & 3rd Fridays3:30 p.m., Lookout Cove Calling all stay-at-home, working-from-home, Fridays-off Dads! Bring your little ones to our traveling exhibit-inspired program.
NanoDays at the Bay Area Discovery Museum is part of a nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering.
NanoDays is organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net) and takes place nationally from March 30 – April 7, 2013. This community-based event is the largest public outreach effort in nanoscale informal science education and involves science museums, research centers, and universities from Puerto Rico to Alaska.
POP-UP ACTIvITY TABLETuesday, April 2 − Saturday, April 6 10 a.m. − 2:30 p.m.Stop by our NanoDays activity table that will be popping up around the Museum. Be on the lookout for this one-stop shop to help you understand the world of nanoscale science.
SCIENCE CAFéS Teen and adults Discovery Theatre Register online at www.BayKidsMuseum.org/sciencecafe. These events are complimentary.
What is nanotechnology all about? And why should I care? Tuesday, April 2 7 − 8:30 p.m.Nanotechnology is revolutionizing research and development in medicine, computing, new materials, food, energy and other areas. Participate in the lecture by Tobias Beetz, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Stanford Nano Shared Facilities and learn the basics to understand what is nano.
Risks, Benefits and Who Decides? Thursday, April 4 7 − 8:30 p.m. In this workshop, working in small groups, participants will have the opportunity to raise questions about the societal and environmental implications of nanotechnology to a panel of experts. Panelists Frank Kusiak, Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network Community Coordinator for California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii. Maria Wang, Associate Director of the NSF-funded Center for Probing the Nanoscale (CPN) at Stanford University.Tina Stanford, science education researcher in the Center for Technology and Learning at SRI International in Menlo Park.
performancesspecial events
Join us on Earth Day to celebrate the natural beauty of our environment. Every day, the Museum seeks to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards by encouraging children to treasure our unique place by the Bay.
Stop by Festival Plaza at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for a free performance by the Banana Slug String Band. The Slugs create a lively show with the message to take care of the planet.
All day in the Idea Spot, visitors can contribute to a "Singing Tree" mural.
From 2 – 4 p.m., visitors can join a guided Beach Exploration that will celebrate our neighboring Horseshoe Cove.
An Earth Day-themed story time in Wave Workshop will highlight the environment.
EARTH DAY CELEBRATIONSaturday, April 27 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
APrIL 2 – 6
Banana Slug String Band11 a.m. & 1 p.m.Festival Plaza
performances
Celebrate Spring Octopretzel Saturday, April 13Octopretzel’s show is as exuberant as their whimsical name. The band creates engaging music that inspires curiosity, wonder and appreciation for the magical world we live in. Their blend of four-part harmony and skilled musicianship guarantees a danceable, singable and super fun experience that will appeal to the entire family. Read more at www.Octopretzel.com.
A Hop, Skip and a Jump! Pam Donkin Saturday, April 6Join award-winning, singer & songwriter Pam Donkin as she leads an interactive music show for children of all ages. Drawn by Pam's irresistibly warm, friendly voice and charismatic performance style, families will sing along, create new lyrics and dance to upbeat original and traditional songs. Give a listen at www.pamdonkin.com.
Dance Party The Raytones Saturday, April 20 The Raytones combine a mix of pop, funk, and rock & roll with playful lyrics about such things as wearing your favorite PJs and hula hoops. Ray the Rhino, the Raytones mascot, will be on hand to show you some cool dance moves. Check them out at www.raytones.com.
All shows Saturdays at 11 a.m. Discovery TheatreAges 6 months & up Members $5; General $15 (includes Museum admission) Register online.
Finding the Rhythm Around Us Crosspulse Duo Saturday, May 11Explore the rhythmic possibilities in the world around us. From bells and banjos to body music, boxes and balls, the Crosspulse Duo makes music out of anything and everything. Bending and blending traditional and contemporary music and dance, Keith Terry and Evie Ladin bring together diverse influences with delightful humor and skill that both entertain and educate young audiences. Sample their sounds at www.crosspulse.com.
www.BayKidsMuseum.org
group visitsHAVE YOU HEArD?
We have launched our NEW Enriched Visit field trips this year! These visits are three hours in length and offer an in-depth project-based learning experience containing unique and sensory-rich programming focused on developing creative thinking for children.
All Enriched Visits are led by Museum Education Specialists and align with Common Core Standards and Preschool Learning Foundations.
Topics include: Building & Demolition, Fairytale Storytelling Workshop and Beach Exploration.
Register Today!Tuesdays – Fridays Preschool – Grade 2 10 – 60 children Adult to child ratio of 1:5Enriched visits 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The group admission fee is $9 per child plus a $10 registration fee. Register by phone by calling our Group Visits Coordinator at (415) 339-3963.
Self-guided visits 9:15 – 11:15 a.m. or 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. The group admission fee is $7 per child plus a $10 registration fee. Register online at www.BayKidsMuseum.org/ groupvisits
If you have additional questions, please contact our Group Visits Coordinator at (415) 339-3963.
“ The kids were all so engaged! Happy! Energetic! Excited! Busy! Creative!”
– Third-Grade Teacher
15 SPRING 2013
exhibition update
www.BayKidsMuseum.org
ArT STUdIO 5: Artist of the Month
Back in December, we began our Artist of the Month program with Pablo Picasso. Three months later we are in full swing and gearing up for another great round of knockout artists. Utilizing our project tables in Art Studio 5 and our Art Lab drop-in program, we have been able to delve deeper into the processes, materials, techniques and concepts related to these impactful artists. Each week, we rotate the activities to continue providing diverse programming that stimulates creativity and encourages visitors to explore and make connections. Come check us out in April for our next artist who truly embraces his inner child!
dISCOvEry HALL: Once Upon a Time… Exploring the World of Fairy TalesThe final six weeks – the story ends on May 12!
Enter the magic portal into a storybook world at the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s current hands-on exhibit Once Upon a Time…Exploring the World of Fairy Tales. Embark on an adventure through the larger-than-life pages of seven favorite fairy tales told around the globe. While you explore the seasons with Thumbelina, climb up Jack’s beanstalk and sit in Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage, be sure to check out the carefully crafted, special menu of drop-in programs, fairy tale storytime and the adult workshop created by the talented Museum education staff.
Once Upon a Time…Exploring the World of Fairy Tales is the first nationally touring exhibit devoted exclusively to fairy tales and the breadth of their cultural significance. Each fairy tale is brought to life with its own large-scale environment and interactive components. Visitors enter the exhibit via a magical portal into a fabulous storybook kingdom where they can learn the meaning and history of tales they've known all their lives – and others that may be new to them.
dISCOvEry HALL: Framed: Step into Art™
May 25, 2013 − September 8, 2013
Enter the framework of famous paintings and experience art like never before in Framed: Step into Art™. This exhibit transports visitors to a world where paintings leap off the canvas and create impressive environments for visitors to explore. As visitors move through the exhibit, they are challenged to ride a
giant chicken attached to a wagon, set up camp in the Canadian Rockies and prepare dinner for a group of hungry farmers. The exhibit environments are accompanied by information about each artist and provide conversational prompts that employ Visual Thinking Strategies. Framed: Step into Art™ provides opportunities for children and adults to spend time with art, encourages visitors to make a connection with art, and supports the National Standards for Art Education.
Join us for our special programming related to the exhibition every Thursday and Friday at 3:30 p.m. Check our on-sight chalkboard each morning for specific location and details.
Framed: Step into Art™ was created by the Minnesota Children's Museum.
Media Sponsorship by
Once Upon A Time…Exploring the World of Fairy Tales is a collaborative effort of the St. Louis Public Library and The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum and is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Generous support of this exhibition is provided by the Richard and Elizabeth Fullerton Family Foundation.
www.BayKidsMuseum.org 2013 SPRING 16
connections update
A network of support Heather Miller, Connections Manager
Through long-term partnerships with local subsidized preschools, the Connections program offers an opportunity for parents, teachers and Museum staff to form meaningful relationships as we come together to support young children. The bonds between important adults in these children’s lives are one of the joyful outcomes of this unique community outreach program that often remains invisible. What follows is a story about friendship and mentorship.
Veronica Monroy is one of hundreds of talented educators in our partnership network, yet she stands out from the rest. A Head Start teacher for over 20 years, Veronica is not just a teacher of young children. It’s true, children love her; but the real power in Veronica’s work extends beyond that to the care and education she offers families.
I met Yesenia Moran for the first time when her son Jose was a student in Veronica’s class at George Miller III Head Start in Richmond, CA. Over the course of two years we played together many times during Connections field trips, but I didn’t learn about her involvement as a parent leader until she volunteered to translate from English to Spanish for me at a PTA meeting one evening at school.
This winter, Veronica and Yesenia were kind enough to let me interview them.
Heather Miller: Veronica, tell me about your classroom and your work with parents.
Veronica Monroy: The families, the children, the cultures and everything that happens here it’s really beautiful. I love being in this classroom. Knowing the kids are low-income, me being Latino and knowing how our backgrounds are, I want to bring some new experiences for parents. I want to be able to encourage them to really be part of their kids’ life and learning. At first (parents) don’t know how to do it, but then they realize that that’s how it should be. That’s when I feel like what I’m doing is working. I care so much for these kids. They respect us and love us. That I can be a big part of their life, I have to do my best. When parents participate, it involves a lot of learning, especially socially. The children are excited, happy, proud… and that stays forever.
H: Why is that social learning important to the children in this community?
V: When the children grow up they’ll be able to solve their own problems, feel free to express how they feel and what they need in life. I try to understand where parents are coming from and know that I am here to be a role model.
H: Can you tell me about Yesenia and Jose?
V: That’s an amazing story… When I think about it sometimes I cry. Jose was having trouble adjusting to the classroom. I listened to Yesenia. Gave her ideas and advice. I tried to do it not just for her, but for Jose. Jose is a brilliant child that needs his parents to be okay. And the only way that Jose was going to be okay was if they were happy and if they were there for him. So… it’s been wonderful to see how they started and how they are now.
H: Yesenia, tell me about Jose’s teacher Veronica.
Yesenia Moran: Veronica is really special to me. We’re still friends. She was always really helpful even if it didn’t have to do with school. She taught me a lot… she was like… a parenting tutor. (Yesenia laughs.) She has a really big heart, and I have nothing bad to say about her. She’s great!
H: How did you first become involved at Jose’s preschool?
Y: I started volunteering in the classroom doing cooking projects and helping out with reading. I always wanted to go on the field trips with Jose. Because he was my first child, I enjoyed doing everything all over – like being a kid again. It was important to me for my son to see that I was interested in what he was learning at school.
H: What advice would you offer parents of preschoolers?
Y: Go to your kid’s class and participate… donate as much time as you can. Be there and enjoy it because it goes by quick and it will be gone. I remember when he first started [Head Start], he was such a little baby and when he got out of there he was like a little man!
H: Do you have any tips for parents when they come to the Museum?
Y: Let your kids go where they want to go and do what they want to do. Join and play with them. Get together with other groups to play with kids outside your family. Explore everything.
In Spring of 2012, Yesenia and Jose’s dad, Jose Rubio, asked me for advice as they built a wind exhibit for Veronica’s classroom based on one we used in Connections programs. They continue to visit Veronica at George Miller III Head Start where Big Jose is a leader in the Male Involvement Project for Contra Costa Com-munity Services Bureau. Today, Little Jose is in kindergarten at Rosa Parks Elementary in Berkeley, CA. Yesenia and her family are active Museum members. Little Jose’s favorite place to play is with the trains (and also the boat!) in Bay Hall.
Today, I consider Veronica to be my teacher too. Each time I visit her classroom or watch her in action at the Museum, I learn how to improve my own work with children and families. Her deep dedication to nurturing both parents and children inspires me. I am grateful that she continues to share that gift as a part of our Museum community.
Yesenia Moran, Jose and Veronica Monroy
creativity news The CCC is an initiative of the Bay Area Discovery Museum.
The foundation of our work at the Center for Childhood Creativity (CCC) is to curate and disseminate research on creativity, learning and brain science and we are committed to bringing that research to those who influence young children on a daily basis – both teachers and parents.
The CCC is uniquely positioned to play this role by combining the expertise we have gained here onsite at the Bay Area Discovery Museum – where we interact with hundreds of thousands of young visitors annually – with credible academic research. What is terrific about our location is the number of esteemed academic institutions right in our backyard.
We recently announced that the CCC and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Laboratory for Educational Neuroscience have formed a new partnership to collaborate on solutions for the growing national decline in creative thinking.
Led by the CCC’s relationship with Fumiko Hoeft, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry in the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and Director of Laboratory for Educational Neuroscience (LENS) at UCSF, and a CCC advisory board member, the two institutions have created a partnership to advance thought-leadership on creativity in children.
“The time is ripe to pursue neuroscien-tific research on childhood creativity, with the availability of new technology suitable for young children and increasing awareness of the importance of the topic,” Hoeft said. “This partnership will allow us to take advantage of both the Museum and the CCC’s expertise and resources, while pursuing our efforts to increase public awareness of the importance of understanding how
children’s brains develop. We are extraordinarily excited about the opportunity.”
Together, the CCC and UCSF will advocate for developing creative thinking in early childhood. The CCC will rely on UCSF for neuroscience research that supports the neurological development of creative thinking and will disseminate this information to parents, educators, policymakers and thought-leaders.
There are many potential shared areas of collaboration including: a joint fellowship at the CCC and UCSF focused on creativity research, exhibit creation onsite at the Bay Area Discovery Museum; research participation opportunities; a mobile app for parents to use at the Museum that explains the neuroscience behind creativity development; and potential collaboration on new research projects.
Elizabeth Rieke, Executive Director and CEO of the CCC, reflects on this new partnership: “This is a terrific opportunity to learn from the many incredible research-based academic institutions in the Bay Area. These research partnerships allow us to have access to leading insights that will inform not only the experiences we create for children onsite at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, but also to inform and validate the work that we take to schools and parents through the Center for Childhood Creativity. We look forward to sharing the results of these collaborations and more through our blog and our speaker series.”
Our mission: To ignite and advance creative thinking for all children.
Partnership with University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Laboratory for Educational NeuroscienceTHE AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF CHILDREN’S NEUROLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DEvELOPMENT HAS GROWN ExPONENTIALLY IN THE PAST DECADE DUE TO ADvANCES IN RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES AND NON-INvASIvE TECHNOLOGIES.
www.BayKidsMuseum.org17 SPRING 2013
CHILD DEvELOPMENT STUDIES & RESEARCHThe Center for Childhood Creativity just began work on a new partnership with University of California, Berkeley’s Department of Psychology under the leadership of acclaimed author and Professor of Psychology, Alison Gopnik, Ph.D. A CCC advisory board member, Gopnik, is an internationally recognized leader in the study of children’s learning and development and the author of over 100 journal articles and several books. Researchers from her team are working onsite at the Museum to study child development around cause and effect and inductive learning, which relies upon the ability to extract abstract knowledge from limited evidence. As a building block of creative thinking, very little is understood about how this capacity develops in young minds. A museum with young children like ours offers researchers the perfect opportunity to interact with visitors and collect data through brief, opt-in, game-based studies. We look forward to sharing the results of this exciting work and upcoming partnership.
creativity news
Creativity Forum 2013On February 8, we welcomed 600 guests to our sold-out Creativity Forum 2013 featuring Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., M.S. Ed., F.A.A.P., who discussed the importance of creativity and resiliency in preparing our children to thrive in an unpredictable world. This year’s Forum was made possible through the hard work of event co-chairs Linda Chong, Nellie Levchin, Ann Bailey White and Brooke Kruger, Museum staff and many volunteers.
In its 9th year, Forum continues to foster important conversations and open discussion among local educators, business leaders and parents who are able to engage with nationally renowned thought-leaders, such as Dr. Ginsburg. To join the conversation, we invite you to listen to Dr. Ginsburg’s entire lecture, now available via podcast on our website at BayKidsMuseum.org/forum. We welcome you to share your thoughts in the comments section, or on Facebook and Twitter.
Funds raised at Forum support the Bay Area Discovery Museum's educational programs and exhibitions, as well as outreach to communities where the need for creative development is most acute.
A special thank you to Leigh and Bill Matthes for sponsoring our speaker.
Special thanks to our corporate supporters:
Imaginer Level:
Maker level:Advent Software, Inc.Adobe FoundationAnonymousCoverityDodge & Cox
Ernst & YoungMcKinsey & CompanyTPGWells Fargo
www.BayKidsMuseum.org
Elizabeth Rieke, Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg and Karyn Flynn
June 3 – August 23Camp registration is under way and spaces are still available. Don’t miss out on our exciting themes designed to nurture creativity through every discipline including Art Attack, On the Bay, Fort Building, and Big Discoveries — our exclusive camp just for 3-year-olds. Additionally, kids can play all day in our new and improved afternoon program, Summer Camp Sampler!
Special discounts available when you register for multiple weeks. Learn more at www.BaykidsMuseum.org/camps.
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557 McReynolds RoadSausalito, CA 94965 www.BayKidsMuseum.org
Check out our new
themed Bonanza birthday party!
Young superheroes and heroines can put their creativity to work while making their own costumes and showing off great feats of strength. Our superhero lair is sure to amaze all your guests! Call (415) 339-3931 today for availability and booking information.
Check out all our party options at BayKidsMuseum.org/birthdays.
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