museum play

museum play

How about an indoor space, with colorful large blocks and shapes and tubes and whatevers that kids can manipulate and build and create their own indoor playscape...
Help us make this dream come true at the Children's Museum at Holyoke!

Click on the link above and join the fun!

Fall into Fun!

The last of the dustbunnies has been sheparded out the door, and we are open for play...!

We are open Wed-Sat 10-4 and Sun noon-4. Our preschool program, Ready to Grow, will resume October 1st, 9:30-10:30. Our Littlest Explorers will discover fun in Fall activities. Remember to arrive by 9:30 a.m. to participate in the program at the discounted price of $6/family. Late arrivals will have to pay full price of $6 per person. Members are free.

September 25 we will have a table at the Education Fair at the Nuestras Raices Harvest Festival from noon to 4:30. There will be food, music, games and more at this exciting annual festival at Nuestra Raices' farm on Jones Ferry Road off lower Main Street. It is a great start to the new school year, and a wonderful family outing opportunity!

(photo courtesy of wikivisual)

It is time for our annual Fall cleaning!

We will be closed from Monday, September 6 through Tuesday, September 21 to enable us to clean, paint, tweak, and scrub our exhibits and walls and floors... and as much of the ceiling that we can reach!

But before we close for housekeeping, we will be participating in Holyoke's Block Party on Sunday, September 5. This second annual Block Party is sponsored by C.R.U.S.H., and in addition to children's activities, there will be live music, food, and all sorts of entertainment. Join us for the fun of it all! The Block Party will be in Veteran's Park in downtown Holyoke. Free to the public.

Other September events: our good neighbor in Heritage State Park is having a fundraiser: on Friday, September 17 the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round will host "Mountain Park Memories" at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House starting at 6:30 p.m. Live music, games, memorabilia, and great auction items! For more information, visit their website holyokemerrygoround.org. Support our friends!

Coming up in October: we will have a tag sale on October 16! Come search our tables for bargains and "must-haves" from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the upstairs space near the picnic area. Make us an offer we cannot refuse!

On October 23 we once again will participate in Discover Holyoke!, a city-wide event showcasing the city's arts organizations sponsored by Passport Holyoke.

And stay tuned for information on a Halloween event in the Park, our own second annual fundraiser "Fancy Steps 2010" on Saturday, November 13, which promises to be bigger and better, and much more...!

Summer is in full swing, and the museum is THE place to be! Get your face painted, try your hand at making paper, create a puppet or an airplane, paint a picture, but save time to explore the museum's exhibits!

We are fortunate to work once again with the Youth Workers from the New England Farm Workers Council, as well as the teens from the City of Holyoke's Summer Youth Program; these wonderful teenagers are with us through August, and they are the ones who are making all these extra creative activities possible, and at no extra cost to our visitors!



Our preschool program, "Ready to Grow" is continuing, and August is all about "Celebrating Being Me!" Our Littlest Explorers ages 0-5 will enjoy the storytime with Ms. Beth and all the activities and games that go with the story. Admission to the Friday program at 9:30 a.m. is $6/family (members free) for preschool aged children only and their caregivers; once the program has started regular admission prices apply.

REMINDER: We will be doing our Fall cleaning in September, so we will be closed to the public September 6-21.

Father's Day Rocks!
June 20
And who better to show this than musician Craig Harris who will show Dads (and others) how to Drum Away the Blues from 2 to 3 p.m. at Holyoke's Heritage State Park Visitor Center, right across from our museum.

Sunday, June 20 will be the final installment of Holidays in the Park with a Father's Day celebration from 1-3 p.m. Dads ride free on the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round and get in free to the Children's Museum; there will be a free snack at the merry-go-round, and a craft activity upstairs in our building.

Noche de San Juan
Sunday June 27

a free festival in the park from 3-7 p.m.

We are proud to be a part of the first annual festival celebrating Noche de San Juan and the Puerto Rican culture in Holyoke. Traditional music will be played by local bands Orquest la Perfecta and Criollo Clasico, vendors will be selling traditional food, and artisans will be displaying and selling their masks, carvings, and other wares. The Merry-Go-Round, Volleyball Hall of Fame, and Children's Museum will be open until 5 p.m. There will be volleyball games, a bike show, and lots of fun activities for kids and their families!

BatterUp with Wally
June 27


Visitors wearing Red Sox gear will get half price rides on the Merry-Go-Round, and half price admision to the Children's Museum, and famous mascot Wally will be available for photos from 11:30-2 at the Merry-Go-Round, where there will be balloon sculptures and other fun activities from 10-5. Help our Park neighbor raise money to preserve those gorgeous horses!

KIDS IN ACTION!
begins June 30:

Our summer weekly workshops begin on Wednesday June 30 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Drop off your child for a fun-filled 3 hours of activities, museum playtime, and a special craft, all for just $18 (members $15). Signup for 3 days and get a discounted rate of $50 (members $40)! Every day will be different, and the theme changes weekly. The first week will be Things that Fly and kids will start by building their own hovercraft (not full sized, thank you very much). Make sure you pack your child a lunch so the energy level stays high! Call 413-536-7048 ext 101 to enroll your child TODAY!

Time is flying by and soon our nature exhibit will be dismantled, packed, and loaded onto a truck... SO VISIT US SOON!

There will be an opportunity to bid adieu to the crickets, loons, coyotes, and frogs, rake up a last bunch of leaves, and build a home for a gnome before it scurries away...

AND

try to eat like a bird, track animal footprints, and meet some real live critters from the Zoo at Forest Park on Friday, June 11 from 5-8 p.m. when we host a "Families in Nature Night" as the send off celebration of Out on a Limb, adventures with nature and art exhibition.

There will be stories, and crafts, free hot dogs, and lots of fun!

Members: $5; non-members $10.

Please rsvp so we don't run out of dogs...

Spring is here, the rains have come (and hopefully gone for awhile!) and flowers are beginning to appear once again outside picture books. With Spring come changes and we are excited about the changes at our Museum! We have many new 'faces" to introduce, and new happenings to announce.

Please welcome our new Ready to Grow preschool teacher, Miss Beth, who will guide our littlest explorers on a journey through April showers into May flowers. Our Friday morning program for children ages 0-5 and their favorite grownup begins at 9:30 with a story, followed by special crafts and a snack. Special price is $6 per family (no field trips), members free. Regular admission prices apply for arrivals after the program begins.

April 2: The Rain Came Down, by David Shannon is a fun loving book about the chaos caused all over town by falling rain. (craft: make a rainstick!)

April 9: I Love Bugs by Philemon Sturges follows a boy as he finds and takes pictures of all kinds of bugs. (craft: create your own bug!)

April 16: The Earth and I by Frank Asch is a beautifully illustrated book about the beauty of earth and the importance of keeping it clean. (special "earthy" craft)

April 23: The Rainbow by Felicia Law is a lighthearted story where three furry friends discover rainbows and the weather that causes them. (craft: design a rainbow mobile)

April 30: To Be Like the Sun by Susan Marie Swanson shows the journey of a seed as seen through the eyes of a little girl as she watches it grow and bloom. (plant your own seed to take home)

The Museum will be CLOSED on Sunday, April 4 for the Easter holiday, but please visit our neighbor, the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, for their annual visit with one very familiar bunny.

COMING UP SOON:

April 19-23 10 a.m. - 1 p.m: Junior Explorers Club, Register your child for 1 day, 2, 3 , 4, or all 5! $25 per day or $100 for all 5 days. Discounts for siblings or members.

May 2: the Future Begins Here 2010! Silent and Live auction at Holyoke Mall, benefitting the Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke Rows, The Equestrian Center, and the Children's Museum at Holyoke.