Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Holyoke, that is! We hope everyone will join us in welcoming Santa and Mrs. Claus to the Children's Museum at Holyoke on Saturday, December 5th. From 10:30 am until noon, we will be hosting a meet and greet with lots of fun activities. Come and get your picture taken with the famous couple, decorate a delicious Christmas cookie, craft an ornament, learn how to make your own beautiful snowflake, play a song with some musical jingle bells, design and build a topper for a Christmas tree, and listen to Santa and Mrs. Claus each read their favorite Christmas story. Santa will be reading The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, and Mrs. Claus will be reading Fancy Nancy: Spendiferous Christmas by Jane O'Connor. It's not often that these two find the time to travel from the North Pole to meet all of their adoring fans, so definitely take advantage and join the festivities! All activities are included in the price of museum admission.

The Think and Play Series for Preschoolers returns on Friday, December 4th. December is all about winter! Join us for songs, art, and stories to celebrate everything amazing about our coldest season. Snowflakes, ice, and snowmen... oh my! We will also be learning to write our own wintry poetry, so wear your thinking cap! Think and Play begins at 9:30 am, and admission is $6.00 per family (free for members). Anyone arriving after 10:00 am is subject to regular admission prices.

The Holiday Season is Upon Us!

The holidays are looming, and that ushers the Children's Museum into its busiest time of the year. A combination of yucky weather, visiting families, and time off from school is a triple delight that brings in the crowds! We strive to be open as much as possible during this time of year so that as many people as possible who want to visit us have the opportunity to.

This brings us to the confusion over vacation and when exactly the Children's Museum is open. As a rule of thumb, the museum is open whenever school is closed, barring major holidays. This means that althou

gh we are usual

ly closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, we are open if school is out. So for the upcoming holidays, here is a schedule of museum hours:

Thanksgiving

Wednesday Nov. 25th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Thursday Nov. 26th: CLOSED

Friday Nov. 27th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Saturday Nov. 28th: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Sunday Nov. 29th: 12:00 pm- 4:00 pm

Winter Break

Monday Dec. 21st: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Tuesday Dec. 22nd: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Wednesday Dec. 23rd: 10:00- 4:00 pm

Thursday Dec. 24th: CLOSED

Friday Dec. 25th: CLOSED

Saturday Dec. 26th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Sunday Dec. 27tth: 12:00

pm- 4:00 pm

Monday Dec. 28th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Tuesday Dec. 29th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Wednesday Dec. 30th: 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Thursday Dec. 31st: 10:00 am- 2:30 pm (First Night Jr. Event, closing early to give families time to walk over to the Visitors' Center for the New Year Count Down and Ball Drop)

Friday January 1st: CLOSED

Keep an eye out for the Children's Museum's WISH TREE. It will be appearing soon, and we will be hanging "wish stars" from its branches detailing small items that the museum needs to help keep its exhibits, programming and activities running (markers, paper, etc.). As we strive to make our museum and staff performance better and brighter, we could use your help with some of the little things. So pick a star, and make a wish come true for us (and in turn, for YOU!) (picture source: freevectors.net)

Please join us Saturday, December 5th for our Meet the Clauses event. Listen to both Santa and Mrs. Claus read their favorite stories, have your picture taken with them, decorate a fancy cookie, make an ornament or tree topper, and learn how to make a beautiful snow flake. This event runs from 10:30 am until noon and is free with museum admission, so don't miss it! (photo source: cdn-write.demandstudios.com)

Finally, we want to remind everyone of the approaching annual fundraiser: First Night Junior. This will take place on Thursday, December 31st from 10:00 am until 2:30 pm. An admission price of $6.00 per person includes entry to the museum, unlimited rides on the Merry-Go-Round, Ed Propielarczyk's Magical Moments, Roger Ticknell's renowned music and storytelling, balloon sculpting, face painting, and much much more. Come meet your favorite WGBY characters, and don't miss the ball drop finale over at the Visitors' Center at 2:30! Advance tickets will be available for $5.00 per person. Because this event is a fundraiser, memberships and library passes are not accepted. Call the museum at (413) 536-7048 or the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round at (413) 538-9838 for more details! (photo source: .nyc-architecture.com)

*There will be NO Think and Play Series for Preschoolers this Friday, November 27th*

Ruff Ruffman, Santa, and Preschoolers... Oh My!

The Grand Opening of our much anticipated Fetch!Lab will be this Saturday, November 21st! Ruff Ruffman will be here in person to meet all of his fans, we will be giving out goody bags and holding a drawing for free museum memberships, and there will be fun activities going on all throughout the day (10:00 am to 4:00 pm). Please stop by and say hello! Because WGBY has provided generous support for our newstation and Fetch!Lab, any WGBY members (in addition to Children's Museum members) will receive free admission if they present their card or newsletter.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and Ashley will be celebrating on Friday, November 20th with a sweet surprise! The Think and Play Series for Preschoolers has been talking about family all month, and our family unit will be wrapped up with fun Thanksgiving festivities. What other holiday is more about family?! Publish your own book about what makes you feel thankful, make (and eat!) a delicious mini-pie, and laugh along at our read-aloud of I Know an Old Woman who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson. The program will begin at 9:30 am. Admission is $6.00 per family (free for members). Anyone arriving after 10:00 am will be subject to regular admission prices.

This year, the Children's Museum will be hosting a meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus on Saturday, December 5th from 10:30 to 12:00. Meet the Clauses and have your picture taken with them, hear Santa read Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg or Mrs. Clause read Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O'Connor, decorate fancy cookies, make a Christmas ornament, and help decorate our museum Christmas tree! This event is free with the price of museum admission. (photo source: istockphoto.com)

Our raffle and bake sale for Brenda Parent, our coworker who has been on extended medical leave, were a huge success! We want to thank each and every one of you that contributed. Your donations have allowed us to really help Brenda in her time of need! Thank you, thank you, thank you (picture source: virtualhug.wordpress.com)

T'is the Season for Giving

This month, the Children's Museum is focusing on giving back! Our raffle to raise money for Brenda Parent, our administrative manager who has been recovering from serious surgery, is set for its final drawing on Saturday, November 14th. Please join us (not to mention, buy a raffle ticket!!) for the bake sale also taking place that day that will benefit Brenda. In addition, we are also participating in City Wide Charity Day in Holyoke. Bring in a canned food item, gloves, hats, scarves or gently used coats for our donation box anytime before November 14th and receive $1 off each admission before November 14! All items collected will be distributed to the needy in the Holyoke community. (picture source: caaneo.ca)

Please don't forget that we are OPEN on Wednesday, November 11th VETERAN'S DAY! Come play with us =-)

This Friday, November 13th, join us for our Think and Play Series for Preschoolers. It is Ashley's second installment in her Family! Series. Sometimes families grow and expand. How does the addition of a new baby make everyone in a family feel? Learn about new babies and changing families, and sing and play with our special guest, Velvet St. Amand from BabySigns, who will be teaching us different ways to communicate our feelings! The program begins at 9:30 am. Admission is $6.00 per family (free for members). Anyone arriving after 10:00 am is subject to regular museum admission prices.

30 Days hath September... April, June, and NOVEMBER!

We have begun displaying our raffle prizes at the museum, so definitely come in and check out some of the beautiful baskets that staff and board members have put together. The ticket sales are coming in slowly- and we're hoping that word of mouth can help increase the numbers! Please help us to raise money for our dear friend and coworker, Brenda Parent, who is on extended medical leave! The final drawing (and bake sale!) will take place at the museum on November 14th. (picture source: http://gardeningwithchildren.files.wordpress.com)

Last week, our Think and Play Spooktastic Celebration was a huge success! Unbelievably cute witches, knights in shining armor, magicians, cheetahs, lions, princesses... costumes of all kinds poured in for a fun celebration of all things Halloween. Ashley wants to thank everyone that came! And if you have pictures that you wouldn't mind sharing (for the blog, for bulletin boards, etc.), we would LOVE to have them! Just send them to Ashley at ar_barton@yahoo.com. This week, Friday November 6th at 9:30 am, we are kicking off our Think and Play for Preschoolers Family! series. What is a family? Do animals have families too? Learn about different kinds of families and their members, and enjoy family themed songs, games, and stories along with a special floppy-eared animal guest! Is your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino is our featured book of the week. Admission is $6.oo per family (free for members). Anyone coming after 10:00 am is subject to regular museum admission prices.

Another date to put into your calendar: the grand opening of our Fetch!Lab. WGBY is helping to sponsor our Fetch!Lab and newsroom, so join us on November 21st for a celebratory opening. Ruff Ruffman will be visiting to make sure we've done a good job and to say hello to all of his fans! More to come on this event... so stay tuned! (picture source: pbskids.org)

*Also remember- the museum will be OPEN on Veteran's Day, November 11th*

Halloween is Almost Here!

Halloween is an especially anticipated event at the museum because... well, let's be honest- who doesn't like dressing up in a costume or eating delicious treats?? We certainly do! (picture source: ursispaltenstein.ch)

This year the museum is dedicated to providing Halloween fun in a welcoming, safe environment with activities appropriate for a range of ages. We will start with an event just for the preschoolers, our Think and Play Series! On Friday, October 30th at 9:30 am, Ashley will be throwing a Spooktastic Celebration! This is a very special day for Think and Play, and we will be celebrating Halloween with silly music, a read-aloud of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles Schulz, and creating and devouring some spooky treats. Wear a costume to take part in our Halloween parade around the museum! This program runs approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Admission to the program is $6.00 per family and includes admission to the museum (members are free). Anyone arriving after 10:00 am is subject to regular museum admission prices. (picture source: blogs.pioneerlocal.com)

On Halloween Day, the museum is participating in the "Spooktacular," set in Holyoke Heritage State Park. The event was recently featured in The Republican:

'Spooktacular' Set at Carousel
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
HOLYOKE - Looking for a "spooktacular" time this Halloween?
Check out the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round where the horses will be in costume and rides will be half-price if you, too, come in costume. Creator of the Canal Creature Crawl, Nancy Howard Smith and area artists and designers, including mask makers Angel Sanchez Ortiz, Jenny Sumi, Marjorie Latham, Karen Tozzi Colberg, Malini Sinha and Lou's Upcycles, have come together to mask the steeds for Halloween.
The merry-go-round's events - all aimed at families - will be at three locations. There will be a costume parade at 1 p.m. at the carousel. A haunted house tour will be offered at the Holyoke Heritage State Park visitors' center, and storyteller Tom McCabe will offer a program at the Children's Museum. There will be a limited amount of crafts and refreshments as well as candy give-a-ways, all offered free. There will be free admission to the children's museum after 3 p.m.
The state park is located on 221 Appleton St., bordered by Dwight Street. Parking is free, and all venues are accessible to accommodate special needs. For more information, contact the Children's Museum at (413) 536-7048, the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round at (413) 538-9838, Heritage State Park at (413) 534-1723 or the Volleyball Hall of Fame at (413) 536-0926. Submitted by the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round. (article source: masslive.com, picture source: holyokemerrygoround.org)

Please remember to be safe on Halloween night! Click here for some great trick-or-treating tips from The Friday Zone.

Our raffle for staff member Brenda Parent is currently underway. We have begun selling tickets, but we want to get the word out to as many people as possible! Please tell your friends. Tickets are available at our front desk: 1 for $1.oo or 6 for $5.00. (picture source: thetrotblog.wordpress.com)

Here is a list of all the items being raffled off (for a more detailed description of each item, ask at the front desk or call 413-536-7048):

• Memberships to the Children's Museum at Holyoke
• Winter-Themed Handmade Floor Mat
• Framed Photograph of City Hall taken by Norm Boulanger
• Framed Photograph of Fall Foliage by Holyoke Canal by Nona Hatay
• Weekend Entertainment Package (gift certificates to the Hofbrauhaus, the Norman Rockwell Museum, and the New England Air Museum)
• Variety of Gift Baskets (Learn-to-Crochet basket, Mary Kay basket, Family Night at Home basket, Mommy's Time Out basket, and Christmas basket)

The final drawing will take place on Novemeber 14th at our museum bake sale (also to benefit Brenda). Please buy raffle tickets and help us to help this amazing woman!!

Finally, the Children's Museum will be open on Wednesday, November 11th (Veteran's Day). Come and play with us on your day off!

Our raffle to raise money for Brenda Parent, our Administrative Manager recovering from surgery, will begin this coming Wednesday, October 21st. A variety of items will be available, including memberships to the Children's Museum, a beautiful winter floor mat made and donated by a museum member, and a handful of fun gift baskets (Christmas, wine, Mary Kay products, etc.) all donated by staff, board members, and members. A full description of each item, as well as tickets for the raffle, will be available at the front desk starting Wednesday the 21st. The final drawing will take place on Saturday, November 14th during our Children's Museum bake sale (also to benefit Brenda). Please, help us raise money for this amazing woman and her family! (picture source: easygiftbasketideas.com)

Our final installment in our Colors! Series of Think and Play for Preschoolers is this Friday, October 23rd. Ashley has been thinking up new animal riddles, finding fun songs to sing, and practicing her animal yoga to fill her program with awesome activities just for our preschool age visitors. Please join us this week to learn about rainbows and all of their beautiful colors. Enjoy Eric Carle's Let's Paint a Rainbow, and explore idenitifying, sorting, and mixing colors while we make our own collage rainbows to bring home! The program begins at 9:30 am, and don't be late because it's only $6.00 for the whole family (free for members)! Anyone arriving after 10:00 am will be subject to regular museum admission prices. (picture source: imvu.com)

Finally, don't forget about the Discover Holyoke event happening throughout the city this coming Saturday, October 24th. We'll be here at the museum welcoming any and all participating guests, and we can't wait to see you!