December Programs
Thursday, December 1
Love that Language! with Ms. Laura (Ages Birth to 2)
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumDid you know babies naturally have periods of time every day where they are especially tuned in to learning new information? We will talk about the “State of the Baby” and guide our little ones through fun language-based activities, songs, and games. Ms. Laura is a licensed speech-language pathologist who has worked for tens years in the Merrimack Valley Area and has published research in the field of neural organization of language. Siblings welcome.
Thursday’s Tales
11:00 AM Children’s Discovery Museum Sing some songs and sample some stories; we’ll bring the books and you bring your imagination!Friday, December 2
Music and Movement with Miss Carolyn
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumExplore sound through singing and playing. Move, make music, listen, learn, and get a multi-sensory workout! Music improves your child’s memory, cognitive development, learning skills, and ability to express emotion. Plus, it’s fun! Miss Carolyn is a professional musician, serves as a faculty member at Indian Hill Music School, and has been a licensed Kindermusik Educator for 5 years.
First Friday Nights Free!
SMART Gals Family Night: Wonder about Weather! with FOX25 Meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon
4:30 to 8:30pm, both MuseumsJoin us with free admission and explore the museums at night on the first Friday of every month! This month we are offering a special SMART Gals Family Night: Wonder About Weather! What’s the weather forecast? More than ever, we need to know if hurricanes, heavy rains, or unseasonable weather are coming our way. Meet four-time Emmy nominated Meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon of FOX25 Boston to find out when her passion for science began and how she became a meteorologist. Be part of “Live from the Rockpile” a short connection with the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, Home of the World’s Worst Weather. Explore weather and water cycle activities throughout the museums and take home resources! SMART Gals (Science MAth & Art) Family Night is generously sponsored by The Ramsey McCluskey Family Foundation. First Friday Nights Free! are sponsored in part by Acorn Deck House and Emerson Hospital.
Saturday, December 3
Dinosaur Discoveries
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumTouch a real dinosaur fossil and pretend to be a paleontologist digging for dinosaur bones in our mock excavation site!
Adventures in Microscopy with Brandeis Scientists: See the World Beyond Our Eyes
Drop-in 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM Science Discovery Museum
Have you ever wondered how something like a bacteria that you can't even see can make you so sick? Where does it live? What does it eat? Could there be a whole different world living right under our eyes that we don't even know about? Come use microscopes to explore the plants, animals and other living things. Build simple microscopes to look at models of microscopic machines (bacteria) that even scientists have trouble viewing!
Sunday, December 4
Silly Songs & Stories
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumLet your silly side run wild as we sing some songs and share some stories that are sure to tickle your funny bone!
Tuesday, December 6
Reaction Station: Adventures for Young Chemists
Drop-in 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Science Discovery MuseumImagine yourself a chemist and use real laboratory tools to do experiments. Try your hand at doing wet chemistry in a model glove box and learn why some chemists use glove boxes and hoods. Reaction Station is funded by The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation.
Wednesday, December 7
Take Aparts
Drop-in 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM Science Discovery MuseumAre you curious about what’s inside telephones and computers? Discover resistors and capacitors as you uncover the inner workings of everyday objects. Sponsored by Analog Devices, Inc.
Thursday, December 8
A Magical Morning with Santa
10:00 AM Children’s DiscoveryThe holiday spirit is in the air! Come this merry morning to meet Santa Claus and join in some festive fun! Santa will be on hand to greet children, listen to wish lists, pose for photos, and deliver a small present to each girl and boy. Scrumptious cookie decorating and ornament creation will also be part of this magical morning. Length: 1 hour. Limit 15 children (with 1 adult per child). Program fee: $20/child (members) $25/child (non-members) Pre-registration and payment required. Contact Amy Spencer at 978-264-4200 x28 for more information. Visit http://tinyurl.com/Santa2011 to register.
A Magical Morning with Santa
11:30 AM Children’s DiscoveryThe holiday spirit is in the air! Come this merry morning to meet Santa Claus and join in some festive fun! Santa will be on hand to greet children, listen to wish lists, pose for photos, and deliver a small present to each girl and boy. Scrumptious cookie decorating and ornament creation will also be part of this magical morning. Limit 15 children (with 1 adult per child). Length: 1 hour. Program fee: $20/child (members) $25/child (non-members) Pre-registration and payment required. Pre-registration and payment required. Contact Amy Spencer at 978-264-4200 x28 for more information. Visit http://tinyurl.com/Santa2011-2 to register.
Friday, December 9
Messy Masterpiece: Paint Like Seurat!
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumExplore some of George Seurat’s masterpieces and then try your hand at creating your own work of art inspired by pointillism using potato-stamps.
FETCH!™ Rescue Mission
Drop-in 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM Science Discovery MuseumCan you meet Ruff Ruffman’s challenge? Design hooks that can grab different capsules out of the water. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Saturday, December 10
Build It!
10:00 AM Children’s DiscoveryLEGO building for toddlers! Bring your imagination to build, stack, and sort using our enormous collection of DUPLOS. Construct your own architectural wonder or work together to build a museum-community sculpture.
FETCH!™ Toy Chemistry
Drop-in 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Science Discovery MuseumStretchy and slimy toys are the best says Ruff Ruffman! See and feel everyday materials change as you combine them to create polymers! Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Sunday, December 11
Meet Santa!
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Children’s DiscoveryChristmas is drawing near, but Santa is never too busy to spread his holiday cheer! Join us for this special time when Santa will be on hand to greet children and deliver a small present to each girl and boy.
Wednesday, December 14
Reaction Station: Adventures for Young Chemists
Drop-in 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Science Discovery MuseumImagine yourself a chemist and use real laboratory tools to do experiments. Try your hand at doing wet chemistry in a model glove box and learn why some chemists use glove boxes and hoods. Reaction Station is funded by The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation.
Thursday, December 15
Dinosaur Discoveries
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumTouch a real dinosaur fossil and pretend to be a paleontologist digging for dinosaur bones in our mock excavation site!
Thursday’s Tales
11:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumSing some songs and sample some stories; we’ll bring the books and you bring your imagination!
FETCH!™ Kaleid-O-Mania
Drop-in 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM Science Discovery MuseumKaleid-O-Mania! See Ruff like you’ve never seen him before- look at his picture with special kaleidoscopes and make your own FETCH! kaleidoscope to create unique designs at home!Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Friday, December 16
Music and Movement with Miss Carolyn
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumExplore sound through singing and playing. Move, make music, listen, learn, and get a multi-sensory workout! Music improves your child’s memory, cognitive development, learning skills, and ability to express emotion. Plus, it’s fun! Miss Carolyn is a professional musician, serves as a faculty member at Indian Hill Music School, and has been a licensed Kindermusik Educator for 5 years.
Saturday, December 17
FETCH!™ Motion Picture
Drop-in 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Children’s Discovery MuseumCreate a holiday-themed thaumatrope (wonder turner) – an optical illusion toy that makes two pictures look like one. A preschool-level adaptation of this popular FETCH!™activity. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Sunday, December 18
Face Painting Fun!
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumUse your face or hand as a canvas for a colorful holiday-themed painting. What design will you choose?
Magic Show with Rupayan Neogy
12:00 PM Science Discovery MuseumJoin us as local young magician Rupayan Neogy shares his talents with us! Showcasing a variety of tricks, he will confound and amaze in an interactive performance geared toward family audiences. For more information about Rupayan’s magic, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rneogymagic.
FETCH!™ Rescue Mission
Drop-in 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Science Discovery MuseumCan you meet Ruff Ruffman’s challenge? Design hooks that can grab different capsules out of the water. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Wednesday, December 21
FETCH!™ Toy Chemistry
Drop-in 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM Science Discovery MuseumStretchy and slimy toys are the best says Ruff Ruffman! See and feel everyday materials change as you combine them to create polymers! Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Thursday, December 22
Celebrate Hanukkah!
10:00 AM Children’s DiscoveryJoin us for a storytelling of Light the Candles by Joan Holub. Afterwards, make your own flame hat and play a game of dreidel.
Thursday’s Tales
11:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumSing some songs and sample some stories; we’ll bring the books and you bring your imagination!
Lego Zone
Drop-in All Day Science Discovery MuseumJoin Lego lovers of all ages in community building projects. Design structures, spaceships, and more. Add your creation to our community board for display at the Museum.
Friday, December 23
Build It!
Drop-in All Day Children’s DiscoveryLEGO building for toddlers! Bring your imagination to build, stack, and sort using our enormous collection of DUPLOS. Construct your own architectural wonder or work together to build a museum-community sculpture.
Lego Zone
Drop-in All Day Science Discovery MuseumJoin Lego lovers of all ages in community building projects. Design structures, spaceships, and more. Add your creation to our community board for display at the Museum.
Monday, December 26
Build It!
Drop-in All Day Children’s DiscoveryLEGO building for toddlers! Bring your imagination to build, stack, and sort using our enormous collection of DUPLOS. Construct your own architectural wonder or work together to build a museum-community sculpture.
Lego Zone
Drop-in All Day Science Discovery MuseumJoin Lego lovers of all ages in community building projects. Design structures, spaceships, and more. Add your creation to our community board for display at the Museum.
Tuesday, December 27
Celebrate Kwanzaa!
10:00 AM Children’s DiscoveryJoin us for a storytelling of My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz. Afterwards, make your own Kwanzaa pasta necklace using the festive colors of black, red, and green.
FETCH!™ Motion Picture
Drop-in 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM Science Discovery MuseumCreate a thaumatrope - an optical illusion toy that makes two pictures look like one. Learn about the persistence of vision as you make a fun toy that you can take home with you! Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Wednesday, December 28
FETCH!™ Rescue Mission
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumOops, we’re missing the hook we use to rescue baby penguins that swim too far away from their mother. Your challenge is to design a hook, pull the baby penguins from the water, and bring them back home. A preschool-level adaptation of this popular FETCH!™activity. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
FETCH!™ Canine House of Cards
Drop-in 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Science Discovery MuseumAre you ready for a challenge? Ruff Ruffman begs you to build a two-story structure strong enough to hold his jumbo dog biscuit! Can you do it with just index cards? Sharpen your engineering and design skills with this fun FETCH! activity. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc.
Thursday, December 29
FETCH!™ Screaming String Thing
10:00 AM Children’s Discovery MuseumWhat a racket! Turn an ordinary cup and string into a screeching, squawking sound machine. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
FETCH!™ Float My Boat
Drop-in 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM Science Discovery MuseumEven large ships weighing hundreds of thousands of tons stay afloat. But how? Investigate floating by building tinfoil boats and loading them with pennies until they sink. Discover how a boat’s size and shape make a difference in how much of a load it can carry. Time to roll up the shirtsleeves and dive in! Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Friday, December 30
FETCH!™ Motion Picture
Drop-in 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Children’s Discovery MuseumCreate a holiday-themed thaumatrope (wonder turner) – an optical illusion toy that makes two pictures look like one. A preschool-level adaptation of this popular FETCH!™activity. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
FETCH!™ Thrill Ride
Drop-in 1:00 PM to 4:00 PMJoin with others and build a variety of roller coaster marble runs in our education room. Create tracks with tubes, cardboard, and wooden pieces to add to a community marble run inspired by Ruff Ruffman! Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Saturday, December 31
Bessie’s New Year’s Eve PJ Dance Party!
10:00 AM Children’s DiscoveryShake, rattle, and roll into the New Year with Bessie, dinosaur mascot of The Discovery Museums, as we create party hats and noisemakers and dance to popular kids’ music. Our staff will be in their pajamas--hope you will be too!
