http://www.playtacoma.org/blog/ en-us Fri, 18 May 2012 20:00:33 PDT Fri, 18 May 2012 20:00:33 PDT SiteCrafting.com GearBox 1.0.10 http://playtacoma.org/blog/applesauce/ Preparing food with your child provides opportunities for learning basic math and cooking skills such as measuring, comparison and mixing ? not to mention being just plain fun! With the variety of tasty apples available in our area, celebrate the abundance of the season by creating delicious homemade applesauce!6 tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks½ cup flourjuice of half a lemon½ cup water¼ cup sugar1 tsp. cinnamon¼ cup raisins (optional)Place the apples in a large non-reactive saucepan and add the lemon juice and water. Stir in the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes or until the apples are soft. Remove from heat and add the cinnamon and raisins, if desired. Stir lightly for a chunky sauce and vigorously for a smooth sauce. To create pink applesauce, leave the skins on red apples while cooking. Once the applesauce is soft skins are easily removed with a fork or slotted spoon. Makes 2 ½ cups. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:05:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/power-play-lunch/ Kids Learn When Having Fun "Our kids learn really well when they're having fun," said Governor Gregoire at the Children's Museum of Tacoma's annual Power of Play Lunch on September 17, 2008. I think this is one of my favorite quotes from the Lunch (other than my seatmate commenting that "of course Joanne Bamford [Board President] was an elementary school teacher - you can hear it in her voice!"While the statistics that $1.00 spent today on early learning yields a $7.00 return are interesting and compelling, they don't mean much to me in the here and now. This quote so simply breaks down what the Children's Museum is all about (PLAY!) and why it's important (LEARNING!). Doesn't get much easier than that.As a parent, I also appreciate the Governor recognizing that she didn't know anything about brain science - she just played and read to her kids. Makes me feel better to know that if I'm engaging my kids they are learning - regardless of how much I know about brain development, early learning philosophies and the like! Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:08:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/call-raven/ Looking for Promotion Ideas I've been trying out different angles to pitch the story about the Museum's new exhibit Soar Into Story: The Adventures of Raven and Coyote. One thought was to get Gerald McDermott reading his tales on the radio. Harder said than done. But, my searching did lead me to a cool article, Raven and the Sun: A Myth, from the Bird Note program on KPLU.I'm sure there are more aticles like this to prep little ones for their Soar experience. Have you found any others? Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:23:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/economic-impact-early-learning/ Studies show 7% return on investment Both Governor Chris Gregoire and event chair Charley Bingham quoted a study on the rate of return for early learning investments at the Children's Museum of Tacoma's annual Power of Play Lunch. Here are some more details. Senior Executives of the Federal Reserve Bank in Minnesota met with Washington Learns folks and presented the results of a 40 year study of two cohorts of children: one with consistent, quality care and one where the children bounced around without much security of quality care. Quality care avoided a huge amount of social service costs and produced a dramatic difference in earnings from age 20 to 40. In constant dollars, the return on state investment in early learning was 7% compounded yearly for 40 years.Here are a few resources for more details on the subject:As States Tackle Poverty, Preschool Gets High Marks Deborah Solomon, Wall Street JournalAugust 2007The ABCs of Early Childhood Development Report from a conference on the economics of early childhood development.December 2003 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:48:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/play-learning/ Seems like it's on everyone's mind these days Children's Museum staff often shares articles regarding play, learning, and young children. We look forward to sharing these with you here. To get us started, I have some recent items regarding financial literacy (money!) - a hot topic these days both inside the Museum and out. On October 5, The News Tribune ran an article by Patricia Akiyama titled "You are your child's first ? and best ? financial teacher." Today they ran "Economic woes scare kids, too."What I liked about Patricia's article, other than the fact that it mentioned the Museum's Bank On It! exhibit, were the real life examples of why teaching kids about money is important and some good resources:www.jumpstart.orgA resource the Museum used in creating Bank On It!www.themint.org The Mint was also featured on KUOW Monday, October 13, 2008 on The Conversation at 1:00 p.m.And this month's issue of Wonder Time magazine has a good article titled "Easy Money: 21 ways to teach kidsa bout the green stuff." What I liked best was the timeline" of what kids understand about money at different ages. It's not on their website yet, but I'd check it in a week or two as they seem to post most articles there at some point. Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:06:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/salt-dough-ghosts/ Get ready for Halloween with a fun and easy craft!Materials: 1 cup flour 1 cup salt 1/2 cup water Large Bowl Wooden Spoon Permanent Black Marker Instructions: 1. Combine flour, salt, and water in bowl. Mix with spoon until smooth. 2. Divide the dough into six equal pieces and shape each into a ghost, flattening the base so it will stand up. 3. Microwave ghosts on a plate two at a time for 20 - 30 second intervals until the dough is fairly firm (about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes total). *Careful* The ghosts will be HOT! Let cool before handling. 4. Use permanent marker to add eyes and mouth. You can find this recipe and more at familyfun.com!  Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:44:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/mcdermott-brings-soar-alive/ Author Reads to Donors Friday night the Museum hosted a 'thank you' event for donors to the Soar Into Story and Becka's Studio exhibit spaces. Gerald McDermott attended and brought the story of Raven to life with his reading.It was great to see kids - and adults - having fun in the space! Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:07:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/kid-quote/ Raven gets a helping hand. As you might imagine, working at the Children's Museum one witnesses lots of cute, funny, and sometimes awe (or even aah!) inspiring moments.  We thought it would be fun to share some of them with you. During a recent group visit, I was very excited to show the children our new exhibit Soar into Story and share the trickster tales of Raven and Coyote.  We chatted in depth about Coyote's nose for trouble and boastful attitude as well as Raven's clever way of stealing the light and sharing it with the world. One little guy, about 3 years old, was working very hard to turn the wheel that moves Raven up the wall and eventually triggers "the sun" to light the sky.  It took him a while but finally after much effort, ta dah...there was light!  I clapped my hands and asked him, "Did Raven throw the sun in the sky?"  With hands on hips, he turned to me, looked me in the eye and replied, "No, I did!!"   What was I thinking?   Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:12:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/childrens-museum-elections/ The Veggie Vote is In!This past Tuesday, November 4th, little museum visitors had the opportunity to take part in a special kid friendly election.  While their adults voted for our country and community leaders and initiatives, children were encouraged to vote in favor of their favorite vegetable and color.  After completing their ballots and placing them in our official ballot box, kiddos received  "I Voted at the Children's Museum of Tacoma" stickers to wear proudly and proclaim that the democratic process is alive and well at the Children's Museum of Tacoma. The votes have been tallied and here are the election results:  Pink triumphs as "Favorite Color" by a voter landslide. Carrots claim victory as "Favorite Vegetable" by a narrow margin with peas and corn tying for second place.   I don't know about you, but I find it extremely comforting to know that we have two healthy and delicious veggies ready to take the reigns if for some reason carrots are unable to complete their term. Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:12:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/little-philanthropist/ Share SomeHere's another example of an awe..."aah" inspiring moment at the Children's Museum. Recently while working at the front desk I had the pleasure of greeting an "old" friend.  Four year old Hank and his mom Karen had come to play on a rainy Thursday morning. Hank had more important things to do than engage in a lenghty conversation about how excited I was to see him again.  You see, Hank had pockets full of pennies, nickles, dimes and more than a few quarters that he brought to donate to the museum. While he carefully placed each coin into the device atop our donation box that sends the coins spiraling down a funnel ultimately landing at the bottom with a satisfying "clink," Karen shared this with me: Their family received a Children's Museum of Tacoma annual fund request card in the mail.  Upon recognizing the logo of "his" museum on the envelope, Hank quickly intercepted the letter.  He and Karen opened the letter together and Hank asked what it said.  Karen explained that it was a letter requesting families to share money to help support the museum.  Hank then decided that he wanted to give $10 of his savings. Karen explained how excited Hank was to receive his own thank you letter in the mail which prompted more discussion between mother and son about the importance of sharing what you can with organizations that are important to you. Hence the visit and the bulging pockets. Thanks Hank!  Your heartfelt gifts are truly appreciated!   Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:35:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/stick-joins-cardboard-box-in/ The stick along with skateboard and baby doll were chosen for this year's entries into the Strong National Toy Hall of Fame. "It's very open ended, all natural, the perfect price -- there aren't any rules or instructions for it's use" said Christopher Bensch, the museum's curator of collections. The stick joins 2005 inductee, the cardboard box, as an open ended and accessible play thing. Celebrate the stick and the cardboard box with your little ones with two inspiring books that celebrate the power of imagination: Not a Stick and Not a Box by Antoinette Portis. Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:02:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/show-off-gingerbread-house/ Did you attend the Children's Museum of Tacoma's Gingerbread Jamboree? We'd love to see a picture of your creation! Email us your Gingerbread pictures or post them in the comments. If you didn't get a chance to attend the November 30 Gingerbread Jamboree there are still spaces available on December 7, register today! Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:00:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/mark-calendars/ Playing Under the Stars is Coming Soon... Playing Under the Stars is the Museum's signature summer soiree and should be on everyone's calendar! This year's event is planned for Saturday, June 20th from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm in Theatre Square park across from the Museum. You'll want to join us for a lavish summer supper, to peek inside the one of a kind playhouses and playful surprises. Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:49:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/if/ Nurturing the Creative ProcessOur Spring 2009 newsletter features an article "What If? Nurturing the Creative Process". At the Children's Museum of Tacoma we believe in supporting the development of creative minds. That's why we referenced Ken Robinson's book Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative in our article. Sir Robinson has a new book out The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. Last Tuesday he was featured on KUOW's Weekday program. Take a listen at http://www.kuow.org/program.php?current=WK1 and consider WHAT IF? Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:59:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/be-supporting-character-in-childs/ Children's Books Resources One of the most comprehensive sites on children's books, Planet Esme Book A Day, is authored by elementary teacher Esme Raji Cordell. Cordell calls herself a "readiologist", is very passionate about children's books and offers wonderful reviews. Her suggestions will suit a variety of interests and ages. Check out her Planet Esme Book A Day blog for more book reviews than most of us could ever hope to gather! Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:27:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/happy-birthday-dr-seuss/ Today we celebrate Dr. Seuss' 105th birthday. It was March 2nd, 1904 that Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. While most commonly known for the more than 60 children's books he wrote, "Dr." Seuss also drew more than 400 political cartoons for a New York daily newspaper during World War II.  Eventually he designed and illustrated posters to support the war effort, and joined the U.S. Army where he was the leader of the animation department.However, it was his children's books, filled with rhyme and fanciful characters, that have helped beginning readers and have been enjoyed by families for generations.  What are you doing to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday? Do you have a favorite Dr. Seuss title? Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:18:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/kids-say-darndest-things/ Defective Duck and Other TalesWe hear some truly funny comments, suggestions and questions and thought you'd enjoy hearing a few one, two and three liners.  Enjoy!Defective Duck Riley picking up a light up duck from the Museum store:  "I have one of these at home!"Play Guide:  "You do.  Do you know how to make the lights flash?"Riley:  "Yes."  He attempts to display the light function without success.Play Guide:  "Here let me try."  Another failed attempt. Play Guide:  "I guess this one's a dud."Riley:  "No...it's a Duck!" Coyote's Cave Play Guide to little girl in Coyote's nose for trouble cave:  "Do you have a nose for trouble?"Little Girl:  "No.  I have a nose for FUN!" Minor Offenses Mother to son upon entering Becka's Studio:  "Look Sean,  you can use markers to draw on the window!"  (Becka's Picture Window)Sean:  "Oh!  Isn't that against the law?" Do you have any funny tales to tell of your own experiences at the Children's Museum?  If so we'd love to hear them! Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:33:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/an-unexpected-snow-day/ It's March and the Spring Equinox is just 11 days away yet we woke this morning to snow on the ground. While I'm completely ready to move past the cold and wet of winter, the snow was a delight to my little one. A book to share on a snow day and one if you're ready to look forward to spring:White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt, first published in 1947 this book won a Caldecott award for the illustrations by Roger Duvoisin.Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert, features a family garden depicted through vibrant illustrations. Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:45:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/lose/ We might have it!You might be surprised (but if you have children, probably not) by the number and variety of items that get left at the museum after a day of play. Either way, this blog entry has the potential to unite a lost  possession with its rightful owner, or at the very least, provide a bit of amusement.Here are just a few of the items that live (Yikes! Perhaps a poor choice of words) in our lost and found box: A pair of purple fairy wings A neon green (think antifreeze) headband 5 sippy cups 1 child's size brown shoe 3 travel mugs (sans beverage) 4 water bottles An itsy, yellow plastic lizard An assortment of pacifiers Plush animals in various colors, fabrics and sizes Your marbles? Do any of these treasures sound familiar? Or are you missing a sock, sweater or some other precious piece of paraphenalia?  Give us a call, (at 253-627-6031) let us know what you've lost, and if we have it, we'll gladly hand it over. Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:46:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/membership-madness/ Buy One, Get One Free!We have your budget in mind! Beginning today through April 5th, we are offering a Buy One, Get One Free membership special. Split a membership with a friend or give one away to a lucky family!Details: When: March 30th - April 5thWhere: Children's Museum of Tacoma Purchased membership must be a Play-FULL or Little Travelers membership. Free membership is a Play-FULL that can be redeemed by a new member only (no current or previous members). To take advantage of this great offer, visit the Museum or call 253.627.6031 ext. 225. Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:15:00 PDT