At the end of each year, it’s human nature to reminisce over the events and milestones of the past 12 months. Sometimes we are so busy going about daily life that until we take a moment to reflect, we don’t really digest the moments that matter.
Here are some highlights of 2014 at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire:
Adopting a newly refreshed five-year Strategic Plan and charting our course for a strong future.
Extending the Museum beyond our doors by bringing art to the park and our building’s façade. Who knew that recycled plastic bottles could be so beautiful?
Starting a new EBT/SNAP admission program to extend our commitment to serving all families, leading the way before a national model was introduced for Children’s Museums around the country.
Unveiling a new Museum logo and brand that celebrates open-ended creativity and experimentation.
Hosting the 2nd annual Dover Mini Maker Faire, bigger and better than ever with 60 makers and over 1,600 attendees!
Celebrating the end of our 30th year by re-launching our iconic Yellow Sub exhibit with exciting new features like a drivable deep-sea environment and interactive swimming fish. (And for adults, an evening of delicious food and live music at our September Shebang!)
Collaborating with Dover Middle School Art Club students and our Artist in Residence Nate Walker to design new place-based bike racks for Henry Law Park right outside our doors. The Blue Crab welcomed his new friend – Steampunk Octopus!
And most importantly, all of us at the Children’s Museum remember the one constant that hasn’t changed over the past 30 years: the joy, wonder and pure delight that children bring to their Museum experience every single day.
We can’t wait for 2015 and look forward to sharing with you all the wonderful things the new year will bring!
The start of a new year brings a sense of promise and revitalization — a chance to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. Here at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, staff members have been sharing memories from the past 30 years as well as envisioning how we can continue to build a bright future for the Museum and everyone who is part of our community.
How do we do this? We ask ourselves tough questions about what we do, why we do it, and the impact we have on families, schools and community organizations.
Do we provide valuable experiences for visitors of all ages?
From First Friends for children as young as six months old and the Make It or Break It afterschool club for up to age 12, to the Dover Mini Maker Faire for all ages and the Alzheimer’s Café for seniors, we are engaging with people at all stages of life.
Do we give families reasons to keep coming back?
Our educators and exhibit team are always cooking up new ideas and experiments designed to deepen the impact of a Museum visit and provide fresh and exciting experiences for our frequent visitors.
Are we meeting the needs of schools?
Tying our group visits to teacher’s curriculum makes a visit to the Museum relevant. For schools that can’t reach us because of distance or bussing costs, we will pilot taking our programs out to schools this spring.
Can everyone who wants to participate in the Museum access our programs and services?
Our Reach All Initiative ensures that families and schools have free or reduced price access to the Museum. Programs like Exploring Our Way also provide free access to families with children on the autism spectrum.
the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire
Although times change, some things remain the same, such as the need to provide children and families with a safe and stimulating environment where they can take risks, ignite their creative potential and explore their passions. This is what has been fueling our work for the past 30 years, and we look forward to the next 30 years of nurturing new generations of innovative thinkers.
We’re ecstatic to share that more than 50 makers from around New England will be coming to the Children’s Museum of NH for our very first Maker Faire in downtown Dover! Our planning committee had a goal of 30 makers and we’ve blown that out of the water, thanks to the enthusiastic support of our local maker committee and grassroots promotion that has spread far and wide.
Tickets are available online at just $10 in advance for adults and kids ages 6 and over (kids 5 and under are admitted free) and $12 at the gate on Saturday.
Check out the list of makers who will be joining us on August 24th, along with a quick preview of what they’ll be sharing with attendees.
The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is on a strategic path to inspire kids to think big and think different. Our Mission Statement puts it right up front:
We exist to ignite children’s creative potential through enriching experiences that tap into their talents, stretch them beyond perceived limits, and build strong, joyful relationships.
This focus on igniting children’s creativity and getting them excited about learning is what has inspired us to host New Hampshire’s first-ever Maker Faire event. We’re ecstatic to share that more than 50 makers from around New England will be joining us for Dover Mini Maker Faire on Saturday, August 24th! Check out the list of makers who will be here, along with a quick preview of what they’ll be sharing with attendees of all ages.
It’s time to meet another member of the Experience Guide Staff at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire!
Sarah is at CMNH the majority of the week and can usually be found hip deep in arts and crafts supplies in the Muse Studio. You may have even heard Sarah’s voice while you were shopping for a pair of jeans. Yes, you read that right! Sarah has a lot to say so let’s jump right in and find out more!
Zach: Sarah, how long have you worked at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire?
Sarah: I’ve been at the museum since October – so about 11 months!
Z: Why CMNH?
S: I’ve always loved working with kids and when I saw that CMNH was hiring I thought it would be a great opportunity to do different activities and exploration with families each day. I loved that each day would be a new and different experience! The other part of that daily surprise is the fact that I get to teach each day. Interactive teaching with the visitors is the highlight of my job.
Z: What originally brought you to New Hampshire?
S: I came to Dover because I was accepted in to the Masters of Fine Arts program at UNH in Durham. My focus is Creative Writing – specifically Poetry.
Z: Where did you complete your undergrad studies?
S: I attended Columbia University in New York City. My focus in undergrad was Creative Writing but I also spent much of my time at Columbia attending and participating in musical performances. I’ve been studying voice since I was six-years old so I definitely enjoyed working with classical music and opera at Columbia.
Z: Wow! You may likely be our only Experience Guide with an opera background! Tell me, what – if any – experience did you have working with families before your time here at CMNH?
S: For many, many years, I taught at a musical theater summer camp in my hometown of Allentown, New Jersey.
This Way to Allentown!
Z: That sounds like a lot of fun!
S: Yes! “Musical Theater Magical Camp” was a very enjoyable place to work!
Z: Wow! With a name like that it sounds even more fun!
S: It really was a lot of fun. Each session ran for 3 weeks and was open to children from 5-12 years old. We would spend Week One getting to know each other, learning about theater, playing games and becoming comfortable with being on stage. We would cast a full musical in Week Two and then teach them choreography, design and make the costumes, and create the set. Then, after rehearsing throughout Week Three, we would put on a performance on the last day for the entire camp and all of the returning families.
Curtains up on the, “Pirates: The Musical” set, circa 2009
Z: Did any of the children ever experience stage fright?
S: Oh, yes! We would often get parents who would sign their children up for our camp in an attempt to kind of bring them out of their shell. These are the children that would be quite shy at the start of camp; often they would be the younger campers. Which made it such a wonderful process that at the end of three weeks we’d be able to see these kids that had entered the process unsure of themselves and their abilities come out on stage and blow us away with their confidence!
Z: I’m currently working on a production myself this summer outside of CMNH and I’m having some trouble with a few of the actors hitting their spots and remembering their lines. Can I recruit you to come and fill them full of your trademark confidence??
S: Well, I’m pretty busy at the museum this summer but we’ll see what I can do!
Z: Sarah, switching gears a bit, I’d like to know if you or your family visited museums when you were growing up?
S: We did. We went to a ton of museums as a family. My father is a software developer and he has worked on a number of projects and exhibits for museums. He and his brothers did most of hardware and software for the Sony Wonder Museum in New York when it first opened.
Z: “New York” meaning New York City?
S: Yes! Right on Madison Avenue! I was able to explore the museum before they officially opened to the public while my father worked on different projects and exhibits.
Z: How old were you?
S: About 6 or 7.
Z: I’m jealous.
S: [Laughs.] You should be! My dad has worked with a number of museums since then and I actually got to do some voice-over work on one of his projects.
Z: I’m somehow even more jealous now. What was the voice work?
S: It was an exhibit for the Children’s Museum of Houston that was also getting installed at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. It was a Magic School Bus weather-based exhibit. I provided the voices for two of the children in the Magic School Bus.
All Aboard the Magic School Bus!
Z: Wow!
S: He also worked for the Levi’s flagship store in Union Square in San Francisco – so for a long time, I was the voice of many of their in-store kiosks.
Z: Did you actually get to travel to San Francisco?
Sarah’s voice will help you buy your next pair of jeans!
S: I did! The whole family spent the summer in San Francisco.
Z: And how old were you then?
S: I was 12 years old and it was wonderful to be there for the whole summer. We really got to know the city.
S: It was actually . . . an interesting experience.
Z: I’m going to need you to tell me more than that!
S: Yes. Well. They had a number of installations that were very advanced and were . . . well, perhaps a little over my 12-year old head.
Z: I see. Well, Sarah, please tell us: What is your favorite museum in the world?
S: That’s a really tough question to answer. I very much love the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I visited it constantly while at Columbia. But . . . I’d have to say that the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ will always hold a special place in my heart. When my father was working on the Magic School Bus exhibit, my friend and I were allowed to be at the museum before and after hours and we were given free access to all of the IMAX shows. Most importantly, we were allowed to wear V.I.P. necklaces. [Laughs.]
Z: I always knew you were a V.I.P.! Sarah, what is your favorite exhibit at CMNH and why?
S: My favorite exhibit is probably the Muse Studio. I love the way we’ve been able to mix artistic creativity with scientific exploration. You’ll see families and staff drawing, painting and collaging conjoined with learning how a prism works and how a lima bean plant grows. It’s definitely the part of the museum that, as a child, you would have had difficulty getting me to leave.
Z: Even as an adult we have a hard time getting you out of the Muse Studio!
S: This is true. [Laughs.]
Essential Information about Experience Guide Sarah
Favorite Color: Green (Most shades of green, but not Turquoise!)
Favorite Animal: Dachshund
Favorite Movie: Contact
Favorite Type of Music: Classical / Favorite Artist: Elvis Costello
Welcome to a new series on our blog that helps YOU – our readers & visitors – get to know our Museum Experience Guides!
Erika can be found at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire most weekdays and is always ready to greet families with a smile! You might recognize Erika even if you’ve never been to CMNH! How’s that? Well . . . maybe we should let Erika explain:
Zach: Erika, how long have you worked at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire?
Erika: Just over a year and a half.
Z: When you first came to CMNH, you were . . .
E: . . . an intern! Yes. I interned here for a short while and then . . .
Z: . . . and then you became an employee?
E: Yes! Then I became an Experience Guide at CMNH!
Z: Tell me – why CMNH?
E: I love museums. ALL museums! I live here in Dover and I love working with children and families. I found out about CMNH and I really wanted to become a part of such a wonderful place.
Z: I must mention this because I’m not sure how many in the museum field can claim this, but you don’t just work at one museum. You don’t just work at two museums. You actually work at three different museums! That must be quite a whirlwind!
E: It certainly can be. I’m constantly going from museum to museum. I work the majority of my time here at CMNH, but I also work at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye and the SEE Science Center in Manchester as well.
Z: My goodness! That’s a lot of work! Do visitors ever get confused when they see you at more than one museum?
E: That’s actually happened a few times. I’ll be at CMNH all day on a Friday and then at the SEE Science Center on a Saturday and visitor’s will look and me and then do a double take and seem confused until it dawns on them where else they’ve seen me.
Z: Now, sadly, after more than a year and a half with us at CMNH, you’ll be leaving us later this summer. You’ll be attending George Washington University.
E: Yes, I will. I’m extremely excited.
Z: This will be to obtain your Master’s Degree. What will your degree be in?
E: Museum Education.
Z: Museum Education?! I would think that you would already have plenty of museum education working for so many museums!
E: (laughing) You would think!
Z: But one can always learn more!
E: Exactly! And I certainly plan to!
Z: Erika, you grew up here in New Hampshire, correct?
The Annual Pumpkin Festival in Keene, NH
E: I did, yes. I grew up in Keene, NH.
Z: Did you visit museums as a child?
E: I did. There was a small Children’s Museum in Keene that’s no longer there. We used to visit that museum A LOT. I loved it.
Z: Did you visit other museums?
E: Oh, yes. We would visit both the Museum of Science and the Boston Children’s Museum in Massachusetts. We’d also visit the Seacoast Science Center in Rye.
Z: Did you ever visit this museum when we were located in Portsmouth?
The Children’s Museum of Portsmouth, 1983-2008
E: I did, but I was so little that I don’t have very clear memories of the experience.
Z: That’s ok. We won’t hold it against you. Erika – tell us – what’s your favorite museum outside of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire?
E: My favorite museum is actually an aquarium. I consider aquariums a type of museum . . .
Z: (faux-sternly) Hmmmm . . . we’ll allow it. Proceed.
E: The aquarium is L’Oceanografic in Valencia, Spain. It acts as a science museum as well, so you can definitely allow it. (laughs)
Z: So why were you so taken with L’Oceanografic?
E: For several reasons. Apart from the exhibits, one thing I was immediately taken with was the entire set-up of L’Oceanografic. It’s the biggest aquarium in all of Europe and it’s made up of about a dozen zones with each one devoted to a different body or water or type of aquatic ecosystem. One building might showcase the Mediterranean Sea while another building is devoted to the Arctic. There are also underwater walking tunnels and sections of the facility that contained small bubbles that the visitor could stick their head into and suddenly be surrounded by fish on all sides. You felt like you were in the water with the fish. It’s an amazing sensation.
L’Oceanografic Underwater Tunnel
Z: Wow! I really want to visit L’Oceanografic now.
E: And I haven’t even told you about the glow-in-the-dark octopuses yet!
Z: Oh, man. Something tells me CMNH doesn’t have room for glow-in-the-dark octopuses. Erika, could you share with us what your favorite CMNH exhibit is? And why?
E: My favorite exhibit, no question, is Dino Detective. I love – LOVE – anything to do with dinosaurs! I also love that exhibit because it’s one of the easiest exhibits to get down to our young visitor’s level and interact and explore with them while they learn about and dig for dinosaurs. I also enjoy teaching visitors about fossils and evolution.
Z: Well, Erika, we hope that you’ll still come back in the future and visit CMNH after you’ve moved to Washington D.C. and check in with the visitors and staff!
E: Of course! I’ll always love CMNH!
Essential Information about Experience Guide ErikaFavorite Color: BlueFavorite Animal: (Tie) Three-Toed Sloth / HedgehogFavorite Movie: CinderellaFavorite Type of Music: A cappella
We go through a lot of baking soda and vinegar in my house. We’re not cooking with it. We’re not cleaning with it. We’re mixing “potions” with it, erupting volcanoes, mixing it with food coloring and painting with it. Splashing salt on top to see what happens. Raiding the recycling bin and building courses for the bubbly liquid to travel down. (I highly recommend building such courses in a bathtub or on an outside deck!)
Although I’ve been an educator both in schools and the Museum for nearly 20 years, I’ve received some great insights into the way kids learn about the world observing my own kids try to figure out “what happens if” and “how does this work.”
The author's son in a previous winter when snow was abundant!
This past weekend, my 9-year-old son was lamenting the pitiful ½ inch of snow on the small hill he likes to sled on in the yard. “That’s a problem,” I said. “Can you think of a solution?” After trying to relocate snow from other parts of the yard to no avail, he asked for a bucket. His solution: to pour bucket-loads of water down a path on the hill. How long will this take to freeze? How many layers of ice do I need to put on the hill to make it thick enough to hold the weight of me and my sled without cracking? Does the water freeze faster if I put cold water in my bucket?
My son was playing, getting messy and having fun, but most of all he was determined to have a place to sled by the end of the day (which was how long it took for the multiple layers of ice to freeze). Did he realize that he was conducting experiments? Forming hypotheses? Using scientific reasoning? No, but that’s okay.
Here at the Museum, we may not have the icy hill in the backyard, but we know we’ve done our job when we observe kids (and adults) engaged in asking questions, experimenting, or creating something new together. Are you looking for some “what-happens-if” fun during the cold winter months? We’d love to have you visit and experiment with us.
And check out these websites for some science inspiration you can try at home – recommended by Museum colleagues through the Association of Science and Technology Centers:
“www.edheads.com is a great website that has some really fun kid-friendly interactives with accompanying teacher guide (including virtual surgeries, crime scene investigations and nanoparticle development.”
“Carnegie Science Center has a website as part of our girls program at www.braincake.org.”
There is no better feeling than that of spending time happily engaged with a child. And we know from emerging research into brain development that children get more out of the time and attention adults spend on them than previously believed.
You may have heard the phrase “parents are a child’s first teacher.” This idea that the primary adults in a child’s life are their most important influence is true not simply about learning language or how to hold a spoon, but also in establishing lifelong values. When an adult includes a child in activities they enjoy – whether music, drawing, reading, building, or anything else – the child associates that experience with the shared good feeling.
Intrigued? Museum staff and Dover Public Library‘s Children’s Librarian Kathleen Thorner have compiled this reading list to help you make the most of family learning experiences.
These books peek inside the developing brain to help us better understand just what babies know, when they know it, and how they learn:
Change. One word that means so much. Seasons change. Our children’s needs and interests change as they grow. As your family changes the experiences you seek to do together change as well. Here at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, changes are underway – changes designed to keep pace with the needs of the curious children and engaged adults who walk through our doors.
For us, change can take many forms and has many dimensions:
To Deepen Impact
Many of our exhibits can be used in different ways with some changes to supplies. For instance, have you ever wondered what it would be like to make and launch folded paper constructions in Build It Fly It? Simply using folded paper or recycled materials rather than foam shapes opens up new ways to think about the exhibit, its uses and possible outcomes. What flying contraptions have you always wanted to try in that space?
To Support Repeat Visitation
You might be one of the many families who visit the museum 4 – 9 times each year. Change offers new options for you to explore during a visit so the Museum remains challenging, engaging and fresh. New materials, exhibit props, staff-facilitated programs and take-home activities are designed to allow you to make new connections between what you already know – and new ideas.
So, for example, did you know you can build and decorate your own soapbox kit cars in to race in the Thinkering Lab? Buy two from the museum shop, borrow our kit of wood files and decorations, or take them home to make, then bring them back and race head-to-head. We purposely designed this space so that the make-your-own cars we have in the exhibit are just a launching pad for your imagination and the opportunities are endless. In the future, look for other car-building materials, like Legos or recycled materials.
To Stay Relevant and Meaningful
Flexible change, such as exhibit kits that we can share with interested visitors, allows you to customize your visit. Did you know you can ask our Experience Guide staff to bring out a beaver pelt and teeth, or owl pellet dissection activity? Take down more materials in the Studio, or give you a kit of materials to design and construct a different flyer to test in Build It Fly It? We want to be responsive and give you the ability to personalize your visit. After all, we don’t know what your interests are unless you share them with us!
To Support a Broad and Diverse Audience
From crawling infants, to inquisitive 4th graders, from new parents to grandparents, from the casual museum-goer to the Museum member who visits us every week, change helps us reach every visitor in a new way. TheStudio’s monthly theme and changing weekly activities are designed to support a variety of learning styles and a broader age range. Our goal for this space is for the youngest visitors and those with the most skill and longest attention spans to both find something interesting to do, and be successful. We are challenging ourselves to come up with projects that meet all our goals and which you find fun.
To Build Relationships
When we choose the theme of an exhibit, we think about how it will allow us to connect and collaborate with, local audiences. From the Trout in the Classroom project to recipe-sharing in the World Café we look for local relevance, a NH focus, a good visitor experience, and opportunities to build relationships. Another way we do this is by incorporating visitor-made work in the Museum, and including your faces and voices within the Museum. This allows the Museum to truly reflect you – our users – and it keeps the experience fresh for all. We think your work, images, and words are beautiful and inspiring and we are glad for the chance to celebrate the creativity in action here everyday.
What do you think? As you visit the museum over the next year, keep a look out for ongoing change at many levels. Do you see different elements and props in our exhibits? Did everyone in the family find something to do the month in the Studio? Did our Experience Guide staff share something new with you or invite you to try a special activity? Do you see comments, artwork and perspectives of our community?
We truly want to know what works and what still needs work. What do you want us to try next?
At the end of each year, it’s human nature to reminisce over the events and milestones of the past 12 months. Sometimes we are so busy going about daily life that until we take a moment to reflect, we don’t really digest the moments that matter.
charting our course for a strong future.
Unveiling a new Museum logo and brand that celebrates open-ended creativity and experimentation.
Hosting the 2nd annual Dover Mini Maker Faire, bigger and better than ever with 60 makers and over 1,600 attendees!
Celebrating the end of our 30th year by re-launching our iconic Yellow Sub exhibit with exciting new features like a drivable deep-sea environment and interactive swimming fish. (And for adults, an evening of delicious food and live music at our September Shebang!)
Collaborating with Dover Middle School Art Club students and our Artist in Residence Nate Walker to design new place-based bike racks for Henry Law Park right outside our doors. The Blue Crab welcomed his new friend – Steampunk Octopus!
And most importantly, all of us at the Children’s Museum remember the one constant that hasn’t changed over the past 30 years: the joy, wonder and pure delight that children bring to their Museum experience every single day.
