Oh I Wish...

Happy Holidays to EVERYONE!



So I've been counting down the days till Christmas. This year, the family is going to Las Vegas! I finally get to meet my brand new nephew! He is awesome (gets that from me). And I was really excited until I found out that I was going to miss the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile!



That's right! The Oscar Meyer Weinermobile will be at CMOM Monday, December 22nd from 9am-1pm.



Seeing the Weinermobile has always been a dream. I mean, it's a giant hot dog! That is awesome. So I'm terribly sad that I will miss this opportunity, but hopefully there will be others. I just hope I don't have to wait another 20 years!!! Hopefully you won't miss yours!



Come out to CMOM this Monday and check out the Weinermobile! "Oh I Wish"!

Peter Pan is coming to CMOM

This high flying spectacular dream adventure, adapted from the timeless tale of a boy who refuses to grow up, enchants minds of all ages. With a familiar cast of characters – Peter Pan, Wendy, Michael, John, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell—join us for an unforgettable musical journey to Never Never Land.

DeSoto Family Theatre presents:

"Selections from Peter Pan"
Saturday, November 29th at Noon
Children’s Museum of Memphis

DeSoto Family Theatre presents
Peter Pan
Dec 5 – 14, 2008
http://www.dftonline.org/
662-470-2131

The Children's Museum of Memphis elects Obama!

For two weeks in October, kids from all over the mid-south had a chance to take part in this historical election!

Obama won with a landslide of 80% of the votes!

A few weeks later, the rest of the country followed.

Congratulations President-Elect Obama.

CMOM is planning an Inauguration Party in January. Stay tuned!

Check out the new CMOM Video!

Choose Children's Choice '08

Calling all Children

Join us for a very special program highlighting the upcoming presidential election...

Children's Choice 2008!

We will explore our nation's great history and learn all about the voting process. Classes available from October 13th - October 24th. Call 901.458.2678 to reserve your spot TODAY!

Can't make it to the museum? NO PROBLEM! We've prepared curriculum guides complete with classroom activities and assessments. Just check out our website & click on the Teachers & Labs menu!

The Homeschool Labs Have Arrived!

Hey Homeschool Families!!!

You've been asking for it, and we're delivering!

The Children's Museum of Memphis proudly presents the first ever Homeschool Labs.

These Labs are strictly for homeschool-ers. Reservations are required and the spots are filling up now!

Here are the Programs dates and times. Call us at 901.458.2678 for more information and to register.

September 3rd, 2008: Project Polymers; learn all about polymers and their chemical make-up. Create slime, ooze and find polymers in nature! 2:30pm

September 17th, 2008: Animation Station; Ever wonder how your favorite cartoon characters come to life? Learn the basics of animation and the science behind how animation "tricks" they eye. Explore early animation techniques like zoetrope, and create your own animation to take home. 2:30pm

October 8th, 2008: Volcano!; Learn about Geography, Geology and Chemistry durring this explosive lab. Discuss Volcanos, study a real volcanic rock, and then work in a team to explode your very own volcano! 2:30pm

October 22nd, 2008: Stuffee; An inside-out look at our anatomy. Learn about the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems from Stuffee, a seven-foot-tall rag doll that unzips to reveal what's inside our insides. 2:30pm

We're hoping this program is well recieved. If we generate a lot of interest who knows what we could do next! If you are not a homeschool family, but know someone who is, pass along this information.

Thanks all, and have a great week.

It's Elvis Week!

It's Elvis Week...My first Elvis week in Memphis and I AM EXCITED!

Tomorrow, August 14th we'll have a few Elvii running around the Children's Museum.

Images of the King-Youth Showcase will be performing in the Little Orpheum. Come on by and check them out. They're sure to sing your favorite Elvis song!

The show begins at 1:30pm.

The Children's Museum of Memphis is named "Best Museum in Memphis"!!!

From May 19th to June 30th, parents were invited to vote for their favorites in Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect's First Annual Parents' Picks Contest. ParentsConnect is an online resource for parenting advice.

We're so excited to be named the "Best Museum for Little Kids" in the Memphis Area! Thanks to everyone who voted!

Check out us and the rest of the winners here.

Again, Thanks! We wouldn't be here with out you!

See ya around!

Teachers' Night Out

Thank you to all the teachers who came out to the museum to kick off the first ever Teachers' Night Out. We had a great turnout and the night was a huge success! Over $800 in door prizes were awarded, new friendships were formed, and a world of opportunities was opened!

What an awesome way to kick off the school year!

Special thanks goes out to all the participants: Memphis Botanic Garden, The Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Lichterman Nature Center, The Orpheum, The National Civil Rights Museum.

Also, a HUGE thanks to the organizations who provided door prizes: The Knowledge Tree, Office Max, Malco, Memphis Zoo, Essential Touch Salon, Orgins, That's Love Florist, Teacher's Credit Union, Bosco's, The Body Shop, Clinique, The English Garden, Aveda, Davis-Kidd, Franklin Covey, Barnes & Noble, and Macy's.

CMOM has gone to the Dogs!

About a month ago, two white Buddy Dogs were delived to the Children's Museum!

We couldn't let them just sit there, so we got our paint and brushes out and went to town!

The whole project is part of The Humane Society of Memphis' "Dog Daze in Memphis". There are 75 dogs all over town, and The Children's Museum of Memphis has two of them! Special thanks to Bebe Betz Pinkley for helping our little artists! There was paint everywhere, but they turned out pretty goods.

You can find that spotted fellow by the Firetruck in our City Friends exhibit. His name is Pokey Dot, and he's named after the Pokey Little Puppy. Come by and give him a squeeze. See if you can find the other dogs around Memphis.

Teachers' Night Out

In conjunction with the Memphis Botanic Garden, The Children's Museum of Memphis is

hosting the first ever:

TEACHERS' NIGHT OUT!

Who: All Mid-South area educators (adults only please)

When: Wednesday, August 6th 4-6 pm

Where: The Children's Museum of Memphis

Why: To kick off the school year, acquaint teachers with many of the learning resources in our community, but mostly......BECAUSE IT'LL BE A BLAST!

Enjoy light hors d'oeuvres as you tour the museum and learn about other educational facilities, such as The Memphis Botanic Garden, Lichterman Nature Center, The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and The Orpheum (to name a few).

Over $500 worth of prizes will be awarded.......so RSVP A.S.A.P!!!

Contact:

Emily Cutliff, Education Manager

901.458.2678

emily.cutliff@cmom.com

Calling All HomeSchoolers!

Starting in September, you'll be seeing some special activities in SPARKS!

The programming department is currently creating Art, Reading, and Science activities just for homeschoolers!

Keep an eye out for Sparks to tell you when and where!

We'll be seeing you soon!

Another Tree House building

And yet another Tree House creation........

Keep on building!!!

Up Coming Events at CMOM

Hey all,

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up on some of the events that will be happening at The Children's Museum of Memphis.

Some of you may not know, but our published schedule is solidified months before the actual events. A lot of times, we schedule performances and programs after the schedule is sent out.

The next two weekends we'll have special musical guests. Come out and see them!

This Saturday, July 12th, Opera Memphis' Teen Camp will serenade CMOM's visitors with selections from their up coming concert. They came out a month ago with two kid singers, and they were amazing!!! You won't be disappointed.

The following Saturday, July 19th, The students of The Brenda Buford-Shaw Studio will be visiting us. Last time they came, there were dozens of young piano players, and they blew the audience away! Come out and support some young local artists!

In addition, we're planning our September and October schedule. Look for our Children's Choice Voting program, coming in later October. Also on the books is our Girl Scout Day!

If you're a Girl Scout, or want to be one, Saturday, September 6th is your day. At CMOM, we'll be doing world famous Girl Scout Crafts and activities. There will also be an informational meeting for parents who are interested in signing their girls up! There will be more information to come on those two events!

Oh, and finally--This Wednesday, July 16th, we'll be hosting our very first Wacky Wednesday Line Dancing!!! Having worked on a cruise ship for many years, I am your line dancing expert. We're going to start it simple with the Electric Slide, but look for more complicated dances coming up in the following weeks!!! See ya on Wednesday!

That's all from me! Hope every one's 4th was amazing!

Thursday Nights are Family Nights at The Children's Museum of Memphis

Tonight, we're staying up late!



Every Thursday, starting Tonight, The Children's Museum of Memphis is staying open until 8:00 pm! We know that a lot of parents work throughout the week, and that the weekends can get busy. We wanted to give all those working parents a couple hours after work to come in with their kids and have fun!



Turn off that TV tonight, and spend it together at The Children's Museum! We'll be showing a movie, and you can buy concessions to feed that tummy.



It should be a lot of fun, and we hope a lot of people will be able to help us kick start July!



For the month of July Thursday nights are no longer "Must See TV", they're Family Nights at The Children's Museum of Memphis!

More Tree House towers

Here are two more AWESOME Tree House towers that two crafty kids built on Saturday. Thanks for visiting us from KY!

This Saturday's Home Grown Science!

Whatcha doin' Tomorrow?

Come hang out at The Children's Museum of Memphis. Tomorrow we'll be having one of our FAMOUS Home Grown Science sessions. It's a 3:30, and tomorrow it's all about chemistry. And I just added a new experiment. In fact, I just tried it out. I won't tell you the ingredients, but maybe you can guess! Check out the pictures below!

I give up! What is it?

Come on in and find out!

In other news, have a great weekend.

15 minutes

Alright, so I've got 15 minutes till it's time to go home, why not spend the last 15 talking to you?

The Curious George Exhibit is, like me, AMAZING! It is so much fun. I'm often caught playing over there. Here's a pic of me and George. He's such a pal.

Things have been going great here at CMOM. This morning I came up with a brand-spankin'-new Pint Sized Science. It is great! We still get to play with my favorite non-newtonian matter, but this time we make worms. When it's finished it actually looks like a polymer, except magnified-a lot!

July is coming up! There's this great Holiday in July. It has fireworks and picnics and birthday cakes. That's right, it's MY Birthday!!! Oh and I think it's America's Birthday too. :) I've always loved that my birthday was only 4 days after America's! I secretly preteneded the fireworks were just early! If you're around on July the 8th, come sing to me! It would be the best present. Woo hoo! I just get so excited talking about my birthday. Hey, did you know my birthday is coming up? Well it is!

Also in July we have our Teddy Bear Picnic. It's going to be great. No real food...but real teddy bears. Bring your own, dress it up, and have a pretend picnic with everyone else!

Well look at that, it's almost time to go...time sure flies!

See ya!

BIRTHDAY!

EDIT: Here's a pic of J-Rock with our favorite monkey!

Tree House suprise(s)

I was walking through the museum yesterday and found a suprise inside our very own Tree House......WOW.....I think we have some very creative children (or adults)! Keep your eyes peeled 'cause pictures will be soon posted inside the Tree House. We'd love to see what you can build too! Why not? Give it a try!

Fun with LeBonheur

I had so much fun making slime with the kids at LeBonheur Children's Medical Center on Monday. We talked about polymers (which look like limp spaghetti noodles) and made our own slippery, green slime. The kids had a blast and I can't wait to go back! Next on the menu: OOZE! Thanks to Shelly Burr for coordinating this outreach effort.

Would you like to make SLIME & OOZE too? Check out our programming in the recent issue of Sparks for more Pint-Sized-Science drop-in classes!

Curious Little Monkey

What a fantastic exhibit! We had loads of fun playing with Curious George this weekend. Definitely a must-see for all! This exhibit includes activities such as: miniature golf, a construction zone, whirlygigs, pinwheels, shadow play, & a produce stand. There's even a spot where you can pose to have your picture taken. Then, you can email your picture to your friends and family. Here until September 28th, don't miss it!

Let's Get Curious!

Hey,

So I ate a cricket. I really cannot describe the taste or texture. But it was something different. I like trying different things. Our Bug weekend was a huge success! Harry, our praying mantis was fantastic! Everyone had a great time, but I was tired after the weekend! It was busy...

And it's about to get a little busier...
...and curiouser


Curious George is coming...well he's here now, we're just putting the exhibit together. Starting this Saturday you can come and visit his world!

We hope you can make it out.

Also, we've heard your cries for line dancing!!! Starting in July we'll be holding Wild and Wacky Line Dancing two times a month. Check the sparks calendar to see when!

FFF: Beetles start as worms, just like butterflies!

A Big 'Howdy and Thanks for Coming' to the Amazing Kids at Creative Kids in Tupelo, MS!!!

Thanks a bunch you guys and gals for visiting us today and singing with me during KID KARAOKE!!! I gotta say I had a blast!!! All you American Idol Hopefuls watch out for the kids from Creative Kids!!! Tek'eyra and her classmates did an OUTSTANDING rendition of "Five Little Speckled Frogs" as well as a few others who sang "Get'cha Head in the Game!!!" BIG THANKS to Tek'eyra for drawing this BEAUTIFUL picture of me and her classmates singing on the stage! And thanks again for joining me for KID KARAOKE today. See ya' next time!!!

Here Comes Harry!

Harry is a Praying Mantis and he's leaving Memphis this weekend!!! And guess what, you are invited to his Bon Voyage Party! It'll be here, at The Children's Museum of Memphis. I mentioned this a couple posts down, it's titled Bugs, Bugs, and BUGS! Check it out if you missed it! Also Harry has his own Blog. Check out Harry's Big Adventure to learn a little more about our guest of honor! It should be real fun. And yes, I'll eat a bug. I promise. I might not like it, but it's worth a story! See ya this weekend, Friday and Saturday!

FFF: The daily bath or shower has only become common during the past half century. Take that mom!

Laters!

The New Help!!!

CMOM welcomes a little over two dozen Memphis teens to help out around the museum this summer. These teens will be keeping the exhibits neat as well as leading a lot of fun programs! Do not be surprised if while playing near the firetruck there is a teen encouraging kids to make a paper airplane or even leading a fun game of mini-golf!!!

Curious about who's coming to CMOM

hint:

Kid Karaoke Has a New NAME!!!!

Starting July (but probably sooner) Kid Karaoke will only be known as 'Okie Dokie Karaoke'!


What's Okie Dokie Kareoke?

Held at The Children’s Museum of Memphis, ‘Okie Dokie Karaoke’ enables children to creatively express themselves through play, dress-up, and music. Four times a week kids are invited to become a star on the Little Orpheum Stage. They are able to select their perfect jingle and after a brief but encouraging introduction, they can belt out their tune to an adoring audience.
The ability to go before a large group evades most adults. Okie Dokie Karaoke instills confidence in the children at a very young age—confidence that proves to be a vital attribute as the child grows into an adult. The Children’s Museum of Memphis’ Karaoke Program helps to build self esteem in kids by creating a comfortable and encouraging atmosphere. The seed of self-assurance is planted as the child takes the stage. It begins to grow as they sing their favorite song and it blossoms once they finish to a thunderous applause.
The benefits from our program are endless. From math to literature to creative problem solving, many studies indicate educational programs based in music are important. Okie Dokie Karaoke nurtures musical talents. Children who are musically inclined have another outlet to share their art, while kids without a background in music are introduced to musical concepts. In addition to the educational return garnished by general music programs, our Karaoke supports reading. Kids are able to recognize certain words of a song and make the connection on the screen. Check out our Calendar and come give Okie Dokie Karaoke a whirl!

See ya there!

FFF: Josh is talking loud on the phone! :)

Bugs, Bugs, and BUGS!

What's Happening?

Well next Friday and Saturday (June 6th & 7th) The Children's Museum of Memphis will be all about BUGS!!!

Terminix is going to give all the visitors a chance to see, touch and even eat bugs!!! We'll be having a Bug Chef to make some great bug dishes. I dare you to eat one. You'll see me there. I can't pass up a good story! We'll also have a 'build a bug' contest. What king of bug can you make out of our recycle material? The bugs will be judged and a winner will be awarded a fantastic prize! And I do mean FANTASTIC!

So why is CMOM going buggy? The deal is that down in New Orleans they're opening an Insectarium. It'll be opening on June 13th. To celebrate the grand opening, they'll be touring around with a praying mantis. This Praying Mantis will be the final bug added to the Insectarium. It's going to be great. The time is 11am-4pm. Check out the Insectarium Fan Site.

We'll see ya then!!

FFF: While gathering food, a bee may fly up to 60 miles in one day.

Calling all interns!!!

Interested in working with kids? Have a passion for teaching? Like informal settings? Then an internship is for you! The Children's Museum of Memphis is now accepting applications for education internships for the summer, fall, and spring semesters. Just call 458-2678 or email the Education Manager at emily.cutliff@cmom.com for more details. An exciting opportunity awaits!

Happy Tuesday!

So it's Tuesday! Right now Laura is leading My First Book Club and I'm avoiding cleaning off my desk. This Saturday was so fun! There was finger painting, a very wet science and a small orchestra!


Celebration String from Bellevue Baptist Church came to CMOM to play some tunes. It was great! They were all so talented. This Saturday, May 24th we're going to have some more musicaly inclined guests. This time it's going to be the Downtown Piano Players. I love piano's! Can't wait to see (or hear) what it's going to be like.

So what else is happening this week. Don't forget to check out Sparks! I'm working on the Sparks for July and August. Changing some things up, adding new programs. What would you like to see us do? Let me know. You can comment here, or shoot me an email @ loni.wellman@cmom.com

Anyway...This saturday we're going to be planting our garden. Make sure you come by and help out. That's all from me on this fine Tuesday Morning...

wait

FFF: Can Openers were invented 48 years after the can was invented!

Pictures!

Extreme Coke Fountain!!! part deux!

Hey all,

I know it's it been about a month since our "Kidz Spring Fling", but I finally was able to wrangle a couple copies of our CMOM Coke Fountain! And I was just corrected by Jim that it's actually a "Diet Coke Fountain". Anyway, I've done some fancy work and here they are. To everyone who came out to the Kidz Spring Fling, hope you had a good one and we'll see ya next year!!!





btw deux is fancy for 'two'.

Facinating Fun Fact(or FFF): In an average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.

Wild and Wacky Wednesday!

Emily preparing for the parade!

IT'S ALIEN SNOT!!!!!!!!!!!!

While the ladies were at there "High Tea" Saturday a few kids and I made some Slime in the Art Smart Studio. Saturday's Home Grown Science was Slime and Ooze!!! The kids got to play around with different polymers such as the protein casein found in cow's milk! To end our lesson on polymers the kids mixed a little glue with a little Borax and water to make their very own polymer- SLIME!!! We had a blast!!! Check out the CMOM website (here) to find out what's happening this week!!!

High Tea with Mommy and Me

First, Happy Mother's Day!!!



Today at CMOM we held our High Tea with Mommy and Me. I'm not sure how many people came, but the Little Malco looked full!

I spent the morning icing mini cupcakes and filling lemon tarts!



And tangling tea bags, then de-tangling them.

Anyway, it was a great Success! Nice job Debbie and Jenny! I think everyone enjoyed it. Here are some pictures of the Little Malco before the event! (click on picture to enlarge)


To Everyone who shared their Mother's Day with us, Thank you! It was very nice. Next year, my mom's coming up from Orlando!

So today's UTF (Useless trivia Fact) should be about Mother's Day, right?

Anna Jarvis spearheaded the campaign to officially observe Mother's Day. After her mother died, she realized that she wanted all mothers to be remembered. In 1914, President Wilson acknowledged Ms. Jarvis' holiday by making it a national holiday. Nine years later, Ms. Jarvis filed a lawsuit to stop the over commercialization of Mother's Day. She lost.

So to every mother out there, especially mine (hi mom), Happy Mother's Day!

Meet the CMOM Program Staff!!! (oh, & Education)

Hey All!

So, CMOM's Art Smart Studio became a tad more colorful today! We've just added a staff wall. I cut out all the circles myself! Ok, a machine kinda helped me! It was something that I was inspired to do while at the Association of Children's Museum's conference in Denver.

BTW, the ACM conference was GREAT! Emily, the Education Manager, and myself learned a whole slew of new things. It really re-energized us!!! The momentum that we brought back will keep going and going until...well we don't have an end date just yet. Check back later!

Anywho, next time you're at the Museum, come by Art Smart and see our Staff Wall. Who knows, you just might learn a little something about us! I sure did! I never knew Josh (or J-Rock as he is known around here) was clumsy. Ok, I kinda knew that. :) Here are our dossier's.

And that's it for this Friday. Come visit us this weekend. Here's the low down on what's happening here this Saturday:

11am Bloomin' Art

12 noon R&R Storytime

1pm Kid Karaoke

3:30pm Home Grown Science: Slime and Ooze!

Hope to see ya!

Oh and I almost for got my useless triva for this post. It'll be brief. Here goes: The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle. Now you know

Have a great weekend!