It's Almost Summer!

...and with this summer comes the opportunity to play longer in the museum with our "Summer of FUN" extended hours! We will be open 7 Days a Week from 9am-7pm May 30( Memorial Day)-July 31! This means that not only are we open every day this summer, but we are open late so that everyone has the opportunity to beat the heat here this summer! These extended hours also give families and tourists 14 more hours a week during summer vacation to enjoy the museum together. CMOM is the “Cool Place to Play” during the hot summer months! So come spend your summer nights here at the museum!

Little Monster Did It!

Today for Bookworms we will be reading Little Monster Did It! by Helen Cooper. This book is about a little girl, her pet monster, and a new baby brother. It deals with sibling jealously in a light hearted way. For the craft we will be making our own monsters. These are good monsters though, and wont mess anything up like the monster in the book! These little creatures are made out of play-dough. The children will be able to shape the body however they choose and adorn their monsters with feather, sequins, googly eyes, and then color on the play-dough with markers! All around this will be a fun activity for all ages and encourage creativity and different kind of development. Here is a great article about how important play-dough can be to development. http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5052528_play-dough-enhance-infants-development.html

So join us today! Bookworms begins at 3pm!

Record Bowls for The Children's Museum of Memphis' Flashback Party!

This Thursday, May 5th, The Children’s Museum of Memphis is hosting the Flashback Party fundraiser. It’s a casual party for our grandparents and empty nesters, and an invitation for them to re-discover The Children’s Museum of Memphis. While the party focuses on our Baby Boomers, everyone is welcome to come and have fun. We’ll have a DJ spinning the best of ‘60s and ‘70s music and Café’ Society and Central BBQ will provide amazing hors d’oeuvres! We’ll also have wine and a selection of beers from Boscos!

Click here for our official invitation!
For more info go to CMOM's website

If you come, you may notice some awesome looking center pieces. I say they’re awesome ‘cause I made them. The programs dept. was tasked with making some inexpensive themed center pieces. So we went to our local Goodwill store and snatched up a bunch of old records.

We made these cute record bowls. It’s very easy and fun to do. It can definitely be an at home family activity…possibly done on one of our Memphis rainy days!

First get a cookie sheet, large bowl, and records. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees f.

Place the bowl up-side-down on the cookie sheet and the record on top of the inverted bowl. Keep an eye on the project. It should only take about 10 minutes or less in the oven to make the record pliable. The record will naturally take the shape of the bowl. Once it has, you can take the record out of the oven. Of course it will be hot, but will usually set in about 15 seconds.

We’ve seen these bowls go for 10-30 dollars online and at shops. All in all each bowl cost us about 1.50! Great deal and a fun family project. Win-Win-Win!

Ozapalooza!

Come to CMOM tomorrow for Ozapalooza! We will have crafts and activities based on the "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" exhibit. The exhibit will be at CMOM until June 2.

What are you doing this Saturday!?

Well, why don't you come to the Children's Museum this Saturday!? We will be having a special event, Jamming to the Music: Spring Fest 2011. We will feature local bands so bring your lawn chairs, blankets and picnic lunches to chill out and enjoy continuous stage performances! Which will including the Luv Clowns and The Doorknobs. There will also be face painting, Pony rides, animal balloons, crafts, bouncy houses, races and concessions! There will be fun for all ages and everyone in attendance. All of the activities are included with regular museum admission of $10 per person ages 1-100, and free for our members!We cant wait to see you this Saturday! Its going to be a blast! In case of rain, the event will be cancelled.

CMOM Love!

This lovely image was spotted in the Art Smart Studio. Thanks for the kind words, Marah! We appreciate it.

Finger Painting!!!

Today at The Children's Museum of Memphis, we finger painted for Tot Art! Initially, we were going to finger paint magnetic picture frames. It didn’t take long until we were painting the frames, table, hands and each other! We always use washable finger paints so parents need not worry!

It’s so much fun to watch our tots discover finger paints. Their faces lit up as the squished the paint between their fingers. And while it’s super fun(and also super messy), there are also many benefits to finger painting! Check out this article by Alison Panik about Finger Painting with a Purpose!

Still too scared to try this at home? Come on over to The Children’s Museum of Memphis! Tot Art is every Thursday at 10am. The program is available to all children 4 and under, and it’s FREE with admission. And if you’re a member, its super free!