Minnesota Children's Museum is dedicated to supporting and honoring children's creative expression. Children learn and make sense of their world through play, and creative expression is a critical component in a young child's learning by supporting and enhancing their physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development. The Museum's daily programs, exhibits, and community partnerships all provide ample opportunity for children and families to engage in self-expression and creative experiences. As you explore the Museum, notice the children's art work is displayed in prominent and meaningful exhibits throughout the Museum.
Six years ago, in response to this reduced time spent on arts education in schools, Minnesota Children's Museum developed a community partnership program that sends visual artists into elementary classrooms to engage children in hands-on artistic experiences. (If funding is not available to hire a local artist, the museum will partner with the school's art teacher to deliver the art program). After each residency, the entire project is exhibited for at least six months in the Community Gallery in the Our World permanent gallery. The exhibits highlight the cross-disciplinary nature of the projects, display the children's final art creations as well as writing the science-inquiry that are often important parts of the project.A few young visitors, Soren, Nils and Sigrid, helped us test out a new activity at the Museum: the Flip Camera Project.
We swear we didn’t pay them for their testimonial!
So what is this Flip Video Project?
Two of these portable, user-friendly video cameras will be available for checkout at our Box Office by families who would like to share their experience with family and friends. In some cases, visitors may want to document a visit to give others an idea of what they might encounter if they visit the Museum.
There are a few guidelines for camera use. The first is that the person checking out the camera must be 18 years of age or older and complete a checkout form. This checkout form includes listing an email address so that a link to the videos may be sent to the adult. Additionally, while the cameras are in use, we require a valid driver’s license or state ID as collateral.
Soon after your visit, you will receive an email with a link directly to your family’s video that you will be able to share with others. Select clips will be posted to the Museum’s blog and the Museum's YouTube channel.
Videos will be edited for time and content. Please limit video clips to longer than two minutes. Clips posted will ideally be between 10-45 second long.
FAQs
• I want to have a copy of my video, even if you don’t select it to be posted.
All videos will have some portion uploaded to YouTube, even if your clip is not selected to be posted on the Museum blog. The Museum will email you the direct link to YouTube that you can send to all your friends and family.
• But I took a much longer video than what you uploaded. I actually took several videos that you didn’t use. Where can I get the whole video / all of my videos?
The Museum reserves the right to edit the videos for content and length. Not all footage taken will be used or uploaded, and we cannot send you the full videos.
• People post nasty comments on YouTube. I don’t want my child’s image sullied in this way. Or, why can’t my mom post a comment about how cute her granddaughter looked with the bubble wand?
The Museum has disabled the comments feature on its YouTube channel to prevent abusive, or “flaming,” language and comments that can happen on the internet. If you do not want your family’s image on YouTube, we do not recommend using the cameras.
Please look for this activity next time you visit! We hope you will have fun with the project and share with your relative and friends all over the world! The project isn't ready QUITE yet, but look for them in the next couple weeks!
With the Museum's popular Halloween Spooktacular Parties just around the corner (Oct. 24-26 & 31) and the all-new, 2-week Halloween twist on a permanent gallery, Spooky Woods, those of us at the Museum definitely have costumes on our minds!
Our friends at Star Tribune started a Halloween photo costume contest for proud parents to display pictures of their children at their goofiest, cutest and/or scariest (in costume, of course)! The contest is for children 12 and under.
There are several rounds of the contest, and voting will go through October 25. Check out some of the costumed cuties already posted. It'll help you get some ideas for this year's Halloween costume, too!
A new exhibit called Out on a Limb opens tomorrow, September 19. It promotes nature-play through a sculptural, interactive design and incorporates nostalgic settings, such as a tree house and a fort-building area.
Out on a Limb was designed to inspire children and their caregivers to learn to explore nature by using their senses. More than simply seeing the beauty of a tree, the exhibit encourages visitors to hear the sounds of the forest, use leaves to make beautiful art, and build big and little structures from bark and limbs.
The whimsical atmosphere of Out on a Limb is created in part by children’s nature-themed artwork that makes up the faux bark and leaf canopy of the centerpiece tree. The individual exhibits, Whirlwind, Light Play, Forest Jam and Gnome Home, further enhance the magical scenery and are tools to enhance exploration. For example, individual activities encourage children to experiment with light and shadow, patterns of leaves, music of the forest, and the effects of the changing seasons. The exhibits also provide practice with the physical skills of climbing and balancing, which helps children to develop self-confidence in outdoor play.
For children, Out on a Limb provides a unique space for unstructured play, where they can create a connection with nature on their own; while for parents and caregivers, the exhibit represents an opportunity to reminisce about their own childhood experiences in the outdoors and to re-connect with nature exploration with their children. For visitors of all ages, there are places for building, climbing, listening and exploring -- all designed to inspire a love of nature.
Inspired in particular by works from environmentalist Rachel Carson, philosopher Henry David Thoreau, and author Richard Louv, Out on a Limb’s distinctive design delivers on its promise to use natural artistic materials and full-sensory activities to nurture children’s inborn curiosity about and love for nature.
Few things can get children excited like dinosaurs. These giants from long ago have a unique way of capturing the young imagination. Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice, which opens December 19, will take visitors back in time to explore the late Cretaceous Period when dinosaurs last roamed the earth. Once in the exhibit, they will discover dinosaur habitats to better understand how these mysterious animals lived, and use inquiry skills to examine what the dinosaurs left behind.
Typically, children encounter dinosaurs on the pages of a book or as petrified bones behind a glass wall. At Minnesota Children’s Museum, they’ll see them face-to-face, literally able to immerse themselves into an entire prehistoric world. A key component of this exhibit is the construction of two sculpted dinosaurs, a Troodon and the larger Edmontosaurus. These original pieces will give children the rare opportunity to have a true hands-on encounter with life-sized and life-like dinosaurs.
“The exhibit builds on children’s fascination with dinosaurs,” states Mary Weiland, the Museum’s exhibit developer. “It combines large motor skills with dramatic play for unique whole-body, age-appropriate activities, like sitting in a nest of Troodon eggs; clambering through a bog walk; touching large, realistic, sculpted dinosaurs; and donning vests and goggles to uncover fossils.”
Youth volunteer Alexandra Richardson was recently recognized for outstanding volunteerism at Minnesota Children’s Museum. Alexandra was honored by Washington County and the Community Volunteer Service & Senior Center as the Outstanding Youth Volunteer of the Year.
Alexandra was presented with her award at the April 21 Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting in Stillwater. She was nominated by Museum staff for the positive impact she has on our visitors and for her enthusiastic teamwork. Alexandra says she volunteers at the Museum because she loves little kids and it’s fun! She thinks people should volunteer because it’s a good way to decide what kind of career to choose.
We appreciate the contribution of each and every Museum volunteer, and are especially thankful for Alexandra outstanding service.
Read more about volunteering at Minnesota Children's Museum.
