A New Year’s Eve Favorite: Bubble Bash@DCM!

Come one, come all! DuPage Children's Museum (DCM) is eagerly preparing for its very own countdown to noon! Bubble Bash takes place on December 31, 2013 from 9am until 12:00 p.m., NOON. Celebrating while engaging in meaningful activities that come to life through learning opportunities exemplary of every program at DCM is what this event is about! 

Three floors of bubble fun will provide activity and discovery around every turn.  Headlining will be toe-tapping, kid focused musical performances from Chicago-area favorite Mr. Singer and the Sharp Cookies!  Check out the band in this video. 

Activities will include...drum roll please...

Build it Big: Two large building activities will target construction and engineering skills geared for younger and older children. Working with the Director of Exhibits and the Exhibits Manager, older children will use special rivets to erect an enormous cardboard bridge. Younger children will use paper and tape to discover the strength in rolled paper and how it may be used in construction.

Big Bubbly Ocean: Collage an underwater vision of the sea to take home. Like the small fish banding together in the famous book Swimmy by Lio Lionni, small artworks added together will form a huge sea of color. 

Big Bubble Balloon Mural: While not the most educational experience in the lot, who would not want to throw paint filled balloons at a large canvas? Yes, we will talk about force, angle, trajectory, and color mixing … but this is about fun, too. 

Wait! There’s more!

·         Pop your way down the red carpet

·         Create a bubble anaconda—blowing gigantic bubble chains

·         Catch gas-filled bubbles—also known as Boo Bubbles

FINALLY!  Join Mayor Pradel in the official countdown; 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Hope to see you there! Make your reservation now for the BIGGEST and BUBBLIEST family New Year’s Eve celebration we’ve ever had! 

Contributing blogger, Marcia MacRae, is DCM's New Public Programs Manager! 

Size, Quantity & Early Math Learning Opportunity

BIG shoes at DCM Camp!

In the minds of young children, bigger items and greater amounts are often highly valued. Although adults can understand that bigger or more is not always better, young ones often think about these concepts in a very different way. 

Josephine, a 15-month old, constantly taps her finger tips together during snack time indicating that she wants more applesauce. 

Callum, a 4-year old, is at tumbling class with his friend Shawdra. During pick up time, Callum looks across the room to see his father standing next to Shawdra’s father and exclaims firmly, “My dad is bigger than yours!”

Children often compare and make note of sizes and amounts. While in this stage of understanding, why not use the value children place on more and bigger to help facilitate early math learning experiences?

Big and Little at Home

Infants

·         While the infant is lying on their back gently open their arms saying, “So big.” As you help the infant to draw their arms close together toward their chest you might say, “And little.” Pitches in your voice are sure to catch their attention! Don’t forget to smile and make eye contact.

Toddlers & Preschoolers

·         Point to objects while at home or out and about, “Whoa! Look at the big tree. Oh, look at the little bush.” Place special emphasis on the words big and little.

·         Move about! Get BIG by freezing your jumping jacks—hands up, legs out! Crouch down and get as small as you can. Keep in mind, modeling these movements will enhance the experience.

Speaking of size and scale…Now registering for Build it BIG Bubble Bash! Spots remain open, but will not be around for long! Hands down the most fun event you can plan for New Year's Eve ever! Before the adults hit the town in the evening, bring the whole family in for DCM's very own count down to noon, December 31, 2013, 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. NOON!

Resources:

Illinois Early Learning Guidelines

Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards, 2013

Introducing S.T.E.M. in Our World: Creativity Classes at DCM

With hopes of preparing the next generation of professionals, S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) experiences and exploration are at the forefront of formal and informal learning. Current research tells us that children in the 21st century will benefit from early experiences in S.T.E.M. learning. The National Math and Science Initiative shares that the U.S. needs one million more S.T.E.M. professionals over the next decade than it is projected to produce at the current rate.  Further, of the 20 fastest growing careers, 15 of them require a background of math and science.

Creativity & Science at DCM

With this research in mind, and growing on what we already do in a fun, creative and innovative atmosphere, creativity classes at DuPage Children's Museum (DCM) take on a 21^st Century appeal!  A theme of Introducing S.T.E.M. in Our World encourages all of us to work with all ages to explore early Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. 

Children as young as 15 months will engage in classes that offer exploration of how things move in our world, science in the kitchen—even connections to creativity and mini-mathematical experiences come into play! This winter and spring, children engaged in our 2 to 4 year old classes will Discover Forces and Motion, Pattern Power, Kitchen Chemistry, and more! Building on these concepts and experiences, our classes for children 4-6 years will offer Engineering Explorations, Chemical Concoctions, and Technology in Our World to name a few.

For a full list of winter and spring classes, visit the DCM calendar. Come by the Museum for adventures in art, math, and science anytime! 

Resources:

National Math & Science Initiative nms.org/Home.aspx

STEMconnector: The One Stop Shop for STEM information stemconnector.org/

 

Sutton, B. (2013). Got Game? Playful Learning? siteblog.aace.org/2013/10/29/got-game-playful-learningsesame-streets-got-games-and-all-that-media-jazz-and-they-are-free-and-wonderful/