Bay Area Discovery Museum Blog

  Be part of the musical fun as the Banana Slug String Band performs their earth-loving songs. This duo plays music that is so infectious that children can’t help singing, dancing and laughing along as they learn about this home we call Earth. Music, theater, puppetry and audience participation create a rich experience for the entire family. Get groovy this Saturday, November 7, at 11 a.m. Tickets are Members $5; General Child $10; General Adult $12 (includes Museum admission). Buy tickets online. continue reading

In celebration of our 1,000th Fan, we're giving away prizes! We'll randomly pick 5 winners from our Facebook fans and award prizes including a Museum Passport membership, performance tickets and other goodies. The Fine Print: To win, you must be our fan on Facebook. On Friday, November 6 at 9:30 a.m. we'll use a random number generator to pick 5 random numbers from the total number of Facebook fans of our page at that moment. Our fans are listed in the order they became fans, so we'll use the numbers to pick the winners with our first fan counting as #1, and moving up from there to the total number of fans. Employees of the Museum are not eligible - if one is picked by the random number generator we'll pick another number. If you win, you will be notified by private message through Facebook by Jennifer Caleshu, Director of Communications. Please make sure your privacy settings are set to accept non-friend Facebook messages.
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Welcome to the first installment of our Online Book Club, featuring NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time, either here or on our Facebook page. We’ll cover the 10 chapters one at a time over the next couple of weeks. We welcome your thoughts and personal experiences in the comments. If you have a question you’d like to ask of the authors, either include it in the comments or email Jennifer at jcaleshu@badm.org and she’ll pass it along.

First a quick introduction – I’m Jennifer Caleshu, Director of Communications at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, and your book club host. I’m the mom to a 4.5 year old boy and a 1.5 year old girl. A small disclaimer as well: my comments for the book club are my own personal opinion and not necessarily the opinion of the Museum.

Chapter 1. The Inverse Power of Praise. “Sure, he’s special. But new research suggests if you tell him that, you’ll ruin him. It’s a neurobiological fact.”

This is definitely one of those “easier said than done” revelations. I’ve certainly heard before about the importance of encouraging effort, instead of praising innate ability. But it isn’t easy to stop “wow, you’re so smart!” from coming out of your mouth, especially when you truly believe it!

And as I reflect on my childhood, I wonder –... continue reading

We know you've been waiting so patiently to see what we're installing in Discovery Hall next. Opening this Saturday, come check out Animal Secrets! Where does a chipmunk sleep? What does an eagle feed its young? How do mother bats find their babies in a cave? In Animal Secrets, families will learn the answers to these questions and more as they explore the hidden habitats and secret lives of forest animals. Using imaginative role-play and hands-on activities, children will discover nature from an animal’s point of view in naturalistic environments, including a stream, meadow, woodland, cave, and naturalists’ tent. The Members-only Breakfast on Sunday, November 8 from 9  - 10 a.m. is just about full! Museum members can come early before the general public and enjoy breakfast at the Museum. See our new exhibit Animal Secrets and enjoy a free continental breakfast sponsored by Boudin Bakery. To RSVP, email membership@badm.org with the number of adults and children planning to attend. continue reading

Stop by after naps for new activities created by our innovative Discovery Educators. Come get creative with your kids as you explore, discover, immerse, imagine and connect  through hands-on programs including:

• Mobile-Making with Starfeather
• Autumn Wreath-Making with Jenn and Raquel
• Shadow-Play with Amy
• Music Parade with Matt
• Boat-Making with Danielle
• Parachute Games with Jason and Matt
• Wandering Wizard Stories and Poems with Pagan

These activities mostly take place in the afternoon and are all free with Museum admission. Check out the listings on our Drop-In Activities page or on the Calendar. continue reading

Put on a costume and join the Time Outs for a Halloween dance party. They will be performing a lively mix of kid-centric indie pop, 60s garage and good old-fashioned rock and roll. This high energy show encourages kids and adults alike to sing along, learn some new dance moves, and walk like a monster .  Dance along on Halloween, Saturday, October 31 at 11 a.m. Tickets are Members $5; General Child $10; General Adult $12 (includes Museum admission). Buy tickets online.   continue reading

With the first two sessions of our Outdoor Learning for Families wrapped up I can officially announce…we had a blast!  Both the Thursday and Friday class participants got up to their elbows in sand, water, and baking soda and vinegar potions. We met some of the worms that eat the Museums’ compost, and made lovely water color paintings using feathers as paint brushes.  Our Family Classes are a wonderful chance to nurture your child's creativity inside, outside and all around. We still have space in both Treasure Hunt and Messy Art, so join us for more silly fun with toddlers. continue reading