Bay Area Discovery Museum Blog

This Saturday, December 5 at 11 a.m., join us for the final show in our Hip Kid's Music Series - a lively performance by Museum favorite Octopretzel! Octopretzel’ s show is as exuberant as their whimsical name. The band creates engaging music that inspires curiosity, wonder and appreciation for the magical world we live in. Their blend of four-part harmony and skilled musicianship, guarantees a danceable, singable and super fun experience for kids of all ages. Visit Octopretzel at octopretzel.com . “Both of my kids are crazy about Octopretzel, and it has quickly become the classroom favorite at my daughter’s pre-school. The teachers can’t believe the positive effect the upbeat and playful music is having on the children.
-Dr. Jenni Joyner, founder of the Center for Creative Psychology and “Circle of Friends”  Buy tickets online: Members $5; General Child $10; General Adult $12 (includes Museum admission)   continue reading

Welcome to the fifth 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 few 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(at)badm.org and she’ll pass it along. Chapter 5: The Search for Intelligent Life in Kindergarten. Millions of kids are competing for seats in gifted programs and private schools. Admissions officers say it's an art; new science says they're wrong, 73% of the time. Living in Marin, it's clear the race for "the right school" starts very early. Getting in the "right" preschool feels like a predictor for the "right" private elementary school, then high school, and of course college. The research presented here shows that the tests often used to choose who can have the privilege   of going to the "right" school are flawed. The tests only seem to show intelligence at that moment (and I'd debate the validity of IQ tests the... continue reading

Welcome to the fourth 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 few 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(at)badm.org and she’ll pass it along. Chapter 4: Why Kids Lie. We may treasure honesty, but the research is clear. Most classic strategies to promote truthfulness just encourage kids to be better liars. While there are parenting implications of this chapter, I am most struck with the opening about how adults are absolutely no good at determining if a child is lying. To me, this is much more interesting a problem for society than trying to figure out if my particular children lie, and how to get them to tell the truth. Of course, I don't yet have a teenager, and my 4-year-old is just starting to test out his ability to lie - so check back with me in a few years and see if I care more then! But I guess I'm not surprised by the research that all children lie - I am surprised that it seems there is no expertise for determining t... continue reading

Chase is giving away $5,000,000 to local charities and you can help us win! The top 100 charities win $25,000, and a chance to win $1 million.  Vote for the Bay Area Discovery Museum on the Chase Community Giving Facebook page. During the process, you'll need to add the application to your Facebook account, and become a fan of the Chase Community Giving page. Once you've voted, please share it with your friends! And if you haven't already, be sure to fan us on Facebook as well.

 Chase Community Giving is a program run by Chase that will allow Facebook users to vote for local charities and non-profits, and help direct Chase corporate philanthropy dollars to eligible organizations in the following focus areas: education, healthcare, housing, the environment, combating hunger, arts and culture, human services, and animal welfare. The grassroots campaign aims to inspire a new way of corporate philanthropy. The eligible charity receiving the most votes will be awarded $1 million, the top five runners-up will receive $100,000 each and the 100 finalists, including the top winners, will be awarded $25,000 each. Additionally, a special Advisory Board led b... continue reading

  Check out the critically-acclaimed kindie rockers The Brian Waite Band and their new rock musical 20,000 Volts Under the Sea.

The Seattle-based trio will perform their latest epic "rock 'n roll adventure," which takes listeners underwater in search of an electric eel guitar on their way to a sold-out concert in Atlantis City.  Featuring must-see performances by BB the Blues Whale and the legendary Rocktopus, this clever musical combines zany costumes, a twelve-foot submarine and award-winning music designed to delight the whole family.  

"Parents of young children everywhere, rejoice!" writes Doree Armstrong of the Seattle PI.  "Ten seconds into the first song, I was hooked even more than my 3-year-old son was." 

"And when these guys crank it up to 11, as in the anthemic Tidal Pool Party," says Cookie Magazine, "we defy you to sit still."

The show is this Saturday, November 21 at 11 a.m.
Members $5; General Child $10; General Adult $12 (includes admission to the Museum).
Buy tickets online.
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Welcome to the third 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 few 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(at)badm.org and she’ll pass it along. Chapter 3: Why White Parents Don't Talk About Race. Does teaching children about race and skin color make them better off or worse? I admit - I fear I am exactly who they are talking about - a white parent who doesn't talk in the right way about race. Yes, we tried to explain to our 4.5 year old how important and significant it is to have a Black president. But it seems so hard to try to explain the history of prejudice. And living in Marin, his world is much less diverse than we would like - not just skin color, but economic diversity and diversity of life experience. But the research about in-group preferences even in young children - that children seek out "their own" group even when it's a manufactured group like the color of shirt you wear for a research study - proves to me that ... continue reading

Guarantee yourself the best time for our sure-to-sell-out Gingerbread Architecture Extravaganza - right now, supporting members ($160) can use their secret code when they register online. Not sure if you're the right level, or want to upgrade? Just call Jessica at (415) 339-3958.   Let your imagination run wild as you create the most delightful gingerbread house on the block, festooned with candy canes, gumdrops, frosting and other treats. Don’t miss the sweetest event of the holiday season. Weekends
November 28 & 29, December 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19 & 20 Weekdays
December 21, 22 & 23 11 a.m., noon & 1 p.m. $25 per gingerbread kit.
Pre-registration required.   Open registration begins on Tuesday, November 17.
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