Bay Area Discovery Museum Blog

As you walk into the entry pavillion here at the Museum you will often times be met by the smiling face of our charming Membership and Front Desk Manager, Jessica Horowitz.  Affectionately referred to as Jess by most, she has brought a fabulous sense of fun and whimsy here.  Her bright eyed enthusiasm is exemplified by her newest gem of an idea "Noon Year's Eve." I asked Jess what inspired the idea for a kid firendly New Year's celebration, to which she replied, "Kids never make it to midnight.  This way they get to celebrate! Besides, it's probably New Year's somewhere right?" And what pray-tell will kids do at the celebration?  I'm glad you asked.  There will be noise maker making, a party hat craft, and bubble wrap popping.  Don't miss the magical glittering ball drop (including beach balls) preceded by the requisite countdown to noon. The Museum will be closing at 2 PM tomorrow so come early and stay for the fun.  See you there! Thursday, December 31, noon Drop-in, no RSVP required. continue reading

 

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Celebrate Kwanzaa throughout the Museum on December 26 with art projects inspired by the African continent and a Kwanzaa altar in the Museum’s Entry Pavilion. Renowned jazz drummer E. W. Wainwright and his ensemble, The African Roots of Jazz, take us on a musical journey that traces African-American musical forms, such as jazz, gospel, and spirituals, from their earliest beginnings in African cultures to today. The program features instrumental music, songs, theater, and audience participation.   See E.W. Waiwright speaking about his youth programs in the video above. Saturday, December 26
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Free Museum admission and performances! The African Roots of Jazz
11 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Discovery Theatre, presented by Wells Fargo
Please obtain your free performance ticket at the Front Desk prior to entering the theatre.There are a limited number for each show, and only ticket holders can be allowed into the theater.  continue reading

I’m gonna be honest.  I can hear every single word from Tot Spot which is directly under my desk.  And do you know what phrase I hear more than anything?  “Good job!”  The habit is part of a syndrome I’ve noticed a lot of grown-ups seem to have, and I’d love to see it evolve into really meaningful praise which supports intrinsic motivation in young children. We’ve been talking about intrinsic motivation upstairs in the Education Department ever since our recent visit to the magical Roseville Community Preschool where they take a very hands-off approach to early childhood education.  Bev Bos, who directs and teaches at the school, has written for the last 30 years about her belief in fostering independence in young children.  I saw Bev speak a couple months ago and she said something that really blew my mind, “I never ask a child to tell me about their art.”  For any ECE experts out there you know that this is a common alternative to the utterly rejected “What is it?”  Bev’s take on it (and mine too now) is that if a child wants to tell you about what they’ve made, they definitely will.  If a child constantly receives input from adults for every task, they loose their intrinsic motivation and repeat the behavior in order to receive praise or attention. Above is a fabulous concrete example of praise tactics, based on scientific research, f... 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

It's always a little sad around here during closed weeks.  Not only for the dismayed regulars who were unaware we'd be closed for two weeks and arrive ready to play, but also for those of us who are used to spending our work days with happy children. That being said, this is a vital time for staff in all departments to check things off on multiple to-do lists each a mile long.  We've all been pitching in painting, dusting, and jack-hammering (well not all of us), and things are starting to look down right spiffy. Creativity abounds here as we spruce up the place for our visitors; check out a few work-in-progress pictures of the art studios on our flickr page to see some examples.  Although we're working hard, and having fun, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say that it's going to be nice to hear the sound of kids playing when we reopen on September 30th.  continue reading

Last week was one big week of camp.  With 95 campers roaming the Musuem it was bound to be fun, and the nice weather sure didn't hurt. The Shipwrecked campers had a fabulous time building a seaworthy vessel and surviving their shipwreck. Our Acrobats performed their tricks with flying colors in Acrobatic and Aerial Arts. In On the Bay campers watched some Painted LAdy Butterflies emerge from their cocoons. The kids in Creature Features wrote magical stories abotu their favorite animals and sewed stuffed bats. Glitter 'n' Razz brought their one of kind thater camp all from Oakland.  Campers wrote and starred in their own original pieces. Kid Building campers created their own secret hide-out complete with hammock and roof. continue reading

It's safe to say that Discovery Camps 2009 have been a raging success!  Just check-out some of the feedback we've recevied this summer: "...they want to do it again every week..." "Wonderful! Creative, free-form, in nature, skill-building, friendship building...just great!" "He loved it! We wish we could do another week! We'll be back next summer and even bought the membership so that we can visit throughout the year." This week was no exception as each group of campers relished the chance to explore, discover and create. In Acrobatic and Aerial Arts campers twirled, somersaulted and hung upside down as they prepared for their big show. The Treasure Hunters were intrepid as they traversed every corner of Fort Baker and listened for mysterious meassgaes from Black Beard the Pirate. Creature Features campers studied local mammals, birds, bugs and sea creatures writing stories and creating art projects along the way. In Ecological Arts, Rebecca Burgess, lead the preschool aged campers through natural dying activities, and magical fairy house building. And in Carpenter's Apprentice children constructued all manner of creations including a BART Train, Bat House, and several swords. continue reading