Bay Area Discovery Museum Blog

One of the most creative places for young children in the East Bay, Glitter & Razz Productions, will be bringing their amazing theater programs to the Museum for two weeks of camp.  Although the name does include the word “glitter” make no mistake, these camps are for boys and girls who love to tell stories.  Their curriculum allows children to:

• Connect in a community circle and share about what makes them special
• Practice cooperation and listening skills through story sharing
• Be celebrated for their achievements and uniqueness.
• Play dance and drama games that allow them to both be part of a group as well as stand out from the crowd
• Develop body awareness, locomotor, non-locomotor and balance through creative movement.
• Develop their individual creativity through open-ended visual art projects
• Use their bodies, voices, and imaginations to explore new worlds, ideas and characters.

Don’t miss a chance to enroll in one the afternoon sessions the weeks of August 17 and 21.  Register online or by calling (415) 339-3931. Check out their Web site: Glitter and Razz continue reading

This was a fabulous Friday for the Creature Features kids. We had an amazing time playing and building in one of the hidden gems of Fort Baker, a cypress grove just outside Lookout Cove. The boys then gathered around for Native American Tale called “Grandmother Spider.” We spent the last hour dissecting owl pellets, drawing covers for our books and making pine cone bird feeders. Rushing to get all of those things done and downstairs we squeezed in a short parade through the Entry Pavilion! Thank you so much for a wonderful week, and I hope we’ll see each other again this summer.  In Tree Frog Treks new, campers were lucky enough to make volcanoes and do some earthquake experiments. We have been so lucky to have Chris and Mara here this week, and we hope you’ll check out both Tree Frog Treks programs here and in Golden Gate Park. Check out their blog and their website for more details. continue reading

Oh Thursday is the tired day for campers! Despite weary little legs we took a hike up into the resort area across the way where we discovered a beautiful butterfly that we suspect maybe a buckeye. We read “Stellaluna,” and played animal charades out on the parade ground. When we got back to the Museum we worked on masks for our parade tomorrow, painted our dough prints from yesterday and worked on illustrating our stories. Some friends also helped make our tree look more “tree like”. The week has gone by very fast and we have a lot to finish up tomorrow! Intrepid trekkers of the Tree Frog variety also took a big hike and made some really cool maps! Check out their blog to find out more: treefrogtreks.blogspot.com continue reading

Wow! What a Wednesday we had in Creature Features camp. We went out to the Coast Guard beach today where we found an especially low tide revealing hundreds of crabs. We read, “The Salamander Room,” and then found a real salamander (I learned where they live from Tree Frog Trek’s Chris Giorni). When we went back to our classroom some friends made animal prints in salt dough, while others chose to work on our big tree or play with puppets. We closed out our busy day with some story telling using puppets. These stories will be added to our books which we’ll send home on Friday. Tree Frog Treks of course went on a big hike where they spied some deer. They also did some color mixing experiments. Don’t forget to check out the full scoop on their official blog. continue reading

It was a big Wednesday in Creature Features camp today! We took a hike up to Battery Yates and used some tools like telescopes and magnifying glasses to search for life. We saw birds up on top of the battery where we read a story called, “Vulture View” and learned about what vultures eat. Then we walked down to the beach and found crabs, and lots of giant mussel shells. When we returned to our classroom we inspected some scientific examples of animal skulls and created our own creatures. We also started painting our group animal home, a large tree made of cardboard. We are working on writing stories together, as well as in groups and will have lots of art projects to being home tomorrow. Tree Frog Treks campers also had big day learning about air. They met a large tortoise and took a walk to explore wind erosion. Check out their blog for more details. continue reading

Today for our first day of Creature Features we made a big list of all the animals we could think of and talked about whether they are wild or tame. We got a chance to play in Lookout Cove since the Museum is closed on Monday and we had the place to ourselves. We also collected some natural materials for nest building. Some friends made bird’s nests while others made more creative nests like “monkey” and “people” nests. They’ll go home tomorrow. We also started writing a group story about some of our favorite animals. We’ll be doing some writing together every day and have books to bring home at the end of the week. Tomorrow we’ll be hiking up to Battery Yates to do some bird watching and see what else we can see from way up high. The Tree Frog Treks campers were busy learning about space. They launched a giant rocket outside and met both a frog and a snake. They also made breathing apparatuses so they could go on a “space walk.” continue reading

This morning the Half Day group dodged the rain drops and explored the Bonnie Boat in Lookout Cove. Then they had a chance to try building their own using straws and deli trays. Kelley and Casey are super fun and have a great time teaching the kids all about the animals they bring. The Full Day campers were sad that Suiho was home sick today, but quickly fell for her replacement Erin a.k.a. T-Rex. They worked on bridge building, dissected owl pellets and learned about what happens when a bird gets covered in oil. Don’t miss Tree Frog Treks blog! continue reading