Discovery Museum is my families go-to outing throughout the year. It's the perfect place to spend a hot, rainy, or cold afternoon! This Fall, Discovery Museum has a lot of wonderful programs offered free with admission.
Discovery Museum has celebrated their 40th anniversary all summer long and will continue that celebration into the fall season. Join Discovery Museum for Free Community Day Saturday, September 10th. The day acts as a Thank You to the community as they celebrate their 40th anniversary! In the morning, they'll kick off the festivities by making one-of-a-kind noisemakers. Then, a celebratory parade to the cake-cutting ceremony at 11:00am, led by a special guest from the Maynard Public Library. You can also enjoy a performance of "Dhol-Tasha-Lezim,” a “double-headed drumming and dance" folk art form that is indigenous to Maharashtra, a state on the west coast of India. Throughout the day, try your hand at some classic Discovery Museum activities such as Balls & Ramps, Cup Towers, a “Discovery Quest” scavenger hunt, and more!
Discovery Museum offers accessibility and inclusion through Especially for Me. The Especially for Me event series offers dedicated hours and free admission for families with disabilities. During these events, they offer accommodations that increase access to Museum exhibits and provide an opportunity for families to network with one another in an understanding environment. This month they will be hosting Free Autism - Friendly Evening Saturday, September 24th. Join this special free evening especially for families with members on the autism spectrum. In Discovery's ADA-compliant building you can play and explore when the Museum is closed to the general public. Dinner, including a gluten-free option, will also be provided. You must register in advance for this event, as space is limited. In October, Sensory-Friendly Afternoon is held Tuesday, October 4th from 1:30 - 4:30 PM.
Virtual Event: Playgrounds vs. Playpens: Coding, Computational Thinking, and Robotics in Early Childhood
Thursday, September 22, 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Presented Virtually via Zoom Webinar
In this talk, Dr. Bers will present an overview of her interdisciplinary DevTech research program by using the metaphor of playgrounds vs. playpens to understand the role of technology in children’s lives. Playgrounds are designed to promote exploration, discovery, and the development of motor and social skills. In contrast, playpens corral children into a safe, confined space. Although they are mostly risk-free, there is little imaginative play and problem-solving. This presentation will use the playpen/playground metaphor to explore the role of coding, robotics and computational thinking for young children. Dr. Bers will provide examples of work with young children and teachers all over the world, involving the two environments she created: the free Scratch Jr programming language and the KIBO robotic kit. The talk will cover ideas from her recent book “Beyond Coding: How Children Learn Human Values through Programming” in which she argues that coding should be taught not only as a technical skill but as a new literacy — a new way for children to express themselves and engage with the world and others.
Celebrate Take a Child Outside Week with Discovery Museum September 27 - 30. The week will be filled with many program favorites!
Stone Soup
Tuesday, September 27th
10:00am - 12:00pm
Visit Discovery Woods and collect nature treasures, then wash, stir, and add it to a community stone soup.
Spray Art Resist
Wednesday, September 28th
10:00am-12:00pm
Experiment with resist painting. Make an image created by using materials that repel each other. In this case, the wax crayon protects the paper underneath from absorbing watercolor and the white space left unpainted leaves an image.
Nature Textures
Thursday, September 29th
1:00 - 3:00 PM
Can you duplicate nature’s textures? You can if you create a frottage! Explore Discovery Woods as we search for and collect natural items with different textures, then create a frottage (or rubbing) of your found treasure.
Backyard and Beyond: Nature Journaling – Signs of the Season: FALL!
Friday, September 30th
2:00 - 4:00 PM
Explore the natural world through science, art, and writing. We’ll be making nature journals and then you can take them on a nature walk to search for signs of fall. If you’ve made a nature journal at Discovery before, bring it to add new activity pages.
Discovery Museum offers many incredible kid's programs throughout the year. One program my 4-year old really enjoys is Hand Tools for Woodworking. Every Thursday from 2:00 - 4:00 PM you can visit the da Vinci Workshop to experience some of the common tools used in woodworking. From hammers and nails to hand drills, there’s something for everyone to explore at our woodworking workbench. Be sure to check our calendar daily throughout the Fall for all the latest details on kid's programs and events offered by Discovery Museum!
We have enjoyed every visit to the museum, and renewing our yearly membership is always such an easy decision. For a family of four a one year membership is less than the cost of three visits. With fall and winter full of fun programs at Discovery Museum, it's a great investment. If you want to visit first to check it out, you can always apply the cost of your admission towards the price of a membership!
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