May. 10, 2013 at 11:20am
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May. 7, 2013 at 9:42amBecome an Inventor!Have you ever made or invented something that you thought of? I imagine that you have. Everything from making sandwiches to space travel happens because of inventiveness.
Read more → Apr. 18, 2013 at 12:04pmHands-on HistoryEastside Farm LifeJoin Eastside Heritage Center on Thursday, April 18th from 5pm-8pm for more hands-on history fun! We will be featuring our brand new chicken coop complete with look-alike chickens and eggs. There also will be the corn shelling machine with grinders to make chicken feed.
Read more → Mar. 21, 2013 at 11:54amHands-on HistoryRemembering the Past, Looking to the Future: Personal Time CapsulesJoin Eastside Heritage Center on Thursday, March 21st from 5pm-8pm at KidsQuest Children’s Museum for some hands-on history fun! Remember the past and look to the future by making a personal time capsule using a traditional canning machine.
Read more → Feb. 12, 2013 at 12:09pmClean Teeth Are Happy TeethDental health can affect your overall health. Most of the bacteria in you mouth are beneficial, but without proper care, your mouth’s protection may be compromised and allow harmful bacteria into your bloodstream at a higher rate. It’s important to instill dental health practices in children as early as possible, but properly caring for your child’s teeth can raise a lot of questions. Here’s a bare-bones guideline for milestones to look for in your child:
Read more → Feb. 5, 2013 at 10:25amA Child's Best Friend - Their Favorite Stuffed BuddyStuffed animals often provide children with a friend, co-conspirator, and secret-keeper extraordinaire. My own teddy bear still means a lot to me. Here is our favorite adventure together:
Read more → Nov. 28, 2012 at 11:44amGreat Gifts at the ExploreStoreShop Our One Day Super Sale!Every year we search far and wide for the best toys and gifts to make your holiday shopping easy! Check out some of this year’s top picks.
Read more → Apr. 11, 2012 at 9:25amWhy I Love NanoDaysAn expert tells us what exactly is so great about nanotechnology (and KidsQuest!)Children are often told they are too small to do or understand things, but children have an amazing power: they can show adults a different way of viewing the world. Nanoscience, the science of the small, is changing the way scientists and engineers view the world too. At this scale, the materials we see and use every day have vastly different properties. They can change color, become water resistant, or conduct electricity. Nanotechnology utilizes these new properties to create new products and improve materials we use every day like computers, electronics, medicine, cosmetics, and clothing.
Read more → Mar. 20, 2012 at 1:59pm10 Things To Do With Leftover Easter EggsEggs aren’t just for hiding!If having an egg hunt is one of the annual traditions at your house then you know what’s left over after the thrill of the hunt has waned…lots of plastic eggs. What do you do with all of those plastic ovoids? Use them for some fun science and art activities!
Read more → Mar. 8, 2012 at 12:00pmDads Meet-UpFinding a moms group can be hard...especially if you're a dad.A father’s time and presence in their child’s life is very important to their emotional development. All studies agree children need ‘dad time’ which helps children develop healthier friendships and become more compassionate individuals throughout their lives. A good opportunity to spend some quality one on one time with your child is at bedtime, by recounting the day’s events or reading a book together. This is a great way to connect and deepen your relationship.
Read more → Mar. 1, 2012 at 9:03amMake a Personal Time Capsule!Eastside Heritage Center brings Hands-On History to KidsQuestToday we think nothing of opening a can of some exotic or out of season food. We rely on tin cans to bring us products from all over the world. Not that long ago supermarkets were not as well supplied as they are today, especially during the winter months. To save money and to make sure certain fruits and vegetables were available beyond the summer months, many people turned to canning their own produce. Here on the Eastside, people could take their garden products and can them safely at local canneries. Read more → Feb. 16, 2012 at 10:28amWhy I Love Members-Only EventsOn Monday, KidsQuest hosted its 3rd Annual Members-Only Valentine’s Party, and we had a blast. Thanks to our wildly inventive and wonderfully creative education department, there were some great themed activities including ooey gooey pink gak, glittery spin art, shaving cream hearts and a special Valentine’s Day “post office” where families could make and address their own Valentine’s Day cards.
Read more → Nov. 4, 2011 at 10:01amHands-on-HistoryEarly Settler LifeThink you know your history? What about the history of daily life for early Washington settlers - maybe not so much? Luckily Eastside Heritage Center will be at KidsQuest tonight for some hands-on learning. Read on to refresh your history knowledge and then join us tonight from 5-8pm!
Read more → Oct. 26, 2011 at 8:56amHalloween is Coming!Get ready with some spooky and kooky ideas from the KidsQuest staff...Leaves are dropping, grocery stores are filling up with candy, and horror movies are in full force at the theaters. Let's face it - Halloween is all but here. This year, the KidsQuest staff has put together some ideas for ways to celebrate the season with little ones, minus the sugar headache and horror stories. Read more → Aug. 17, 2011 at 9:14amFive Days of Fanciful Fairy Fun!Last week we were lucky enough to hold a second Fanciful Fairies Camp, this time with camp instructor extraordinaire (and fairy expert!), Anne Zanatta Kline! Here she gives us a little playback of what happened:
Read more → Aug. 3, 2011 at 10:15amFanciful Fairies We had a VERY magical week last week. Not only did we get dramatic with our Storybook Theater camp, but we also welcomed some very fanciful fairies into the museum for five days of fairy stories, fairy songs, fairy dances, fairy crafts – everything fairy! Read more → Jul. 11, 2011 at 1:22pmWe Love Farmer's Markets!Farmer’s markets and children’s museums might have more in common than you think.
Read more → Jul. 5, 2011 at 12:47pmKQCM Volunteers Enjoy Microsoft PartnershipIt’s always important to give back to those who give to youIn June, KQCM volunteers enjoyed food, laughs, and learning through play - the Microsoft way! We held a volunteer appreciation party at the Microsoft Store, and the store's staff guided us through various Kinect games where volunteers danced, dipped, and jumped through obstacle courses.
Read more → Jun. 24, 2011 at 1:14pmIt's Always Sunny at KidsQuestIt's finally summer!Summer is special here at KidsQuest, and a time when we get to do all sorts of things at the museum that we don't do during the school year. Here are some highlights:
Read more → Apr. 7, 2011 at 8:58amSecrets of the Egg-straordinary Egg HuntEver wonder how we get prizes into so many eggs?Imagine stuffing 5,000 plastic eggs for KidsQuest’s Egg-straordinary Egg Hunt. How do we do it? Is it a very special bunny or a well-caffeinated staff? In fact, KidsQuest's eggs come from an exceptional organization in Springfield, Missouri, and are filled and assembled by some very amazing people!
Read more → Mar. 8, 2011 at 8:36amThe Mad Hatter's Tea Party!I’m late! I’m late for a very important date! Make sure you aren’t too late for the craziest, zaniest, wildest party of the year, The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party! Follow KidsQuest down the rabbit hole as we host a wild party full of silly fun inspired by Alice in Wonderland!Read more → Feb. 17, 2011 at 3:30pmI Heart Valentine’s DayValentine’s Day gets a lot of flack for being a holiday invented by greeting card companies, but you don’t have to purchase a card (or chocolates, or flowers) to make Valentine’s Day special for your kids. Read more → Feb. 11, 2011 at 3:24pmTeddy Bear ClinicSo many stuffed animals, so little time...Teddy Bear Clinic was last Saturday and we saw our fair share of dogs, cats and teddy bears. Thanks so much to Group Health and Overlake Hospital for their support, and to Dr. Nohle, who shared his experience on his blog yesterday!
Read more → Dec. 14, 2010 at 2:00pmHappy 5th Birthday KidsQuest!
Read more → Nov. 16, 2010 at 4:34pmField Trip FUN!Hair raising screams! Experimenters in goggles. Oozing substances! No, you haven't wandered into a mad scientist's laboratory. It's just everyday fieldtrip fun at KidsQuest Children's Museum.
Read more → Nov. 3, 2010 at 1:36pmWe LOVE Caspar BabypantsAnd we know you do too!Talking Kids With Seattle Kindie Musician Caspar Babypants
Something magical happens when you crank up the newest music by Seattle kindie-rocker Caspar Babypants – kids quiet down! That is, until the giggles erupt. This is Fun, Chris Ballew's (aka Caspar Babypants) third kids' CD offers youngsters a fantastic mix of silly and sweet tunes. It's clear that Ballew is having fun! Imaginative stories about elephants coming down the street, things with googly eyes coming alive, and babies bouncing all over the country, as expressed through song capture, as Ballew says, "the boundless, powerful innocence that kids have." Ballew, also known to parents as the lead singer of The Presidents of the United States of America, includes a cover of Nirvana’s "Sliver" on the CD and is joined by special guests Elizabeth Mitchell and other kiddie singers on several tunes. This is Fun releases on November 2nd! Read more → Oct. 1, 2010 at 3:34pmExplore, Play, PARTY!! Fall means pumpkin carving, leaf raking and a whole mess of holiday preparations, from Halloween costume searching (or sewing!) to Thanksgiving meal planning. If someone in your house has a birthday coming up too, you may be feeling a bit...frazzled. Rain? Check. Wind? Check. Party in the park? Maybe not.
Read more → Sep. 20, 2010 at 3:59pmMember-Only Sneak Preview!Shiny floors. A bigger home for Teeter and Totter (the KQCM turtles, for you novices out there). Tons of new ways to explore, play and learn with your child.
Welcome to the Member Sneak Preview!
Today we ushered in the new school year and our brand new exhibits with a member-only sneak peek of the post-SuperClean Museum. The floor was a flurry of excitement as kids hammered away in Construction Zone, a new exhibit where kids can hone their building skills and play around at our dump truck excavation table. Hard hats included!
Read more → Sep. 13, 2010 at 4:31pmSuperClean - YAY!!With back to school in full swing and, and weather feeling more fall like than summer - it can only mean one thing: SuperClean at the Museum! Each September, we close the Museum to update, paint and refresh the entire Museum top to bottom. Being open 6 days a week (7 days in the Summer) doesn't give us much time to do the big jobs that we tackle during SuperClean like the install new exhibits, major repairs to things that are broken, painting, and flooring projects.
Read more → Sep. 7, 2010 at 12:39pmEats & Beats w/ Brian Waite BandOur final concert of the summer was awesome! Dinner and a show, a classic Saturday evening brought to life here at KidsQuest Children's Museum. Around here, we call it Eats & Beats. For dinner; pizza from Jet City Pizza with lemonade for only $3 a person, mmmm...does it get much better!? How about family time and great music!! The marvelous Brian Waite Band, with their wonderful stage show was a fast favorite for the kids (and adults) with rock, funk, blues, even some reggae! The crowd was on their feet the whole night! Read more → Sep. 7, 2010 at 12:06pmKidsQuest's Early Education ClassesIt's back to school fun for kids and parents too!It's back to school time, and just because your little ones aren't school age yet, doesn't mean they (or you) should miss out on the fun! Yes...fun! We offer a variety of early learning classes at the museum that focus on learning through fun, play, and experimentation.
Read more → Sep. 7, 2010 at 11:38amThings that GOOO!As a young lad, my parents always told me to dream big. And I listened; throughout my youth I had aspirations of being a firefighter, an astronaut, and a hydroplane driver, among other things. Now at nineteen years of age and working as an intern at KidsQuest Children's Museum, I've chosen a slightly different path. But last week, when KidsQuest featured the Vitamin Water hydroplane at the Museum as part of "Things That Go Month," I figured perhaps it wasn't too late to seize my childhood dream. After all, the current driver of the hydroplane, Kayleigh Perkins, didn't start racing until she was nineteen either.
Read more → Aug. 25, 2010 at 4:42pmLive concert at KidsQuest!I always wanted to be a musician. I sang in the bathtub and while mowing the lawn. I took music lessons - guitar, piano, clarinet. I practiced my autograph. But music did not come naturally to me, and aside from records or church, I was not exposed to live music or musicians in my youth. KidsQuest Children's Museum brings live, child appropriate music and musicians to the Eastside at a sinfully reasonable price to families. Saturday, August 28 is your last chance of the summer to enjoy it, featuring The Brian Waite Band (click here for details and a sneak peek).
Read more → Aug. 23, 2010 at 4:31pmFanciful Fairies CampMonday – The class was made up of 10 very excited young girls who all wanted to enter fairyland. Each one was asked if they believe in fairies, of course the answer was yes, they were sprinkled with fairy dust and the class began!
The girls were given fairy names today and we were thrilled to meet Gossamer Moonfly, Columbine Elfweb and many others! They made a poster illustrating their fairy name and some of the special talents their fairy possesses.
Read more → Aug. 23, 2010 at 4:17pmStorybook Theater Camp!Monday – With the all important question, "Did you bring your imagination?" the fun began!
We learned each other's names through an animal game that we acted out, and then the class acted out other animals through an animal action song and chose their animal characters for the upcoming play. Each child was offered either wings, an apron or skirt depicting a number of animals including frogs and butterflies but for this class only two animals were chosen, bees and ladybugs and the whole play was developed around these two. (There was a monster thrown into the mix as well!) Read more → Jul. 27, 2010 at 8:14amEats & Beats Concert with The Not-ItsSaturday, July 24thAre you ready to rock? KidsQuest Children's Museum and The Not-Its are! Saturday night we held our Eats & Beats Concert here at KQCM. At Eats and Beats children and parents have a chance to spend the evening together grabbing a slice of pizza and enjoying a great concert right here in our own Backyard! Our summer concert series is specifically designed to provide tunes written for children ages 10 and under.
Read more → Jul. 26, 2010 at 10:55amKQ Tech U Camp!
This was an awesome week and we're so excited we got to spend it with such great campers!
Monday's theme was What is a PicoCricket? Since it was the first day of camp, we first got to know each other and spent some time thinking of rules to follow while in camp. Then we learned the basics of programming our PicoCrickets! We now know how to... Make a light-bulb light up, 'flicker' or alternate colors with sound and even turn off with sound! Make music turn on with a switch (or an outside sound as the case may be). Then we created CATS that "MEOW’" when we "pet" them...and one special cat that crowed like a rooster!
Read more → Jul. 25, 2010 at 1:33pmAt the Bellevue artsfair!Twirling and whirling! Spinning and splatting! Sunny skies and joyful crowds made it a perfect weekend for Spin Art at the Bellevue Arts Museum artsfair! We used salad spinners to spin and mix paint, creating surprising patterns and crazy color combinations! Read more → Jul. 21, 2010 at 12:21pmFamily Adventures in Claymation!Check out the video we made last workshop:)Tim Burton's stop motion feature film The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies, so I was thrilled when we decided to do a Family Adventures in Claymation workshop at the Museum! This quirky animation technique uses a camera to capture still images of clay figures. In between each frame the characters are moved ever so slightly. When the frames are played together, animation is achieved!
Read more → Jul. 9, 2010 at 4:37pmKQCM in Your Neighborhood!Summer is a time for neighborhood festivals, community fairs, family outings and fun in the sun! KidsQuest loves packing up our event box, throwing our table in the car, slathering on the sunscreen and joining your neighborhoods for family-friendly fun events.
Check out all the places you can find us around town this summer... Read more → Apr. 22, 2010 at 2:53pmRecycled Paper MakingEarth Day at KidsQuest!Recycled Paper Making is so much fun for the kids - plus it's easy to do and helps teach kids that not everything is trash!
Lots of things can be used to make recycled paper: newspaper, magazines, old printer paper, lint from the dryer and more! Cut or tear these fibrous materials into small pieces and completely soak them in water, then you can "pulverize them", meaning you break them down even more. A blender or hand-held blender are excellent aids for this endeavor. Click here for complete instructions on making recycled paper at home. Read more → Mar. 29, 2010 at 1:57pmEgg-straordinary Egg Hunt!Pictures....Mar. 17, 2010 at 2:39pmSummer Camps!What do you want to do this summer?I was sitting in a meeting this morning and one of our Board Members pulled out her "Summer Folder" and I was thoroughly amazed! She had camp brochures, theater calendars, camp listings from local organizations, local calendars, etc. She looked at my questioning eyes and said, "You have to start early!"
Read more → Mar. 9, 2010 at 3:28pmWearable Art Week!What are we up to?Kids LOVE creating art...but they love it even more when they get to wear it! This week is Wearable Art Week at KidsQuest and we're working with beads, felt and our imagination.
We've received lots of calls from you guys about this program so here's the skinny:
Beading...Necklaces, bracelets and rings...what will YOU create with all the beads?In this picture, Lauren is stringing beads on her new bracelet. You can't see it but she has a matching necklace with a beautiful pattern! Read more → Feb. 15, 2010 at 5:43pmSave the Date for KidsQuest Carnival!May 1, 2010We pull out all the stops for our biggest fundraiser of the year. Saturday, May 1 Carnival comes to KidsQuest Children's Museum with games, prizes, eats and treats just for adults.
Read more → Jan. 27, 2010 at 3:48pmKids Design GlassAt the Museum of Glass in TacomaSince kids' art and creativity is one of our passions at KidsQuest Children's Museum, we thought you would enjoy knowing about the fun Kids Design Glass exhibit at the Museum of Glass (MOG) in Tacoma.
Read more → Dec. 9, 2009 at 11:20amThe Benefits of Board GamesWhy playing games with your kids is the perfect way to spend time together!KidsQuest's New Year's Resolution is to Make 2010 Your Family's Year to Play! We've decided to do all that we can to facilitate family learning at the Museum and in your home. One way we're working to accomplish this is by increasing our family friendly programming. In case you haven't heard, we're open until 8pm every Thursday night and we've designated the second Thursday of each month, Family Game Night with board games, relays, team challenges and more! So, imagine our delight when we found this article all about the benefits of playing games as a family.
Read more → Nov. 30, 2009 at 8:55amIt's time for family fun! We want 2010 to be your family’s year to play so we’re starting a little early with family fun workshops this December. Studies show that families who eat, play and collaborate together have stronger bonds and children grow up with more self-confidence. Kick-off the holiday season and 2010 with some family fun activities at KidsQuest! Read more → Oct. 16, 2009 at 12:58pmStay safe this Halloween!Halloween is one of KidsQuest's favorite times of year! We love our Halloween Spooktacular where you can expect kids and adults in costume, our Spooky Cake Walk, Dr. Jekyll's Laboratory and our Mad Scientists each year! We also look forward to Factoria Mall's Halloween Event with Radio Disney offering activities and prizes, merchants handing out treats and special deals, and children trick-or-treating throughout the Mall! Although Halloween can be fun and exciting, it is also important to keep safety in mind when heading out in the crowds to trick-or-treat.
Read more → Oct. 2, 2009 at 10:25amAre you really free on Friday nights?The phones at the KidsQuest office usually start ringing on Thursday afternoon with the same question. Yes, KidsQuest is really free on Friday Nights from 5-8pm! As a non-profit, KidsQuest is committed to serving the needs of our community and part of that need is accessibility. It's important to both our staff and the Board of Directors that all children have an equal opportunity to enrich their education and development by exploring, playing and learning at KidsQuest!
Read more → Sep. 30, 2009 at 9:16amNWAYM continued!Fall means a number of things for us here at KidsQuest Children's Museum – SuperClean, back to school, the start of new programs, and the annual NWAYM conference! This year was no different and we were lucky enough to travel to Salem, Oregon to visit A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village. It is very exciting for me to have the opportunity to see what others in the Museum field are doing and what is working well for them. It is wonderful to be given the chance to brainstorm what we can all do as an association to make our Museums better. After hosting last year's conference here at KidsQuest, we understand the time and energy it takes to put on this conference and the staff of A.C Gilbert's Discovery Museum did an amazing job!
Read more → Sep. 28, 2009 at 3:02pmField Trip to NWAYM continued!I always look forward to the opportunity to gather ideas from my peers, find out how other museums are reaching their clients and receive guidance from the professional consultants who present. The annual NWAYM Conference is especially useful because we're all local and many of us share visitors and resources.
Read more → Sep. 25, 2009 at 2:31pmField Trip to NWAYM!This past weekend I had the opportunity to head south to A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village for the Northwest Association of Youth Museums' Annual Conference. A.C. Gilbert's is a wonderful, fun-filled place to explore and we thank them for hosting this year's conference. NWAYM provides a great opportunity for museum professionals from more than 25 museums to learn from our peers, collaborate to make our museums better, and explore the museums we may not have visited before. We share stories, talk about our future goals and projects, and bring in professionals to suggest ways we can all improve.
Read more → Aug. 6, 2009 at 4:26pmStories from camp!Two girls, two camps, one memorable summer! Five year old twin sisters, Taya and Atty attended two of our QuestCamps this summer and walked away with knowledge, confidence and pride in their accomplishments.
Read more → Jul. 30, 2009 at 10:01amBeat the heat!It's the hot topic these days (pun intended)!With temperatures in the high 90's and low 100's make sure you're prepared to stay safe! Heat exhaustion, dehydration and severe sunburn are all risk factors facing Pacific Northwesterners so here are some articles with cool tips to help you and your family stay safe!
Read more → Jul. 22, 2009 at 9:14amBellevue Arts Museum artsfair is this weekend!Here are some things to know before you go.KidsQuest, along with over 325 organizations and vendors and more than 350,000 community members, will be attending the Bellevue Arts Museum artsfair this weekend. The artsfair has been a summer staple for 63 years-longer than the Bellevue Arts Museum that we all know so well! So, if the Bellevue Arts Museum didn't start the artsfair then how did it come to be?
Read more → Jul. 15, 2009 at 4:08pmCollaborating for art!Collaborations and partnerships with area organizations and businesses are an integral part of bringing new and exciting programs and events to KidsQuest. Our partners bring their expertise and experience to help us offer more specialized programming to our members and visitors. KidsQuest is always creating new relationships with local organizations and we're excited about our recent partnership with Bellevue Arts Museum.
Read more → Jul. 6, 2009 at 11:53amFear of visiting the doctor?Come to KidsQuest's Teddy Bear Clinic!Who isn't a little apprehensive about going to the doctor? With all of the odd looking instruments-the stethoscope, and the pointy otoscope (the device which is used to look into the ears). Not to mention the shots! Children are usually even more sensitive to doctors for the simple fact that the doctor is also a stranger. Fears are usually a normal part of a child's development. Some typical fears about going to the doctor include:
Read more → Jun. 29, 2009 at 9:11amBusy summer days!School is out for the summer! Camps, swimming and family trips are sure to be on your list, but don't forget about all the community events happening this summer. As an organization built by the community for the community we feel it's important to get out and support the festivities happening around our area so look out for KidsQuest this summer.
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This Sunday KidsQuest Children's Museum celebrated its 5th birthday with $5 admission all day and a special members-only party from 10am-Noon. Members had a blast making birthday crowns, playing 
