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Jul. 27, 2010 at 1:51pm
We love our donors!
Tomorrow evening is our Major Donor and Corporate Sponsor Appreciation Wine and Apple Juice Tasting! We are SO grateful to everyone who keeps this vibrant facility "alive" through their generous donations, that we wanted to thank you all in person with this special event. We have four Washington boutique/family wineries coming to share their yummy vintages with you, and a wonderful summer menu of hors d'oeuvres and desserts. Read more →
Jul. 27, 2010 at 8:14am
Eats & Beats Concert with The Not-Its
Saturday, July 24th
Are 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 10:55am
KQ 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 1:33pm
At 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 arts fair! We used salad spinners to spin and mix paint, creating surprising patterns and crazy color combinations! Read more →
Jul. 21, 2010 at 12:21pm
Family 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. 12, 2010 at 2:09pm
Play it safe in the heat!
Okay...so maybe not the most timely post due to the recent cold front but since I'm hoping that the sun will return soon I thought we should talk about sun safety anyway! My coworker Stacy has the most adorable 3.5 year old and just got finished telling me a story that prompted this post. Last Thursday (when it was REALLY hot) the girls had a lovely day at school, playing, learning and all that fun stuff. Read more →
Jul. 9, 2010 at 4:37pm
KQCM 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 →
Jun. 23, 2010 at 11:46am
Brain Waves: Peeking Under The Hood
You've got to listen to a great interview Marcie Sillman did with Dr. Patricia Kuhl & Dr. Andrew Meltzoff, co-directors of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, I–LABS for short. Read more →
Jun. 7, 2010 at 1:14pm
Outdoor Bacteria Can Make You Smarter, and Happier
by Jeff Kart, Bay City, Michigan
Getting some outdoor time is not only good for the soul, it's probably good for the mind. Research from The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, suggests that exposure to a natural soil bacterium called Mycobacterium vaccae can increase learning behavior. Another reason to enjoy, and protect, the great outdoors. And a potential reason to eat a little dirt here and there. Read more...
May. 28, 2010 at 9:35am
Adventures in Homeschool Science...
Dissecting WORMS!
I was lucky enough to visit KidsQuest's Homeschool Science class as they tackled a very brave feat: worm dissection. Each student got their own long, thin, crawly thing (although, fortunately, they were no longer crawling), plus rubber gloves, safety goggles, plastic knives and dissection tongs. Here's how it went... Read more →
Apr. 16, 2010 at 9:16am
National Volunteer Appreciation Week!
April 18-24th
No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others.
~Author Unknown
Volunteers continue to be a vital part of our organization! From helping a child create art at the craft table, to mailing our membership cards, volunteers affect all levels of operations at KidsQuest Children's Museum. Read more →
Mar. 17, 2010 at 2:39pm
Summer 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 →
Feb. 15, 2010 at 5:43pm
Save the Date for KidsQuest Carnival!
May 1, 2010
We 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.
- Play the Amazing Prize Wheel, Wine Toss, Basketball Shoot-Out and more!
- Win a $1,000 Neiman Marcus shopping spree, parking downtown Bellevue for a year or a chance to dive for dollars in the Money Booth!
- Enjoy hors d'ouevres, beer, wine and our special carny cocktail!
Read more →
Jan. 25, 2010 at 1:45pm
A visit from Flat Stanley!
Flat Stanley came all the way from Virginia to visit us at KidsQuest Children's Museum and he wrote a blog so we could share all about his trip! Check it out... Read more →
Jan. 13, 2010 at 11:20am
Have you visited the Marketplace @ Factoria lately?
That's right...Factoria Mall has a new name!
Have you been to Marketplace @ Factoria, formerly Factoria Mall, and seen the interior spruce up? The north-end of the Mall is complete and looks great! One of our Board members walked into Center Court and said, "OMG, am I in Bellevue Square?" The wood panels on the ceiling, calming earth tone carpet and seating, and the organic flooring warm up everything and give it a clean, Northwest contemporary look and feel. We look forward to the completion of the Mall interior as it makes its way down to KidsQuest in 2010! Read more →
Jan. 5, 2010 at 2:30pm
Field Trips to Go
We bring the hands-on science to your classroom!
Every time I make my way back to the museum after visiting a classroom with a Field Trips to Go program I am always in a great mood. I've usually just spent the morning or afternoon with a group of young students excited about science. And that excites me, because I love science too!
Read more →
Dec. 29, 2009 at 2:27pm
Make 2010 Your Family's Year to PLAY!
Many of us make New Year's resolutions every year. We set goals to start exercising, lose weight or get organized, just to name a few. But how many of us take the time to size up our family? To really take a good look at the people we spend most of our time with? This is an idea that we at KidsQuest have spent a lot of time talking about, and we have decided to make the Museum's 2010 resolution all about family. We want 2010 to be your family's year to play! Read more →
Dec. 9, 2009 at 11:20am
The Benefits of Board Games
Why 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 8:55am
It'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 →
Nov. 24, 2009 at 10:27am
A Season of Gratitude
What are you thankful for?
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is heating up for many of us this week as we rush to get things done ahead of Thanksgiving travel or hosting. Still, it's a good time for a little quiet contemplation of what's behind those thanks we'll be giving - the things for which we're grateful. Read more →
Nov. 13, 2009 at 10:41am
Paper or no paper-that is the question!
In an effort to help our environment and save costs, KidsQuest will soon be offering the KQ Quarterly Newsletter in an online format. What do you think about that? Read more →
Nov. 6, 2009 at 12:47pm
KidsQuest receives $25K from Boeing
to support our early education programs and a new museum collaboration!
Boeing is committed to supporting early education programs in our community and KidsQuest Children’s Museum received $25K from The Boeing Company Charitable Trust to do just that. This grant supports KidsQuest’s early education programs Discovery Tots Ready, Set Learn, First Experiences and Open Discovery Time, which provide essential early learning education and school-readiness preparation for children age birth to five years. Read more →
Oct. 16, 2009 at 12:58pm
Stay 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. 9, 2009 at 10:55am
Volunteering is important!
Did you know that our team of volunteers have dedicated over 3,000 hours of community service to KidsQuest 2009 alone? KidsQuest has strong volunteerism roots starting with our founding board in 1997. Volunteers continue to be a vital part of daily operations at the museum. Aside from our volunteer Board of Directors, volunteers help maintain exhibits, prepare and facilitate arts and crafts activities, assist with office tasks, and enhance the overall experience of our visitors. It's clear to the staff here at KQ how important volunteers are to us, but I wanted to find out just how important KQ is to our volunteers. Read more →
Oct. 2, 2009 at 10:25am
Are 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 9:16am
NWAYM 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 3:02pm
Field 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 2:31pm
Field 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 →
Sep. 14, 2009 at 3:57pm
KidsQuest's SuperClean!
We've been SUPERCLEANED! Each year KidsQuest closes for a week in September to install new exhibit components, paint and give the Museum a deep clean. It is always a long and challenging week, but the staff and our awesome helpers did an amazing job to get everything done.
Read more →
Aug. 20, 2009 at 11:15am
From the Desk of Rob Nohle, M.D.
Group Health Cooperative Chief of Pediatrics and KQ Board Member
As we head into a new school year we wanted to touch on germs, cleanliness and what we do to keep KidsQuest clean for our visitors. Here is an excerpt, written by Dr. Rob Nohle, from our Winter 2008 newsletter: Read more →
Jul. 30, 2009 at 10:01am
Beat 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. 28, 2009 at 12:36pm
Why do children steal?
We understand that children steal for a myriad of reasons and learning that it is wrong to take something that doesn't belong to you is a part of growing up. Articles on the subject point out that in order to stop a child from stealing parents should ask themselves why their child is stealing-but the answer isn't always what they expect to find. Read more →
Jul. 22, 2009 at 9:14am
Bellevue 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 4:08pm
Collaborating 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. 7, 2009 at 2:58pm
Small Steps: A Good-Health Guide
Check out this article we just found in The New York Times. It’s circulating around the office and, as a mom, I found a lot of the information very interesting and applicable to my life - I thought you might find it interesting too! Happy reading: http://www.nytimes.com If you click on the "Well" graphic on the left side you'll find more helpful articles.
Jun. 29, 2009 at 9:11am
Busy 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. Read more →
Jun. 26, 2009 at 1:14pm
Why we do what we do.
A few days ago we received a thank you note from a local elementary school Head Start class that received scholarship funds to visit KidsQuest for a field trip. The students in the class drew us pictures and told us what they liked about KidsQuest-the truck and face painting were the big winners for this class! The card also thanked us for providing them with the opportunity to explore a place they wouldn't have been able to otherwise. This prompted some thoughts about why we do what we do. Read more →
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