http://www.kidsquestmuseum.com/blog/ Latest blog entries from KidsQuest Museum en-us Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:48:02 PDT Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:48:02 PDT SiteCrafting, Inc. CMS http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/we-love-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. ... Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:51:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/eats-beats-concert/ 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. ... Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:14:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/kq-tech-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!   ... Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:55:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/at-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! ... Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:33:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/family-adventures-in-claymation/ 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! ... Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:21:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/movies-museum-aristocats/ Anyone can rent a movie and watch it from the comfort of their own couch….But wouldn't it be more fun to sit in a bird's nest surrounded by pillows with all the popcorn you can eat? We think so! And that's why we have Movies @ the Museum! We wanted to provide an opportunity for families to make great memories while watching a beloved movie together. ... Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:01:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/play-safe-in-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.  ... Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:09:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/kqcm-in-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... ... Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:37:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/week-dino-mite-dinos-camp/ Monday's Theme: Who were the dinosaurs?After we got to know each other, we spent some time coming up with rules we all thought we should follow while in camp.Then we CREATED...Dinosaur nametagsPaleo-Necklaces (decked out with dinosaur and claw beads!),and a Dinosaur Fact book (that we will continue to work on all week).We also explored books and let our imaginations run wild with imaginative play using dinosaur figurines.   ... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:27:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/mommy-discipline-vs-daddy-discipline/ It's a time-honored threat: "Just wait 'til your father comes home!" But these days, some believe that old threat has been turned on its head. Today's dads, they say, are more likely to be the permissive ones, too intent on having fun with their kids; leaving all that unpleasant discipline to mom. It's the Disneyland dad syndrome, without the divorce. ... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:48:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/brain-waves-peeking-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. ... Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:46:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/first-day-imagination-explorers-camp/ We had a great first day of Imagination Explorers Camp!Today’s theme was KINGS & QUEENSAfter we got to know each other, we spent the morning in circle time, story time, and at discovery stations all related to kings and queens.We,EXPLORED good manners (as every king and queen has them),LEARNED how to bow and curtsey (as every king and queen knows),CREATED our very own crowns, capes and crests, and...BUILT & DECORATED a castle!(as every king and queen has one or two…) ... Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:06:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/nature-explorers-camp/ Animals! We spent the morning in circle time, storytime, and at discovery stations all related to animals.We...EXPLORED animal pelts, LEARNED about animal habitats as we created hand puppets and safari print masks,CREATED animal creatures with Zoomorphs and playdough, and MADE music as we sang and danced liked animals! ... Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:13:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/outdoor-bacteria-smarter-happier/ 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... ... Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:14:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/adventures-in-homeschool-science/ 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... ... Fri, 28 May 2010 09:35:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/recycled-paper-making/ 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. ... Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:53:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/hand-sanitizer-doesnt-kill-ecoli/ Thought you might find this article interesting... OLYMPIA, Wash. - It has become second nature: see hand sanitizer, pump hand sanitizer onto your hands.Health officials have promoted the use of hand sanitizers to help fight outbreaks of diseases and germs, but experts say it doesn't work on everything. Now, an Olympia fourth grader says she can prove it doesn't work on E.coli. ... Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:10:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/parent-workshop-revolutionary-new-science/ The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain Tonight, April 19, 2010Mercer Island High School PAC 7:00 PM. John Ratey, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School provides a ground-breaking exploration of the connection between exercise and brain performance. Even moderate exercise can super-charge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking, amplify memory, and enhance all aspects of learning and mood. Come hear the startling new research and learn how to optimize physical activity to SPARK your brain to function at its peak. www.Johnratey.com ... Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:47:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/national-volunteer-appreciation-week/ 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. ... Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:16:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/egg-straordinary-egg-hunt/ We had so much fun hiding all those eggs! ... Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:57:00 PDT http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/blog/kid-kit-tree-blocks/ Tree Block Building Kid Kit...going on now in the Treehouse! Look at the monstrosity Annika made, it's more than 2 feet tall! ... Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:22:00 PDT