The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘Take apart’ activities scheduled in January
KidsPlay Children’s Museum’s January activities involve taking things apart and discovering what’s inside with handson learning, encouraging children to explore the parts that make things whole.
Children can experience learning through constructing and deconstructing while satisfying their curiosity and discovering how things work.
Museum educators are celebrating Jan Brett as the author of the month. Brett’s beloved children’s classic “The Mitten” is featured as January’s Story Walk.
Traveling through the Literacy Tree House, children can follow along page by page to discover what curious animals can fit inside the mitten.
Jan. 7-13: What’s Inside Toys? Discover what’s inside some of our favorite toys. Learn what makes a toy sink or float. Enjoy toy mystery boxes by using your senses to figure out what toy is inside the box. Deconstruct old toys to make something new. Make a stuffed animal with paper and felt.
Jan. 14-20: What’s Inside A Snow Person? Science Of Snowflakes. Explore snow by learning about the science of snowflakes.
We will learn what happens in our atmosphere to create snow, then find out what happens when you deconstruct or melt snow.
What is left behind once it is melted? Discover the necessary pieces for the creation of a snow person.
Jan. 21-27: What’s Inside A House? Explore what’s inside a house and its construction. Learn how to engineer creations to make them structurally safe. Build a house for a toy animal, create a house of cards, and explore the things that make a house a home.
Jan 28-Feb. 3: What’s Inside a Recipe? Share a favorite recipe or menu and create a collage from magazines to make your own soup recipe. Add real pasta and different colored rice.
Jan. 25 — Family Friday, 5 to 8 p.m. It’s electric! Build mini robot bugs, create paths with circuits, design light up wearables, or just enjoy extra time for play. Spark an interest in electricity while playing with circuits! Show off your moves during an Electric Slide dance party in our shadow lights. Weekly programs: Wednesdays: Wonder of Science, 10:30 a.m.; R&R with Brady (every other week), 11:30 a.m. LEGO Club, 4:30 p.m.
Thursdays: Caregivers’ Circle, 9:30 a.m.; Kids on Stage, 10:30 a.m.; Story and More, 11 a.m.; STEM Club (Ages 5+), 12:30 p.m.
Fridays: Music Playgroup, 10 a.m.; Messy Art Studio, 11 a.m.; Spanish and English Bilingual Storytime, noon; Tales with Humphry, 3 p.m.
Saturdays: Tales with Humphry, 11:30 a.m.; Maker Lab, 12:30 p.m.
Sundays: STEM Club (Ages 5+), 12:30 p.m.
The museum posts upto-date activity schedules and announcements at www.kidsplaymuseum.org. All programs are included in the daily museum admission, $8 per person, free under age 1.
Founded in 2012, KidsPlay Children’s Museum is a not-for-profit organization that operates over 11,000 square feet of interactive exhibits that spark curiosity and creativity.
The museum currently targets the developmental needs of children ages 1 to 10.
KidsPlay provides opportunities for children and their caregivers to share memorable whole family learning experiences and build skills that extend beyond the museum.
The museum enriches the educational landscape for families from across the socio-economic, cultural, and educational spectrum, according to its mission statement.
The museum is open to the public Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.kidsplaymuseum.org. To schedule a tour of KidsPlay Children's Museum call 860-618-7700, ext. 2.