Monday, May 12 from 1-6 pm
The Children's Museum of Maine and the Portland Chapter of the American Red Cross are teaming up to have a Blood Drive! The drive will be part
of the grand opening celebration for Attack of the Bloodsuckers!, the latest exhibit to arrive at the Museum through our Environmental Exhibit
Collaborative. Best of all, the Museum staff will provide supervision for children while parents donate! Please help us reach our goal and have fun in the process! The Museum will be closed to the general public but open to donors and their children.
Attack of the Bloodsuckers!
At the Children's Museum of Maine from May-December 2008!
Discover the biological wonders of sanguinivores — creatures that eat blood — through encounters with live species and interactives. Look a real leech in the mouth, test your bug-appealing foot odor and get a big hug from a giant, inflating tick as you explore the science of what’s eating you!
Along with gaining a healthy respect for these creatures, you’ll also learn about the myths surrounding sanguinivores and some helpful hints for avoiding these sometimes annoying creatures. In addition to the exhibit, Museum staff and special guests will help you get up-close and personal with the buggier side of life with special programming throughout the summer. The exhibit will be on display May through December.
Attack of the Bloodsuckers! was produced by EEC, the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative (of which CMM is a member) with generous support from Jane's Trust and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Many thanks to our local sponsors Roy A. Hunt Foundation and The Aristotle Foundation.
Traveling Tales Backpack Kits are ready to go home with you!
After a visit to the Museum, continue the fun by taking home one of our Traveling Tales backpacks on display in the Museum's lobby. Each backpack relates to a Museum exhibit or program and comes with a story book, activities and materials to extend your museum play at home! For example, the fire truck backpack includes the story book No Dragon For Tea: Fire Safety For Kids, along with a “Firefighter, May I” game, dragon puppet, tea set, cooking activities, fire safety quiz and other craft ideas. You can check out a backpack for 10 days free of charge. Stop by the front desk for information and take one home after your next Museum visit.
Use this ticket to explore cultural events at the Children's Museum of Maine and around the state. Bring your ticket to any cultural program at the Museum or to an event with one of our partner organizations and get your ticket stamped. Collect all 6 stamps on your ticket and redeem it at the museum's front desk for a prize!
We will update this page with participating festivals and programs in the community where stamps will be available. Please note: there may be an admission charge to attend some participating events.
Festival of Nations
Join us to celebrate Maine's ethnic diversity at the fifth annual Greater Portland Festival of Nations at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday, July 28. The festival takes place from 2:00pm-8:30pm. Festival events include dancing and music from around the globe, an international bazaar with a variety of food and gift vendors, a health fair, an international soccer competition and programs with Awesome Smile, an oral health campaign. A children's entertainment area will offer clowns, face painting, games and crafts. The Children's Museum of Maine will be offering craft activities and giving out "travel visas" for the Ticket to Travel Passport Program. There is no charge for the festival. For more information contact Women In Need Industries at 761-9464 or online at www.wini.us.
Cultural Survival Bazaar
Enjoy music, food, arts and crafts from indigenous groups around the world at the Cultural Survival Bazaar on Saturday, August 4 and Sunday August 5. The festival takes place at the Maine State Pier in Portland. There will be live performances, including Native American storytelling, cultural demonstrations as well as vendors of African batik, Zapotec pottery, Thai silk, Baltic linen, Afghan rugs, fair trade coffee and more. Visit the bazaar's raffle table and pick up a "travel visa" for the Children's Museum of Maine's Ticket to Travel Passport Program. Admission to the festival is free. For more information call Cultural Survival at 617-441-5418 or look online at www.cs.org.
Recent National Research on the Importance of Play
Books:
The Genius of Play: Celebrating the Spirit of Childhood
Sally Jenkinson
Hawthorn Press, Early Years Series
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Richard Louv, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill (a division of Workman Publishing)
Memberships for Families in Need...and a gift for you! The Explore Store is currently featuring three* special pins; one by local jewelry designer Sam Lawrence, one by Lovell Designs and one by local jewelry designer Rachel Flaherty. Each piece of jewelry sold, specially priced at $75, will provide a local family in need with a Family Membership to the Museum. *while supplies last
SPECIAL THANKS to our supporters who helped get this website off the ground:
Site design and creation donated by SlickFish Studios
Web hosting donated by WOW Pages
Initial site development donated by Digital Mill
Attack of the Bloodsuckers!
Memberships for Families in Need...and a gift for you!