2011 Texas Book Festival

20 10 2011

Now that’s it’s getting colder, we can think of nothing finer than snuggling up with a blanket and reading our favorite books. And with that in mind…

The 2011 Texas Book Festival is here! Bringing authors and readers together for literacy, ideas, and imagination, this is a free public even that happens every year at the State Capitol here in Austin. This is the 15th annual Texas Book Festival and it will be taking place Saturday and Sunday, October 22-23.

To kick-off this exciting festival, here at ACM we’ll be hosting an event Friday October 21st from 3:30-5:30 where you can meet Doreen Cronin author of  M.O.M. and Eileen Christelow author of Five Little Monkeys Reading in Bed.

Happy reading!


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cool stuff at ACM, Learn, Read

Summer Reading Club

8 08 2011

Finding ways to spend your vacation is half the fun of summer. But after many, many days without school sometimes you may find yourself bored. Well, writer Jenny Rosenstrach was taught by her mother that “Only boring people get bored”.

Have you ever thought about the challenge of a summer reading list? Jenny has playfully created a point system to encourage her children to entertain themselves with fabulous books whether it be a picture book, a chapter book or even a comic book. After reading a few books and obtaining a specific number of points, her child will be able to collect prizes. Here is Jenny’s detailed account of her Summer Book Club.

Scholastic gives kids the task of logging the minutes that they read not just how many books that are completed. Scholastic invites kids to Read for the World Record and attempt to have the name of their school placed in the 2012 Scholastic Book of World Records.

If you’d like a list from Scholastic of books for ages 3-5 click here!

Ages 6-7? Click here!

Ages 8-10? Click here!

Ages 10-12? Click here!

Take a look at how we use children’s stories here at the Museum.

Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cool stuff at ACM, Cool stuff on the web, Read

History of Fingerprinting

28 07 2011
At ACM’s Get a Clue camp, campers sharpen their  logic and detective skills by investigating mysteries, solving riddles and cracking codes.  One of the favorite activities at camp is to take each other’s fingerprint.
fingerprint
Imprinting the friction ridges of a person’s fingertip onto a surface is an easy way to uniquely identify someone.  No two people have been found to have the same fingerprint and because of this, fingerprinting is used for many purposes, including crime solving.
The first modern, official use of fingerprinting as a way of identifying people was July 28, 1858 when a British magistrate, William James Herschel in India requested a local businessman put his hand print on the back of a contract.  Herschel developed to the system because he thought locals felt more bound to a contract through this personal contact than if it was just signed.  After 40 years of observing the fingerprints over time, Herschel also determined that fingerprints never change with age.
Although fingerprinting had been used as early as ancient Babylonia to seal clay tablets, this was the first time a government made fingerprinting a protocol to use to distinguish people.  Almost 40 years later a policeman in Argentina began to keep fingerprints on file of criminals for investigating crimes.  Now fingerprinting is a fundamental technology used in criminal investigations.
You can take your fingerprint at home.  All you need is some tape, a pencil, some white paper and a magnifying glass. Read the rest of this entry »

Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & up, Cool stuff on the web, Learn, Read

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM

25 07 2011

Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States declared July National Ice Cream Month!! Take a peek at the proclamation that makes this month so creamy and delicious.

Do you want to enjoy ice cream as much as this little guy? There are many delicious ice cream places in Austin that you can try. This week, campers in the Museum’s Home Grown Cooking camp will take a field trip Amy’s Ice Cream and see where the famous Austin establishment makes their ice cream. Stop by Amy’s sometime and try one of their seasonal flavors such as Girl Scout Thin Mint or Fresh Peach (with peaches from Fredricksburg).

If you’d like to be a Creator of Flavor, you can make Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag from this recipe:

What you need:

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk or half & half
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6 tablespoons rock salt
  • 1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
  • 1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
  • Ice cubes

Tip: A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don’t increase the proportions more that that — a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.

Here is a list of fun-to-read books about ice cream you can all read together!

Did you know?

  • It takes an average of 50 licks to polish off a single-scoop ice cream cone. Challenge your family to a Lick-A-Thon, and see who finishes first.
  • The biggest ice cream sundae in history was made in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1988 and weighed over 24 tons.
  • Of all the days of the week, ice cream is mostly bought on Sunday.
  • The United States produces the most ice cream in the world.

We hope you have enjoyed National Ice Cream month and find a smile in a good ice cream cone.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cook, Cool stuff at ACM, Cool stuff on the web, Learn, Read

The Legend of Amelia Earhart

24 07 2011

“Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail their failure must be but a challenge to others.”

–Amelia Earhart

May 21, 1932, Amelia steps off her Lockheed 5B Vega in North Ireland

On July 24th we celebrate the historic adventure of a daring soul on Amelia Earhart Day. Amelia had courage and willingness to prove she could do something that no woman had ever attempted before. Throughout her career, Amelia broke several records such as:

  • the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo
  • the only person to fly it twice
  • the longest non-stop distance flown by a woman
  • a record for crossing the Atlantic in the shortest time

All four of these records were broken in one flight! This woman was fearless. Her life of breaking records and flying around the world was not always the plan. Born in Atchison, Kansas on July 24, 1897 to Edwin and Amy Earhart, Amelia (Millie) soon became an older sister to Muriel. After schooling, Amelia began working as a nurse’s aide during World War I at Spadina Military Hospital in Toronto, Canada.

After moving to California to be with her parents, Amelia picked up flying as a hobby. In 1922, after receiving help from her mother and sister, and working a few odd jobs, Amelia was able to afford her very own airplane.

Amelia Earhart's first plane

To read Amelia’s full biography check out Pitara’s Magazine for Kids.

Amelia Earhart is a role model to women because she had a goal she felt destined to achieve and made every effort to do so. She is a historic legend because on July 2, 1937 Amelia completed nearly two-thirds of a flight that was meant to go around the world with her navigator Frederick Noonan but then went missing. The  result of their final flight is still a mystery to the world. There are several beliefs about what could have happened to Amelia Earhart, but this may be one mystery that never gets solved.

Play and learn about Amelia with this trivia game!

ACM believes Amelia Earhart is a powerful heroine that we can all look to as a guide for perseverance and determination, no matter if you’re a boy or a girl. She paved a path for bravery and dedication that anyone can follow. ACM also celebrates a girl’s interest in science and making history. August 15-19 we are holding the Girls Explore Science camp here at the Museum and there are several spots open. This camp gives girls a chance to experiment and learn about science in a hands-on way. If you’re interested in registering, contact the Museum at 512-472-2499 x201 or sign up here!

“Adventure is worthwhile in itself.”–Amelia Earhart


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & up, Cool stuff at ACM, Cool stuff on the web, Learn, Read

One Giant Leap: Moon Landing Anniversary

20 07 2011

On July 20th, 1969, NASA’s Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. Inside the Lunar Lander were astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. On this day in 1969, they landed in the Sea of Tranquility, a lunar basin. On July 21st, Neil and Buzz became the first humans to walk on the Moon!

NASA would go on to land a total of six missions on the Moon, the last of which took place on December 7th, 1972. Only 12 people have ever walked on the moon.

Earth only has one moon (some planets have many!). The Moon orbits the Earth in a synchronous rotation, which means we always see the same side of the Moon.  The side we can see is called the “near side” and the side we can’t see is called the “far side”. It takes about 28 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth.

The Moon may looks different from Earth depending on its relative position to the Earth and the Sun. As the Moon orbits the Earth, the Sun illuminates one half of the Moon. Depending on Earth’s position related to the Moon and the Sun, we see some of the sunlit Moon and some of the shadowed Moon.

Depending on what day you look at the Moon, you might see a Full Moon (totally round and bright), a Crescent Moon, a Quarter Moon, a Gibbous Moon, or the New Moon (when the Moon is totally dark from Earth).

Download and print your own copies of these Lunar Phase cards to play Moon Phase Memory!

To learn your Lunar Phases, download and print our Moon Phase Memory Game. Click on this link to download the pdf: Moon Phase Memory Cards

Then print two copies of the sheets (you should print 4 pages total – so that you have 2 of each Lunar Phase card). Cut out the cards. If you can see the shape of the Moon through the back of the paper, glue the cards to a thicker paper (like cardstock).

Once all of your cards are made, find a friend (or two or three!) to play Memory with. Shuffle all of the cards and flip them upside down on the floor in front of you. Take turns turning over 2 cards per turn. Try to remember which card is where. When you find a match, you get to keep those cards, and take another turn. Once all of the cards are paired up, the person with the most pairs wins!


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Download, Learn, Read

Inspiration to All

27 06 2011

Our mission here at the Austin Children’s Museum is to create “innovative learning experiences for children and families that equip and inspire the next generation of creative problem solvers”.

Wolfgang is a 9-year-old child who attends Barton Hills Elementary School. His 3rd grade class was assigned to build a landmark that they have been to in Austin. Wolfgang chose the Austin Children’s Museum. When asked why he chose the museum Wolfgang expressed that he “really likes to come here” and “has been for many years”. Here are pictures of the model and of the inspired kid who built it:

To build the model, Wolfgang used materials such as sheet rock, cardboard, foam, markers, glue, and paint. He also wrote an essay explaining why he chose to build the Museum and what he is inspired by. If you’d like to read what Wolfgang wrote about us, click here:

Wolfgang’s ACM Model

We were very pleased when this child came to us with pride and told us about his project.  Wolfgang has even been kind enough to let us keep it. If you are interested in seeing the Austin Children’s Museum Model, stop by and ask to see it. Please let us know if you have used the Museum in any papers or school projects. We’d love to find out!


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Build, Cool stuff at ACM, Read

Reading with Babies: ACM Book Drive Continues

20 04 2011

Olivia is one of our favorites! Wed love a copy of "Olivias Opposites" for our library!

Here at the Austin Children’s Museum, we’re in the middle of our April Book Drive. We’ve received some generous donations already – thanks to everyone who has come in to the Museum and brought a book and all those who have donated money to the cause. Check out our book wish list and our first post about the Book Drive to find out more about how you can participate.

Since the focus of this book drive is the Museum’s Early Childhood Library, we wanted to post about reading with babies and toddlers. Reading aloud to babies and toddlers does a lot for their development. According to KidsHealth.org, reading aloud:

  • teaches a baby about communication
  • introduces concepts such as stories, numbers, letters, colors, and shapes in a fun way
  • builds listening, memory, and vocabulary skills
  • gives babies information about the world around them

Reading is also a great way to bond with your baby – starting a reading routine is a great habit that can continue long into a kid’s childhood.

Classics like "Corduroy" would be great additions to the Early Childhood Library.

When we do story time for early learners here at the Museum, we look for simple books that have nice pictures. Books that have repetitive structure, words and sounds are particularly fun.

For big groups of kids, we look for books that have interactive elements. For example, in a book about farm animals, the reader can ask “What sound does a duck make?” and everyone can chime in with their best “Quack, quack, quack!”.

What are your favorite books to read with babies and toddlers? What are your best tips and advice for engaging story times?

Don’t forget to bring your little readers the Museum during Baby Bloomers on Mondays and Cub Club on Saturdays and participate in the book drive!


Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : 5 years & under, Cool stuff at ACM, Read

Book Drive!

7 04 2011
Here at ACM, we’re having a book drive during the month of April! We’re hoping to expand our collection of early childhood books, which are used in our Baby Bloomers and Cub Club programs. We talked with Vy, who is our Education Program Intern and one of our staff members running the book drive, to find out more.

What types of books is the Museum looking for?
Vy: Children’s books for ages 0-3; visitors are more than welcome to share their child’s favorite books that they are willing to donate.

What qualities make a book great for ages 0 – 3?
Vy: Books that are colorful, have simple rhymes, and beautiful illustrations!

Why is it important to read to babies and toddlers?
Vy: Books give children a chance to learn about this amazing world. You find yourself talking with children about many topics that don’t usually come up in daily conversation. This adds to their knowledge and improves their vocabulary. They also learn about how to read. These pre-reading skills include everything from how to hold a book, which ways to turn the pages, even the direction that print is read. Reading to children gives them a chance to listen to rhythm and rhyme of words. This will help children learn phonics, which is the connection between letters and sounds. All of these skills will help the children in your care become successful readers. It’s never too soon to begin reading. Some people think that since babies won’t understand all the words, you shouldn’t read to them. But babies love books. Babies develop eye muscles by looking at pictures and learn many words from books.

There are several ways you can get involved:
  1. Bring 1 new or 3 gently used books in exchange for free admission to Cub Club or Baby Bloomers!
  2. Donate books for ages 0-3. We would especially love books from our wish list!
  3. Give spare change, and we’ll buy books. Several businesses have agreed to collect money on our behalf. So far, Texas State Optical, New Mandarin Chinese restaurant, and Chicoine Chiropractor (all three on S. Congress & E. Oltorf) have collection cans for the book drive. We’ll also have one here at the front of the Museum!

Vy’s favorite books to read at Storytime are The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. What is your favorite book?


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & under, Learn, Read

Writing Poetry with Math

2 04 2011

The month of April is commonly known as National Poetry Month and  Mathematics Awareness Month.

While poetry and math seem to be very different, they actually have a deep connection.

In most poetry, math helps to create the poem just as much as language does. Mathematical concepts create the shape of the poem, the length of the lines and the pattern of the poem’s rhythm and rhymes.

You can see how math helps the rhythm and rhyme of poems by looking at the patterns of a limerick. A limerick is a short, funny poem with a specific rhythm and rhyme scheme (a-a-b-b-a). You can hear the rhythm of a limerick when you say it out loud.

Here is an example from an anonymous poet:

A circus performer named Brian
Once smiled as he rode on a lion.
They came back from the ride,
But with Brian inside,
And the smile on the face of the lion.

Can you hear the rhythm? Do you recognize the rhyme scheme?

To celebrate this month, try making your own limerick or finding the patterns in rhythm and rhyme in other poems.

You can also download an April calendar with fun math and poetry tasks here: Poetry and Math in April.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & up, Read

Dr. Seuss Book

2 03 2011

For Dr. Seuss’s 107th birthday, we wanted to feature one of our favorite Dr. Seuss books, The Lorax.

The Lorax

This is a great story about how we effect our environment. In this book, a character who calls himself the Once-ler moves to a town and cuts down all of the Truffula Trees to turn them into garments. The Lorax doesn’t agree with the Once-ler and what he is doing. He speaks for the trees and tells the Once-ler that he must stop. The Once-ler doesn’t listen however, and the town becomes completely treeless, and the Lorax leaves. In the end, the Once-ler gives a young, boy the last Truffula Tree seed, so he can plant it and create a whole new city full of trees.

This book reminds us about our impact on the environment and that we can each do our part to help.

Which Dr. Seuss books inspire you?


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , ,
Categories : Read

A Special Haiku for You

23 12 2010

The Notion of Motion exhibit will leave the Museum on Jan.23,  so make plans to visit when you still can. Artists and scientists work together at the Exploratorium in San Francisco to create exhibits, like Notion of Motion, that are both visually pleasing and educational.  Employees at the Exploratorium also combine art with science by writing Haiku’s on their blog. I was inspired to write my own Haiku about the Notion of Motion exhibits. Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry where the first line has five syllables,  the second line has seven, and the final line also has five.

Turn table rotates

Spin a top and watch it swirl

Then fall down and slide

Pendulum strings swing

Different speeds form new patterns

Be patient and watch

Write your own Haiku and share it in the comment section!


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Cool stuff at ACM, Learn, Read

Sara Hickman Performs Saturday

18 10 2010

We are lucky enough to have Sara Hickman, 2010-2011 Official State  Musician of Texas, give a special performance Saturday, Oct. 23  at the Museum. Cub Club will screen her DVD, Big Bird, Little Bird: Animated Songs for Wee Ones at 9am and Sara Hickman will perform with her band, Family Rocks at 10:30.  Sara Hickman is widely recognized for her music for both adults and children.

Sara was kind enough to answer a few questions. Read about how she inspires creativity in her home as well as homes and schools throughout Texas.

ACM: I saw that you wrote and performed at the age of 8, what inspired you
at such a young age?

SH: I had been taking piano lessons, but the teacher looked like Marge Simpson (without a sense of humor, though) and I had to sit in a  small, windowless concrete room. She was very stern. I told my mom I wasn’t too keen on the teacher (or the room), so she took me to a music store, and there, I saw guitars. I knew the minute I saw the guitars that one of them was going to be my best friend, so we bought a guitar (which I still have) and that was it! Every day after school, I’d run home up to my bedroom, and sit with a little tape recorder and make up songs, commercials, skits. It was so much fun to use my imagination in this way. I would have to say that I was inspired by several people—my paternal grandparents, both great jazz musicians and their stories of travel and fun; by John Denver, who, at that time in my life, was beloved around the world and wrote songs EVERYONE could sing to, and lastly, by the great Carol Burnett and George Burns. I wanted to be like all of those people because I thought they touched lives, made people laugh and think and feel, and it seemed very natural, to me, to follow in their footsteps.

ACM: Where are your favorite places to take your children in Austin to have
fun and inspire creativity?

SH: Starting from inside our home, which is a giant den of never-ending ideas/spontaneity/art and music supplies, we expand out into nature. For example, my youngest daughter, Iolana, and I went around the neighborhood and found giant sticks, drug them home, and spray painted them an array of colors. Then, with twine, we built a giant stick sculpture, using other natural items (rocks and moss balls) that hung from within the sculpture. It was a ton of fun. We also like to go to the Blanton, or to Ft. Worth to the museums, and walk and talk about what we are seeing. Having gotten an art degree, and having two parents that were visual artists (my dad, a painter; my mom, a fiber artist/weaver), I enjoy it immensely that I can share the art history knowledge I have attained from my upbringing and schooling. We also enjoy documentaries about art and music. Our latest favorite was “Exit Through The Gift Shop”, which has inspired my girls to learn how to stencil and create powerful images for us to leave around town. We’re also adding some of these stencils to the exterior of my van, so I can make it into an art car.

When the girls were younger, we were constantly at the Austin Children’s Museum. We loved the different activities, the kitchen area, hanging upside down like bats, watching the train upstairs, seeing the current exhibit, and the hands on creativity area. We would meet there with our mom’s group, or go on our own, just to explore, learn and have family fun. Oh! And the tree slide….wow! We LOVED that slide!

Other places in Austin that inspire us are Momoko, Women And Their Work, Zachary Scott Theatre, Hyde Park Theatre, riding the Zilker Zephyr, going to Austin City Limits Festival, hanging out with the vast variety of photographers, artists and musicians we know.

Continue reading this interview after the jump…

Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cool stuff at ACM, Read

We are feeling bookish this week

13 10 2010

David Wiesner‘s upcoming visit this Friday, and the Texas Book Festival happening this weekend have us thinking about our favorite books.

Matt, a gallery Educator at the Museum, shares how he is still inspired by his favorite children’s story, Ish by Peter Reynolds in the video below.

Try this neat idea to create a unique drawing-ish of your own.

Take a piece of paper out and lightly draw a curving line with your pencil. Make loops, zig zags or shapes. Study your abstract lines, do you see anything? Go over part of the drawing using a pen or marker.

Next color it to create a complete picture.

 

Does my drawing look owlish to you?


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Cool stuff at ACM, Craft, Read

Favorite books

11 03 2010

Lately it’s been a bit rainy and a little cold.  When the weather is like this, I like to stay at home and read a book.

Two of my favorite books are about penguins, one of my favorite animals.

365 Penguins written by Jean-Luc Fromental, illustrated by Joëlle Jolivet.

The first is 365 Penguins. In this story, a family receives a penguin one day. As you can guess, one penguin starts arriving everyday after that for a year.  The family has no idea where they are from or what to do with them. I like this book because it uses math and has a funny story.  I also really like the illustrations.

ay. As you can guess, one penguin starts arriving everyday after that for a year.  The family has no idea where they are from or what to do with them. I like this book because it uses math and has a funny story.  I alseally like the illustrations.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater.

A longer book to read during a rainy day is Mr. Popper’s Penguins.  This story is about a family who also receives a penguin in the mail.  Eventually there are more penguins than the family knows what to do with.  Mr. Popper has to figure out where to keep the penguins and how to afford them.  This book is great because the penguins all have their own personalities and they like to have a lot of fun.

What are your favorite books?


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : 5 years & under, 5 years & up, Read

« Previous Entries


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.