April 12 through 16, 2010
Madison Children's Museum Celebrates Week of the Young Child at Henry Vilas Zoo
In honor of national Week of the Young Child this month, Madison Children's Museum invites children and their families to five days of exciting activities and interactive learning at Henry Vilas Zoo.
Museum staff will be at the zoo's Visitor Center from April 12-16, hosting drop-in exhibit play and special programs for children ages birth to 5. The events will take place Monday, April 12, from 12 to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, April 13-Thursday, April 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Friday, April 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Weeklong activities will include two of the museum's mobile exhibits: Leap into Lakes and Let's Grow! Children can explore lakes and their ecosystems while discovering new facts about the animals and plants that inhabit the lakes and their surroundings. They also can learn how to grow a garden and participate in seed guessing, storytelling and engaging play in a garden plot.
Additionally, there will be plenty of daily drop-in activities, including the popular Bottle Cap Art Project. Little learners can decorate a paper lining on the inside of a bottle cap that gets coated with a special glue. They can make one for a permanent display inside the new Madison Children's Museum, set to open Aug. 14, then make another to take home.
"Madison Children's Museum is looking forward to celebrating the Week of the Young Child," said Cheryl Dewelt Robinson, early learning coordinator. "This year's theme is 'Early Years Are the Learning Years,' and we are grateful to Henry Vilas Zoo for allowing us to share our exhibits and activities with children, families and caregivers in our community."
National Week of the Young Child 2010 is April 11-17. Established in 1971 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the world's largest early childhood education association, the week brings attention to the needs of young children and their families while highlighting the early childhood education programs and services available to meet those needs.
Madison Children's Museum: Madison Children's Museum (MCM) is an award-winning organization which fosters family and community connections, and provides a place where every child can learn through play in an interactive environment. MCM's hands-on exhibits and programs celebrate and encourage children's imaginations and the power of play as the cornerstone of learning.
The museum closed its doors at 100 State Street on Jan. 4 and is preparing for the opening of its new facility at 100 N. Hamilton Street on the north corner of the Capitol Square. It will reopen August 14 with plenty of new, exciting exhibits along with some favorites from the previous location. While the museum is closed, go to MadisonChildrensMuseum.org for a schedule of Road Show events, sponsored by Target.
