Greetings again. My Easter break was nice, as I had hoped, and the Pogues concert I mentioned earlier was incredible.
An academic development day (or whatever they’re called) brought many Foxboro students to the museum today. Stonehill has those random days off as well, and they’re always welcomed. It was nice to have an older crowd, since I mostly deal with children under five. I recently was given a giant box of goodies (stickers, pencils, posters, etc.) and was happy to hand them out to the children like a madman. Some children learned that wearing a Ray Allen jersey awards them extra prizes.
Spring arriving leads to the possibility of outdoor FETCH!™ labs (such as kite making), but with the off-and-on cold and rain I’m not getting too excited.
Our website has been updated by my talented and wonderful fellow intern Chris Vacchi (See picture below. And no, I didn’t tell Chris I was doing this). It’s much more colorful, and I believe Chris did an exemplary job.

New England Mamas had a recent post mentioning discount museum prices in Massachusetts. Of course, I have to shamelessly plus that with a mere six dollars (free to members and children under one) a child can experience three floors of fun in the Children’s Museum in Easton. Plus I hear a wonderful intern teaches FETCH! labs on the bottom floor of the museum a couple days a week.
Hope you have a great week, and I’ll be posting soon enough.

Slainte

Well, I have to post early this week because one of the perks of going to a Catholic college is that they overdo Catholic holidays. I have FIVE days off for Easter. Yep. I normally post Friday, but won’t be here, so I’m posting today. It's only been four days since my last post, but I'll make due.

Well since this blog is family-oriented I’ll discuss my own family. This past Sunday we had a small surprise party for my mom, who was born on St. Patrick’s Day. Being 100% Irish and being born on St. Patrick’s Day is pretty sweet I imagine. My mom and I both share an astrological sign (Pisces) as I recently turned 22. Sunday was a good time, especially when my mom arrived at the house and I jumped out and yelled, “Surprise!” scaring the daylights out of her.

You can be sure that Stonehill College also celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. We had an Irish band called “The Barleymen” play (the bassist is a Stonehill biology professor, and you should check out their myspace page if you like traditional Irish music). I am a huge fan of trad Irish music and they played the usual classics (“The Wild Rover” which you may know as “No Nay Never”) but also other gems some don’t know about (“The Leaving of Liverpool” and “Whiskey, You’re the Devil”). The last St. Patrick’s Day event for me, I guess you could say, is tonight. I will be seeing my favorite band of all time, The Pogues, at the Orpheum in Boston. The Pogues are known for being the first popular British band to incorporate traditional Irish music, the first ever Celtic-punk band, and led by legendary Irish frontman Shane MacGowan.

On a more museum-related note, I will be back next Wednesday with a new post on Friday. I’m glad spring is coming both personally and for the museum. With the outdoor play area soon opening (April 19), I will be able to do some Fetch! ™ labs outside (such as making a boat). Kids really don’t get outside enough, and spring always makes way for new activities and new possibilities.

I put some links on the left such as Fetch! and other PBS Kids related sites. There are some fun games and info about my friend Ruff Ruffman. Check it out!

Back From Vacation

Today is a cause for celebration because waiting for my approval was the first comment on my blog EVER. I feel so popular. It was by Rebekah from Prechool Activites Everyday (see post below). I greatly appreciate her post because finally I feel like someone besides myself (and my boss) is reading the blog. Not to mention over 150 hits thus far. As stated before, it’s a special day.
Another reason for the special day was the St. Patrick’s Day celebration we had. It was quite fun as we had chocolate lollipop making, a scavenger hunt, and a real live leprechaun (played by actor Bill McCarthy, a long-time volunteer for the museum). My activity today was The Exploding Rainbow where using food coloring, whole milk, and dishwashing liquid we made psychedelic patterns.

So I went to Disney last week, and it was pretty incredible. For any parents planning a trip sometime soon, here is my money-saving and kid-related advice:
-Universal Studios is much cheaper, and has a lot of stuff for kids (they have an entire Dr. Seuss section of the park)
-Staying off-site is cheaper but not as fun as staying at a Disney resort
-Disney has a free bus service that goes to everything they own, and anyone can ride it (even if you’re not staying at a Disney resort)
-All the parks have great stuff for kids, even Epcot. Magic Kingdom has the most for kids, but it’s always the most crowded park. Animal Kingdom is great for kids and includes a Bug’s Life 3-D movie, walking trails with animal exhibits, and many Lion King themed attractions.

All interns at the museum recently had their pictures taken, so I’m gonna throw my picture on here so when you see me at the museum you can tell me how incredible my blog is.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t get too crazy.