Summer Drop-in Days- Week One!

We had a great first week of Drop-in Days here at the Children's Museum in Easton. We tie-dyed and met some "top dogs!" Hopefully, you all were able to enjoy one or both of the Drop-in Days- if not, then head over to the Museum any Thursday or Friday for more Summer Drop-in fun!
This past Thursday we kicked things off with one of our favorite Drop-ins, TIE DYE! The Wild Place got a splash of color as people brought their t-shirts down for a makeover. Our volunteers got the process started by spinning and twisting the item up for dying into one of our three featured designs. Whether you picked stripes or the classic spiral, your shirt was sure to have a funky twist. After the shirt was all banded up, you could head over to one of the three dying stations. Here, you had the option of sticking with a few of the classic colors or mixing them together to create a psychedelic masterpiece! We saw some great tie-dying skills from our guests and volunteers, like from Kim and Nathan Levis from Bridgewater (left), and we hope that some more pros come out to Tie Dye II on August 6th!

Can a dog really play musical chairs? Yes they can! This past Friday we had some canine visitors show us what they do when they go to work. Dr. Louise Graham and her therapy dog class started the day off with a round of musical chairs (right). These dogs, along with a dog from Canines for Disabled Kids and Cokie from Therapy Dogs International, have the important job of assisting people who need additional help because they are injured, sick, disabled, etc. These reliable pups are truly a "man's best friend."

While some dogs can give us help when we need it, other times dogs are the ones in need. The Brockton Blue Dog Shelter came by to give us information on how we can help dogs without a home. They had a list of dogs up for adoption as well as ways to volunteer with the shelter or donate to its cause. Not all dogs have a loving owner, but there are ways to help!

Some other dogs that came by also had some different "career paths." Catie Copley and Jim Carey from the Fairmont Copley Plaza visited at noon to fill us in on what Catie has been up to lately. She recently got back from a little vacation, but she's back in Boston to serve the guests staying at the Plaza. Catie was all about the camera, as you can see from the photos here and on her Flickr page. She even shot a quick video for our Facebook page!

But Catie wasn't the only dog in the spotlight. Tara Kennedy and her dog Apache (right)came for a visit, as well. They work at Logan Airport as a part of the Beagle Brigade. Apache has an important responsibility- he sniffs out food products that shouldn't be in people's suitcases! He makes sure nothing comes out of the airport that shouldn't be. Tug and Louie from Shoo,Geese! Border Patrol also have a job that protects us. They patrol landscapes and scare off geese that like to poop all over the place! Their poop can destroy people's landscapes, so Tug and Louie take charge and control this pesky situation! See them in action on their website where they have a featured video of them on the prowl! If you missed this dog show or loved it so much you want to come back for more, then you are in luck. We will be hosting another Dog Days of Summer on August 12th, so make sure to stop by for more canine fun!

We had some dog-gone fun this week at the Museum! We hope that you will join us for some more summer fun this week and the weeks to follow. Tomorrow, make sure to crawl on over for our Creature Feature, as we get up close and personal with some creepy animal friends. Check out our Summer Drop-in Days webpage for more information about our Creature Feature and other Drop-in days to come!

-Ashley Balerna

Public Relations Intern, The Children's Museum in Easton