U.Fund Dreams!

If you’re one of the many parents who are already concerned about paying for their child’s higher education, the U.Fund is here to help! The Children’s Museum in Easton will be hosting a date of the U.Fund Dreams Tour as a part of Free Fun Friday on July 26.

The idea behind the U.Fund is for parents to have a safe savings account for their child’s future. Parents do not pay taxes on any money earned in their U.Fund savings account or on withdrawing money to pay for educational expenses. Furthermore, “There’s no annual account fee, no income restrictions, and you can start saving with as little as $15 a month. Contributions can be made automatically from your bank account. “*

The U.Fund plan is a Massachusetts 529 college savings plan operated by MEFA, Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority. The U.Fund “combines significant tax advantages and age-based savings strategies managed professionally by Fidelity Investments, program manager of the U.Fund. A 529 college savings plan lets you save for higher education expenses at colleges and universities across the country, with flexible and affordable savings options.”*

To promote this opportunity to parents, MEFA and Fidelity are partnering up with museums and special events around Massachusetts on what is called the U.Fund Dreams Tour. 

On the dreams tour, the “activity pavilion” will give children a chance to pose for portraits dressed up as their aspired future profession i.e. astronaut, teacher, zoologist and more! Children will also get the opportunity to create art depicting what they want to be when they grow up. At the same time, parents will be able to learn about saving and planning for their child’s future.

There are many opportunities to win money on both the U.Fund Dreams Tour and on the U.Fund website here: http://www.mefa.org/mefaufund/

We hope to see your family at the Children’s Museum in Easton, and take part in the U.Fund Dreams Tour!

*Quotes were taken from the U.Fund website and can be found at http://www.mefa.org/mefaufund/.

Encouraging Science Exploration

There’s a lot in the world that is unknown to kids, nature, space and more importantly the sciences.  This doesn’t keep them from imagining, exploring, observing and asking questions.  Explaining science to kids seems intimidating but it doesn’t need to be.  Teaching your kid about science can be done in small tasks and they can have fun while learning about science too.

Kids are always willing to ask questions and learn.  They’re eager to explore and understand the world around them; encourage their curiosity.  Ask them “what” questions about their surroundings and daily life.  What happens to the grass when it rains?  What is faster, walking or running?  Asking “what” questions cause children to make observations.

Encourage kids to problem solve by answering their own questions.  For instance, have the kids observe the stars on a clear night.  Help them understand that stars are like our sun but they’re very far away.  By using a concept that kids already understand to teach a new concept you are helping them make connections.  The next time there is a cloudy night, have them problem solve as to why the stars are “missing”.  Even if they’re wrong, they’re learning to question things and then use logic, knowledge and reason to come to a conclusion based on what they know.  

Science can be physical too.  Kids can learn about science while having fun being active.  For instance, children can learn about their body and physics while kicking a ball and not even realize that they’re learning by doing.  They learn that in order to move their leg and foot to kick, they have to use their knee.  By using their foot to kick the ball they learn that the ball requires a force to make it move.  Kids are understanding science without even knowing that they’re interacting with science.

Though science seems complicated and full of long detailed explanations, it can be simplified to help kids understand.  Science can be observing and experimenting, making predictions, sharing discoveries, asking questions and wondering how things work.  It can be solving problems, designing, creating and building things that work.  It takes small activities and questions to help kids understand and learn about science.

If you’re looking to bring more science into your child’s life, there are some upcoming events at the museum full of science activities.

PBS Science

Friday, July 19

Have fun with Ruff Ruffman, host of FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman and Curious George on PBS, and try some fun, hands-on science experiments inspired by his show.

Birds of Prey

Friday, August 2 at 10am

Meet and learn about hawks, owls and vultures in this program presented by New England Reptile and Raptor. Their goal is to dispel myths and teach kids scientific facts about wildlife.  NE Reptile and Raptor use live reptiles and birds of prey for illustrative purposes to focus on educating children about reptiles and birds and their biology, physiology, and function in the ecosystem.

For more information on events that involve science click here.  For some more science fun stop by the FECTH! Lab and you might find a fun experimenting waiting!

Websites that you can go to for science activities to do at home with everyday items are Curious George or Peep and the Big Wide World if your child is pre-school age and FETCH! or Zoom if your child is older.

Kindergarten Readiness

We know summer just started but it’s never too early to start preparing for school! In September, many of your children will be “leaving the nest” and going off on their own for the first time. No, not to college…to kindergarten!

For many kids, this will be the first time they spend away from their parents for an extended period. Furthermore, this is the first time they will really get a taste of how school operates as they begin to learn and grow very quickly! At the Children’s Museum in Easton (CME), we spoke to Michelle VanVoorhis and Krissy Cannizzo; both are CME educators and are involved in the Outreach Program. Keep reading for more info on your child’s kindergarten readiness and how the CME works to help with this preparation.

The camps at the Children’s Museum in Easton play a huge part in child development. Michelle says, “Children become better prepared academically, socially, and emotionally for both school and for life…and they have a lot of fun!!”

Each summer the CME offers a series of Summer Mini-Camps. Designed to meet the developmental needs of children ages 3 - 8, the camps offer activities that immerse campers in the theme of the session.  Programs are geared for hands-on exploration and provide open-ended opportunities for children to build understanding and knowledge. Your child will learn while having fun!

 

At camp, children learn a lot of skills: “fine motor skills (cutting, writing, using manipulatives for small motor tasks), large motor skills (large group games, balancing, climbing), social skills (taking turns, sharing, good manners), language skills (speaking in a whole group setting, asking for assistance, appropriate ways to address adults and peers, vocabulary development) reading skills (rhyming, recognizing patterns in stories, print awareness), math skills (counting, patterning, measuring), getting used to school routines, and separating from parents,” Michelle explains.

These skills are honed through camps but also individually. The teachers at camp assist your children in learning, but it’s up to you to continue this learning and preparation!  Michelle suggests, “Encourage discussion of what you did in camp today [and] use newsletters that come home each day for ideas. Encourage further investigation of the topic of camp, for example find some books at the library about that theme. [Furthermore,] Model good reading habits! Read to your child daily. Have other kids over to play. Don’t let your child always go first/ always win/ always get his way. Encourage your child to ‘investigate’ things to learn more about them. Allow plenty of time for free, imaginative play, engage in lots of discussion, count, compare, and sort things when the opportunity arises.”

Krissy expands on these notions, “As a former director of a child care center that offered full day kindergarten, I would tell our enrolling families to focus on the self-help skills like being able to zipper or button their coats/clothes, use the bathroom without any assistance, and be familiar with cooperative play, taking turns, sharing etc."

The goal here is to get your child thinking and doing things on his/her own. Teach them enough so that when they get to school, they can expand on that knowledge on their own. You want to build their confidence so that they are secure in themselves when it’s up to them to continue learning on their own. “[At camp,]” Michelle explains, “A few children have to be peeled off their parent on the first day of camp, but by the end they proudly walk through the door on their own.”

It is important to realize that you do not have to worry about every single detail of kindergarten readiness. Krissy says, “Sometimes parents or families put too much pressure on themselves and their soon-to-be kindergarteners, believing he/she should know how to write, read, and recognize all upper and lower case letters.  These are the things that will be learned in kindergarten.”

Everybody wants to do as much as they can to make their child’s life easier. The best thing to do is give them the tools they need to grow and then have faith that they will succeed on their own! Krissy reminds you, “The next year will be incredible!  [Parents] will be amazed at how much his/her child will grow and strengthen their skills.”

Hannaford Helps the Museum

February has been full of fantastic family-friendly programming, made possible thanks to Hannaford Supermarkets - this post is to show our gratitude!

With winter outside and kids out of school, parents and caregivers are seeking fun, affordable activities for their kids. The Children’s Museum is a favorite choice for families from throughout Southeastern Massachusetts. Sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets, Valentine Sweets Week and February’s School Vacation Week provides kids and families with a variety of fun-filled and educational activities, games, and arts and crafts.

Since 2005, Hannaford Supermarkets has been a friend and partner of the Museum, providing gifts totaling more than $10,200 in grants and sponsorships. In addition to its sponsorships, the Hannaford Foundation provided a generous $5,000 grant in 2007 in support of the Museum’s Outdoor Learning Center, The Wild Place.

“Hannaford’s consistent charitable support demonstrates the priority they place on being a good corporate citizen,” said The Children’s Museum’s Executive Director Paula Peterson. “By supporting causes where they have stores, Hannaford significantly contributes to the quality of life in our community.”

This year, Hannaford’s Nutrition Coordinator Michelle Mix worked with Museum Program Manager, Steven Hill, to come up with creative “good-for-your-heart” snacks and treats for families to enjoy at the Museum. They also created healthy and fun family-friendly meal recipes for caregivers and children to make together at home.

“Hannaford is proud to once again partner with The Children’s Museum in Easton to make possible these two family-oriented events that are designed to encourage kids to enjoy learning, eat healthy and stay active,” said Mix. “Family bonding happens naturally when preparing healthy meals together. This is a wonderful example of businesses and nonprofits working together to support our shared goals of promoting healthy living among children and families.”

Hannaford Supermarket’s commitment to the Museum and to children and families in our community is greatly appreciated.

Father's Day with Team Hoyt

On this Father’s Day at our 15th Annual Road Race we are honored to gather and tell the inspirational tale of Team Hoyt. Theirs is a story not only of a father’s love for his child. It is a story of hope, perseverance and triumph of the human spirit.

Dick, 68, and Rick, 47, have been racing since 1977. Since then, they have completed more than 1,000 competitions, including 229 triathlons, six Iron-man distances and 66 marathons. This year they ran their 29th Boston Marathon, marking a milestone 1,000th competition.

Dick Hoyt has served his family and country for thirty-seven years as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, where he learned the value of hard work and perseverance.

Rick Hoyt has shown to the world, that nothing is impossible and one person has the power to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Born with cerebral palsy, and facing challenges many of us can only imagine; Rick launched Team Hoyt’s running career out of his desire to help someone else. A schoolmate of Rick’s had become paralyzed in an unfortunate accident, it was this opportunity to make a difference for another person who was suffering, that launched the most inspiring story in the history of modern fatherhood.

When the two took off with the other runners at that first race, according to Dick, “Folks thought we would just race to the corner and turn back.” But they didn’t. They kept running right past the corner, right through that race, to the Boston marathon and into the hearts and minds of caring, hardworking families across the world.

After that race Rick told his father that when they were running it felt as if his disability “Disappeared.” This was all Dick needed to hear. Although he had never been a runner and his body was wracked with pain from that first race, nothing would stop Dick from helping his son realize his dreams.

And what a son he has been, Rick has inherited his father’s independent spirit. He has lived on his own since he graduated with a degree in special education from Boston University in 1993. He has worked in the computer lab at Boston College, helping to develop technology that would benefit paralyzed individuals. He is currently in the process of writing a book. “He’s also been involved with Children’s Hospital Boston,” Dick says. This year, the Hoyt’s dedicated their Boston Marathon run to the hospital, asking for donations to help the Children’s Department and Center for Communication Enhancement.

They have come from having their first application to run in the Boston Marathon denied, to being inducted into the Ford Iron Man Championship Hall of Fame. Along the way they have pushed boundaries, blazed trails and proven that anything is possible with hard work and determination. It has been said, that in some ways, Dick has it easy. While the rest of us struggle to find the motivation to make it up that hill to the next mile marker, Dick has his motivation sitting right in front of him.

Today we say to Team Hoyt that YOU are OUR motivation. We thank you. May God bless and carry you forward.

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Team Hoyt will be honored and take to the course at our 15th Annual Father Day Road Race this Sunday. Please join them in supporting the children of the Museum!