School is great, but why stop there? There are plenty of
museums offering kid-friendly exhibits and events to keep the structured (but
fun!) learning going all season.
Strong Museum is opening a new exhibit called Think Tank (opens October 8), where kids
can solve riddles, try brain games and mind teasers, and build a bridge. And
the National Toy Hall of Fame Induction Weekend celebration is November 12 and
13. See which toys won the latest round of votes, see strolling life-size toys,
and watch a crayon artist at work. Remember: Play is the work of the young. Fun
and educational don’t have to mutually exclusive. Plus, with all the toys from
the years (hula hoops, slinky) it’s a chance to start stories with, “When I was
your age… ” Kids love that.
Rochester Museum and Science Center has a new star show
called Legends of the Autumn Sky (a
still from which is pictured) added to the lineup of star shows and big-screen
movies in the Planetarium. Legends is
an introduction to mythology and astronomy — Perseus and Andromeda, Hercules,
and Draco are among the characters. The fall exhibit is Under the Wings of the White Eagle: Rochester’s Polish American
Heritage, a collection of images and objects from 100 years of
Polish-American life in Rochester. Two events tie in: a Polka Party and Polish
Dinner on October 29 and a Traditional Polish Christmas Eve Dinner on December
3.
If there’s time to get everyone in the car for a drive, the
Corning Museum of Glass has several programs that seem counterintuitive for a
museum of well, breakable stuff, because kids are the guests of honor. A Kids’
Night on September 23 has magic shows, gallery hunts, and craft activities. And
then the Family Explore and Family Workshop series both let families learn
something about glass art and then make something together to take home. Now
that’s a souvenir.
This article appears in Sep 21-27, 2005.
