News from the Manitoba Children's Museum

Cut a 4X12 inch rectangle from a piece of decorative scrapbook paper and fold it in half to create a double-layer 4X6 inch rectangle.
Form the collar by cutting two matching one-inch-long horizontal slits about one inch below the fold.
Fold over the two flaps as shown, and glue them down. Then glue a five-inch-long tie shape of decorative scrapbook paper between the flaps.
Once the glue has dried, lift the bottom front of the card and write a Father's Day greeting inside!

Our
Volunteer Team is Planning For Summer at MCM!

The Volunteer Team is planning for summer at MCM! These opportunities include day camp, activities in our foyer, and support for our galleries and our newest exhibit, Tigers and Dragons.
New volunteers are welcome - contact MCM now so you can complete the application process before summer arrives. Volunteers need to be at least 13 years old and begin the application process by attending an information session. (Note: If you are under 18 years old, your guardian must attend as well.)

The next volunteer information sessions are scheduled for:

Saturday, June 13 at 1:00PM
Friday, July 3 at 1:00PM

Be a Summer Day Camp Counselor!

Are you interested in being a volunteer counselor at MCM Summer Day Camp? If you are, please contact the Volunteer Resources Manager so that we can arrange for you to attend an orientation.

Each year, the Manitoba Children's Museum offers Summer Day Camp. Volunteer counselors provide active and effective support for the MCM staff counselors and the camp program. The volunteer counselor role includes an excellent opportunity for volunteers to develop communication, leadership, and other employment-related skills in a safe and encouraging environment.

Day camp volunteers should be 15 years of age or older. Each volunteer counselor needs to attend an MCM volunteer information session and an orientation session, and is asked to contribute at least one full week to Summer Day Camp.

The volunteer counselor orientations for Summer Day Camp will be on:

Saturday, June 13 at 10:00AM

Friday, July 3 at 10:00AM

For more information or if you plan to attend one of the upcoming information sessions, please contact: Lynn Silver, Volunteer Resources Manager, by phone at 924-4002 or by e-mail at lsilver@childrensmuseum.com.

SHOP @ MCM

Step into different roles and have fun adventures at SHOP!

SHOP has tons of ways to spark your imagination through dramatic play. For more details, see SHOP's Top 10 List this month:

Grab a Gator: Head out to the jungles and swamps and go snout-to-snout with an alligator with Mighty World Alligator Hunt!

It's Shore Fun: Help preserve the aquatic environment with your Eco Expedition Shore Line Research & Rescue set!

Dive In: Be part of a rescue team with Mighty World River Rescue Unit!

Day Tripping: Go for a drive and picnic in the country with your friction-powered WOW Motorbike Max!

Keep Your Eyes Peeled: Look down, way down, and research the landscape with your helicopter in the Eco-Expedition Aerial Reseach & Rescue set!

Triple Threat: Use your imagination to construct a snake, a spider and a bug out of the same pieces in a Lego Fierce Creatures kit!

Hiss-terical Fun: Become a snake wrangler with a slithery Bag O Snakes!

Join the Force: Enforce the law on horse and motorbike with a WOW Police Patrol Riders set!

Under the Sea: Explore the ocean deep with the Mighty World Marine Research Unit!

Put On Your Imagination Cap: Become a fire chief, race car driver, construction worker, police officer or a safari explorer by wearing Playwell Hats!

Visit SHOP for all of the items in this month's Top 10, and for great gifts including toys, clothing, confectionery, novelty items, and more that will spark kids' imaginations, develop cognitive and fine motor skills and keep them entertained!

Exciting SHOP Demonstrations!

Every Saturday, you can catch SHOP products and crafts in action at special SHOP demonstrations!

June Demonstrations: Insta-Snow Powder

Air Miles Bonus Cards
Available at SHOP!

For every $50 you spend at SHOP, you'll receive a bonus card for 20 Air Miles Reward Miles. Please see in-store for further details.

Feature Items for June

Zube Tube

This irresistible cosmic toy creates some of the most awesome sounds in the universe! Shake it, pluck it, or shout into it to produce your own spacey sound effects. You won't be able to put it down!

Our Price: $11.99

i-gami

Unique plastic pieces bend, fold and snap together for imaginative and creative construction. We have the Starter Kit, Star Builder, Sphere Doctor, Pilot, and Gardener sets. It's mindbending!

Our Price: $7.99 - $35.99

Scanimation Picture Books

We have both of Rufus Butler Seder's bestselling books: Swing! and Gallop! These fun books use optical effects to put each page in motion. You have to see it to believe it!

Our Price: $14.95

Your Purchase Counts!
Every purchase made at SHOP goes directly back into the museum! By supporting SHOP, you are supporting the Manitoba Children's Museum.

Telephone: 943-1449
Email: shop@childrensmuseum.com

Dream Gallery

MCM's Dream Gallery displaying children's artwork on the Mezzazine is open for viewing Monday to Friday.

Children in MCM's Spring Break Day Camp "Artist for a Day" Session have left behind several of their masterpieces for us all to enjoy. The vibrant splashes of purple, blue, green, orange, and more remind us of the rainbow of colours that appears as spring turns to summer.

Join us in giving these young artists a round of applause for their efforts!

Find Us On Facebook!

The Manitoba Children's Museum can now be found on Facebook! Join us here and post photos or videos of your family's most recent visit, share your favourite MCM story or memory, and stay up-to-date on our special programs and upcoming events!

eNews - June 2009
Your source for what's happening at the Manitoba Children's Museum

June Balloon: Come Celebrate MCM's 23rd Birthday!

The Manitoba Children's Museum is about to turn twenty-three years young on Saturday, June 20, and we want you to join in the fun! June Balloon 09

For over two decades, the Manitoba Children's Museum has been a place where children and their families can play, laugh, learn and grow, and we want to celebrate this momentous birthday with you!

Come help Choo Choo, the MCM mascot, blow out his candles, bounce around in an inflatable birthday cake, make party favours, watch a butterfly release (if nature cooperates), and enjoy balloon animals by Chris Madden.

The birthday party crafts and activities run from 12:00PM to 3:00PM. However, tickets are available for an extra special, all ages, VIP Birthday Tea starting at 11:00AM. As part of this special group, you will get to use the inflatable bouncer before everyone else during an exclusive hour, you will enjoy a special cake for VIPs only, and much more. Tickets cost $2.50 plus the price of admission, and they are available at Admissions. Spaces are limited.

Please call 924-4000 ext. 017 for more information.

Summer Day Camp:
Register Today!

Attention, attention - registration is now open for our Summer Day Camp! Every week is a brand new adventure with workshops, free time in the galleries, and non-stop fun and activities!

Olympic Challenge (July 6-10; August 3-7)
On your mark, get set, go! Train hard during an exhilarating week of exercise, games, and teamwork. Take your spot on the podium next to the rest of your world-class team! Everyone who takes on this Olympic challenge is a champion!

Art Attack (July 13-17; August 10-14)
Discover your inner artist and get creative! Your imagination will spark all week as you express yourself through storytelling, drama, painting, sculpting, and more.

Around the World in 5 days (July 20-24; August 17-21)
All aboard MCM's 9161 Express as we travel around the world. China, India, Jamaica, France, and Australia are just some of the spots we will visit to play games, make crafts, and taste exotic foods!

Super Science at the MCM Laboratory (July 27-31; August 24-28)
Something's brewing at the MCM Laboratory! Campers will mix concoctions and create explosions, as they explore fun-ology. Grab your goggles and slap on your lab coat - this camp is gonna be messy!

Time: 9:00AM to 4:00PM (Free early drop-off and late pick-up available)

Price: $140 ($125 for members)

Our Summer Day Camp is a great, safe place for kids to spend their summer days.

Spaces are limited. Contact Erin by email at emcintyre@childrensmuseum.com or call 924-4000 Ext. 017 to register today!

Dads FREE Sunday on Father's Day!

To celebrate fathers on their special day on June 21, the Manitoba Children's Museum is offering all fathers free admission - all day long!

Dads and their kids can enjoy exploring the galleries together and and make memories to last a lifetime.

Tigers and Dragons:
Now at the Museum!

Come and discover the fascinating cultures of China and India for kids as the temporary traveling exhibit Tigers and Dragons ROARS proudly at the Manitoba Children's Museum!

Open now until September 7, personally experience the bustle and excitement of a Chinese market, try on beautiful, traditional clothing, bangles, and scarves, and explore the world with a giant globe.

Entrance to the exhibit is free with regular museum admission.

Accompanying School Programs:

To celebrate the arrival of Tigers and Dragons, we are offering brand new school programs for Kindergarten to Grade 4 classes!

How We Learn and Play:
Kindergarten & Grade 1

Come fly around the world at the Manitoba Children's Museum! Kids will have the chance to play with giant globes and maps, practice Chinese lettering, and create their own "kolam" as they realize that every child in the world shares the same basic needs, but that they meet them differently.

Storytelling Around the World:
Grade 2 & Grade 4

Calling all storytellers! This program invites kids to discover different ways of sharing stories, from dance to art to writing. Come explore your creative talents and tell us your story!

Culture and Classroom:
Grade 3

Come spend a day in the life of a student in China or India! Experience firsthand what it's like to go to school in a different country. Students will get instruction in yoga, play international recess games, and practice their Chinese lettering in this fun, action-packed program!

Teachers: Please call 924-4004 or email schools@childrensmuseum.com for program details today!

"What Am I?" Contest

What Am I 11

Visit us for your family's chance to participate in June's contest!

To the lucky winner of this month's contest, we're giving away a free, one-year Adventurer Family Membership Pass which includes the following great benefits:

Unlimited admission for up to two adults and all children in the household for one year
Discounts on MCM day camps
Discounts on MCM birthday parties
Free admission to participating Science Centres in Canada
A 10% discount on memberships at the Manitoba Museum, Oak Hammock Marsh, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery

TO ENTER:

Carefully study the picture shown above. It features a close-up of something that can be found in one of our permanent, year-round galleries (All Aboard, Live Wire, Our TV, Tree and Me, or WonderWorks).

Explore the Manitoba Children's Museum to find the item in the picture!

When you think you know the item, simply reply to this email (before June 21, 2009) providing your name, address and phone number and correctly answer the following TWO questions:

What Am I?
Which Gallery Will You Find Me In?

(Please note that all contact information must be provided and you must correctly answer the two questions in order to be eligible for this draw. As a participant in June's "What Am I?" Contest, the Manitoba Children's Museum reserves the right to contact you to discuss your submission. The Manitoba Children's Museum respects your privacy and holds your personal information in strict confidence. For more information about our Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer at 924.4010 or e-mail jmcleod@childrensmuseum.com. MCM staff and volunteers are not eligible to participate in this contest. Contest closes Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 12:00AM.)

LAST MONTH'S CORRECT ANSWER:

The image featured in May's eNews was that of a "Beaver Dam Log" located in the "Tree and Me" gallery. Thank you for all of your entries, and good luck with this month's contest!

Weekends Project du Jour:
Come create with us!

Join us in the foyer on Saturdays and Sundays for our "Project du Jour" craft!

This month's Project du Jour crafts include:

June 6 & 7 - Foam Garden Caterpillar

June 13 & 14 - Father's Day Cards

June 20 & 21 - Birthday Party Hats - in honour of MCM's birthday!

June 27 & 28 - Pin Wheels

Free with museum admission.

Rogers Movie Nights

Grab a snack and settle in for the show!

Saturdays at 4:00PM

June's movies include:

June 6 - The Incredibles

June 13 - Aladdin
June 20 - Finding Nemo
June 27 - Tarzan

Movie titles are subject to availability.
Free with museum admission.

For further details, visit our website or call 924-4000.

St. Vital Kids Club Discount Day

As part of our Little Hands, Big Ideas partnership with St. Vital Centre, Kids Club members can enjoy $2.00 off children's admission at the Manitoba Children's Museum all day long during St. Vital Kids Club Days on the first Saturday of every month. Simply show your Kids Club Card at our Admissions Desk to receive your discount.

Next Kids Club Day: Saturday, June 6

Join the St. Vital Kids Club now and you can enter to win your own private birthday party at the Manitoba Children's Museum! It's free! It's fun! It's fantastic!

For more information and to sign up today, visit Customer Service at St. Vital Centre or visit their website at www.stvitalcentre.com.

Annual General Meeting: Mark Your Calendars

The Manitoba Children's Museum's 2009 Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, May 25 at 4:30PM in the Great Hall.

Agenda items include elections of the Board of Directors and amendments to the bylaws.

Anyone wishing to nominate a Director should contact the Administrative Office at 924-4008 for more information.

All museum members are welcome to attend!

13th Annual Build For Kids
Golf Tournament

Date: Wednesday, May 27

Place: Bridges Golf Course

Time: 11:00AM - Lunch, 12:30PM - Shotgun Start, 6:30PM - Dinner

Stay tuned to your eNews to find out how much was raised for the Manitoba Children's Museum thanks to generous sponsors and golfers!

Play With Your Food at the
Food For Health Exhibit!

Join us for a nutrition mission from July 6 to September 20 at our upcoming traveling exhibit Food For Health, presented by Sobeys!

Wonder why the adults in your life buy the food they do? Wonder what's in your food? Wonder how to stay healthy? We've got the answers for you in this fun, interactive temporary exhibit.

We'll be spying on the ingredients in food, playing food hide and seek, and learning how to make good choices to stay healthy. Ingredient heroes and villains are all over the place as we explore how food gets from farm to fork. An x-ray puzzle, yoga, shopping cart games, and capes help us to complete our nutrition mission!

Take an activity tracker home to continue the mission, bring it back completed, and be entered into a draw for an MCM gift basket!

Entrance to this exhibit is free with museum admission.

Kids Festival of the Arts

Festival of the Arts 09 Small The Manitoba Children's Museum is proud to present its Sixth Annual Kids Festival of the Arts during the week of August 3 - 8.

This year, Kids Festival of the Arts will feature daily workshops, performances and experiences where children are immersed in arts and culture to highlight our newest temporary exhibit Food for Health. This festival will introduce guests to experiences in order to emphasize active and healthy living through dance, music, drama, visual, media, culinary, and literary art forms.

Through performances, demonstrations, workshops and activities, festival participants will experience the arts by creating, viewing and interacting with our special guests, MCM staff, and volunteers. There will be a free outdoor hands-on arts and crafts station available each day from 11:00AM to 3:00PM. Performances and presentations will be scheduled at various times throughout the week in both indoor and outdoor venues. More information will follow on our website.

Way Off Broadway 2009

The official date for the 4th annual Way Off Broadway Dance Extravaganza is Sunday, November 8!

Get your team of family, friends and/or colleagues together and register for the event of a lifetime! Your group will be paired with a professional dance instructor who will help you choreograph a dance routine. Your routine will be performed at Pantages Playhouse on November 8 in front of an audience and a panel of Celebrity Judges, who will determine the 2009 Way Off Broadway Dance Champions!

Registration is open to everyone and no dance experience is required. Fundraising is pledge-based.

Contact Erin at 924-4005 or ekangas@childrensmusem.com.

Want a Chance to Visit the Children's Museum for FREE?

We want our eNews Family Corner and Facebook page to be all about you and the other families who visit our museum each day.

We'll be on the lookout all this month for any
of the following:

Family-themed crafts and activities;
Healthy recipes you can prepare as a family;
Stories or quotes about your family's experience at the Children's Museum;
Photos or videos of your time at the Children's Museum

We want to hear from you!

Simply e-mail any of the above to us at
general@childrensmuseum.com and if we choose to feature them, we'll contact you for more information!

We'll even throw in a pass for you and your family to visit us and spend some quality time together - for FREE!!!

Support the Manitoba Children's Museum

The Manitoba Children's Museum is a registered charitable not-for-profit organization. This means that we rely on the support of individuals, foundations and corporations in our community to help us provide quality programming, introduce exciting new exhibits, maintain existing galleries, expand our Free Access Program, grow our endowment fund and move forward with our plans for a Capital Campaign. Please consider making the Manitoba Children's Museum your charity of choice.

To make an online donation, click here.

If you prefer to send us a donation by mail or fax, please click here to print a donation form.

Thank you!

Tax receipts are automatically issued for donations of $15 or more.

Special Sidewalk Sale Invitation	To kick off the summer months, SHOP will be having a sidewalk sale on the following dates (weather permitting): Saturday, June 6: 11:00AM - 5:00PM Sunday, June 7: 11:00AM - 4:00PM Save 20% - 50% off a wide selection of fun items, including toys, games and activities, that are sure to spark your child's creativity and learning!

As a non-profit charity, everything we do at the Manitoba Children's Museum
helps children in our community. Our goal is to provide an environment where
children and their families, caregivers and classmates have the opportunity to
let their imaginations soar and engage in self-discovery.

We look forward to seeing you and your family soon at the Manitoba Children's Museum!

email: general@childrensmuseum.com
web: http://www.childrensmuseum.com

phone:204.924.4000