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News from the Chair
We hear so many stories of children that would benefit from our center, each different and unique; children that want to be scientists, doctors, or engineers from an early age; children that struggle in school but love hands-on learning; girls especially, that lose interest in these subjects far too early; and the many children in our community whose families struggle economically and don't have the means to travel to other science museums. All children in our community deserve access to a children's museum. All families deserve the opportunity to help their children find and fuel their passion for learning.
It is time to bring a children's museum to the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. without one. It is time to cultivate rich "STEM" learning experiences among children living in the tech-center of the East. Join our efforts to fill this large void. Read more below about our plans for 2011 and how you can make a difference in this landmark project. Every volunteer and every seemingly small act counts!
Yours,
Nene Spivy
Chair, Board of Directors |
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Growing a Children's Museum
Goals for 2011
The Children's Science Center's goals for 2011 are necessarily ambitious. We laid the groundwork for our efforts in 2010 by launching new exhibits, engaging more volunteers, hiring children's museum professionals to solidify our comprehensive start-up plans, and designing an exciting virtual tour program to engage more community members in our efforts. We will leverage the great work of the past year to drive our 2011 goals to:
- Select a museum site in or around the Dulles Technology Corridor (between Tyson's Corner and Dulles). We need an existing facility with up to 45,000 interior square feet of industrial space (with 18 foot ceilings), a smaller facility with the option to grow, or three to five acres of land where we may build to suit.
- Raise additional seed funds to support costs of site acquisition and hire an Executive Director with expertise in development to drive the museum's capital campaign.
- Establish an Advisory Board of distinguished community and corporate leaders and experts in the field of children's science museums.
- Further develop our team with expert volunteers to support Site Acquisition, Fund Development and Educational Outreach.
- Increase our Museum Without Walls educational programming and expand outreach to local schools.
- Last but not least, continue to build our circle of friends and supporters who will help advance all of the above goals!
We welcome your help, ideas, and advice in our efforts to reach these important goals. If you cannot help us directly, the next best thing would be to introduce our project to those in your personal network. By building an ever-widening support circle, we will grow this museum into something wonderful. |
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Children's Science Center Highlighted on TV!
The Children's Science Center was recently highlighted on WUSA 9's noon news program. Brenda Hyde, Children's Science Center board member and publisher of Family Magazine, was interviewed for the program where she discussed the need for the Children's Science Center, our Museum without Walls programming and was also able to invite viewers to our Imagine Their Future Virtual Tours. Watch the Clip! |
Imagine Their Future with a Children's Science Center
You are Invited on a Virtual Tour
As we highlighted last month, the Children's Science Center is hosting monthly events that we have dubbed Imagine Their Future Virtual Tours. These unique events are designed to spread the word about the urgent need for a hands-on children's science museum in our community. It is a one-hour program and virtual tour for people to see our plans firsthand. We are also seeking feedback and advice from the community.
The next date and time of one of these events is March 15, 7:30 - 8:30 pm. The events are held in the Reston Town Center. Make plans to attend one of these informative tours. Let us know your interest via email at Imagine@TheChildrensScienceCenter.org |
The Children's Science Center is in need of a few good volunteers with expertise and interest in the following areas:
- Real Estate: We are seeking volunteers for our Site Selection Committee. Activities could include online and offline research, site visits, tracking site requirements and general assistance in all things related to commercial real estate.
- Fund Development: We are seeking volunteers for our Fund Development Committee to assist with online and offline research, donor relations and acknowledgements.
- Event Planning: We are seeking volunteers for our Fund Development Committee to assist with special events including our Virtual Tours.
Let us know your interest by emailing Volunteer@TheChildrensScienceCenter.org. We can't wait to hear from you! |
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Museum without Walls Event
Fun Family Event at the National Building Museum
Look for a new Museum without Walls exhibit at the Discover E  ngineering Family Day Festival at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. on February 19, 2011. The annual festival features dozens of hands-on activities provided by local engineering chapters and national organizations. Each year at the start of Engineers' Week, the impressive main hall of the National Building Museum is taken over by thousands of children of all ages experiencing the excitement of engineering . . . not to mention gumdrops, toothpicks, and slime!
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Challenge: Make a "Glass Harp"
Use drinking glasses to make a whole range of notes
What You Need:
- A set of 8 matching drinking glasses
- Water
What You Do:
- Line the glasses up side by side.
- Completely fill the first glass with water. Tap the glass gently with a spoon. This represents your low C note.
- Pour water into the next lass until it is 8/9th full. Use a ruler for more accuracy. This is your D note.
- Fill 4/5 of the next glass. This is your E note.
- Fill 3/4 of the next glass. This is your F note.
- Fill 2/3 of the next glass. This is your G note.
- Fill 3/5 of the next glass. This is your A note.
- Fill 8/15 of the next glass. This is your B note.
- Fill a glass half full. This is your high C note.
Why this Works:
Sounds are made by vibrating objects. The number of times an object vibrates in a set period of time is called the frequency of sound. As the frequency increases, the pitch of the sound gets higher. When the glass is truck by the spoon, both the water and the glass begin to vibrate. This back-and-forth motion transfers to the air in the glass. These air vibrations come to us as sound. As you add water, the amount of vibrating material increases, slowing down the vibrations. Since there is more material to vibrate, a lower pitch is produced.
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| The Children's Science Center is an interactive hands-on museum being planned for Northern Virginia. Our mission is to excite children about science, technology, engineering, and math by making these subjects fun and enabling children to learn through play. For more information, visit www.TheChildrensScienceCenter.org. Please direct all inquiries to The Children's Science Center, 485 Spring Park Place Suite 500, Herndon VA 20170.
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