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celebrating the childlike wonder
in all of us
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Quick Links...
Our Website
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Great Lakes Children Museum
13240 S. West Bay Shore Dr.
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 932-4526 |
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Support the Great Lakes Children's Museum
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Featuring October Activities
Member Night, SwingShift and the Stars, Space Fest, Welcome Melissa, Toddler Time, and More . . .
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Member Night - Night of the Pirates!
Friday, October 25 - 5:30 to 7:30
On Friday, October 25, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, the Museum will be hosting our first member night of the 2013-2014 year. Because it was so popular last year, we will reprising the Night of the Pirates theme!
- Take a photo of you or your child as a pirate!
- Air Cannon - See what you can do with a puff of air.
- Old Ship Ring toss - Fling a ring toward a fleet of sailing ships and win points and clues to the location of a hidden treasure.
- Ocean Bean Bag Throw - Little mates can toss bean bags into the holes where sea creatures swim.
- Captain Hook Pretzel Snare - Pick up a pretzel using a hook just like that of the famous Captain Hook. (You get to eat the pretzel!)
- Sailor Songs - learn about and sing some chanteys (sailor songs)
- Treasure Hunt - Find the pirate's treasure hidden somewhere in the Museum and take home a piece of the loot.
- Take home a free pirate hat.
There will be no swordplay, musketry, or fisticuffs!
As with all Member Nights, we will provide you with complimentary refreshments. Also, each member child may bring a young guest free of charge. This is a members-only event. However, you can renew or take out a membership on the night of the event.
To see more photos of last year's Night of the Pirates! click here.
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SwingShift and the Stars!
Second Event - Friday, October 18, 6:30 -10:30 pm
 The Great Lakes Children's Museum had a great time at the September SwingShift and the Stars event, a dance-off charity benefit in Traverse City. It was fabulous fun for everyone who attended. They got to watch the competition and get out on the dance floor themselves. For more info about the event click here or the SwingShift logo below. Lars Kelto and his dance instructor, Lauren Harris, danced a magnificent waltz at the September event, tying for second place. They are currently working hard to learn their second routine and to wow the crowd again in October. For more photos from September click here or on their photo.  Tickets are going really fast for the October event. You can order online by clicking here or on the SwingShift logo or calling the City Opera House box office at (231) 941-8082. Future SwingShift events will be held on: November 15 December 29 Join us for a really fun evening and help raise money for the Great Lakes Children's Museum.
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Midwest Space Fest - Stomp Rockets
Saturday, October 5, 10 am to 5 pm
 Weather permitting, the Great Lakes Children's Museum will be offering our perennially popular Stomp Rocket activity at the Open Space this Saturday, October 5, from 10 am to 5 pm. Come join us for this and other cool space-related activities.
For more info about all of the various Space Fest activities, click here.
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Welcome Melissa!
 Melissa Waterstripe joined our Visitor Services staff in late September. With a background in education and and enormous enthusiasm for the Great Lakes Children's Museum, Melissa will be a marvelous addition to the Museum team. Melissa's husband, Kirk, works in the Science Department at Northwestern Michigan College. They haves two school-aged daughters.
Say "Hi!" to Melissa when you see her in the Museum. |
Great Start Collaborative - Survey
Needs Assessment for Early Childhood Services
The Museum is a member of the Great Start Collaborative, whose mission asserts that investing in early childhood is a key strategy for achieving long term economic success in the six-county region of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau and Manistee. It is a group of parents, teachers and other people who care about young kids. Their goal is to make Northern Michigan the best place in the country to raise a child.
They are currently completing a needs assessment to determine the status of early childhood services in our region. They want to make sure that they get as much input as possible from a variety of people. It only takes a few minutes to complete.
Click here to contribute to the Needs Assessment survey.
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October Toddler Time Activities
Fridays, 10 am to 12 pm
Toddler Time, our most popular program, offered every Friday from 10-12. It is an opportunity for toddlers to interact with each other and learn through a variety of activities and experiences. Toddler Time encourages toddlers' natural curiosity, enhances fine and gross motor skills, guides appropriate social behaviors, and facilitates essential cognitive growth. Most importantly, it's fun! Toddler Time is included with the price of admission or the cost of your annual membership.
Push Me, Pull Me! October 4
Pull a row of ducks along for a walk. Mow the lawn and vacuum the rug! A variety of push and pull toys will be provided for children to explore.
Rake 'Em up! October 11
It's fall! Have fun raking up some special paper leaves. Pile them up; hear them crinkle! Pick some apples too!
Come Right In! October 18
There's castle in the corner! Find a rocket to explore. Come inside a cabin, rock a boat, and plenty more.
Halloween Fun. October 25
Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Come and have some non-scary toddler pre-Halloween fun. There will be lots of activities on the pumpkin theme for our youngest visitors. Fun without the Boo!
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October InterActive StoryTime Selections
Wednesdays at 11 am
InterActive StoryTime features great works of children's literature and activities and crafts led by Museum staff and volunteers, which enhances the experience for children and deepens their understanding of the selected book. Interactive StoryTime is included with the price of admission or the cost of your annual membership.
Fall Is Not Easy
by Marty Kelly, October 2
Fall Is Not Easy is the rhyming story of a tree's humorous struggles to change its colors for fall.
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Lee Burton, October 9
Mike Mulligan remains faithful to his steam shovel, Mary Anne, against the threat of the new gas powered contraptions and digs his way to a surprising and happy ending.
If You Give A Moose A Muffin, by Laura Numeroff, October 16
If you Give a Moose A Muffin, he is going to want something to go along with it. When will it stop?
My Little Cabin, by Alice Palace, October 23
Looking out the window of his cabin, Little Marvin wonders what it would be like to soar in the sky with eagles, hibernate in a bear's den, and help build a beaver's hut.
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
by Linda Williams, October 30
One autumn night, while walking in the woods, a little old lady heard strange noises behind her. The little old lady who was not afraid of anything had the scare of her life!
InterActive StoryTime is underwritten through a generous
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Museum Store Feature - Marble Run
Weird & Wacky Contraption Lab
 Do you and your children love the "Waves of Gravity" magnetic ball wall? Here's something to take home from the Museum Store that will let you play and learn in the same way at home.
Standing over two feet tall, the Weird & Wacky Contraption Lab has 60 mix-and-match pieces to build an unlimited amount of contraptions. Children (and adults) can dream up crazy courses, then build and test them using this easy-to-construct Velcro system. Instructions offer tips and tricks on how to best set up the kit's components. It guides children through five sample contraption designs while they learn how to predict the outcome of each.
For ages 8 and up. By SmartLab
Members receive a 10% discount in the Museum Store
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