Dear Friends, 

It was our best summer yet at the Children's Museum. Thank you to everyone who played at CMEE, participated in classes, watched terrific performances in our amphitheater, or attended CMEE's annual Family Fair fundraiser.

The soda bottle rocket is launched so high into the air that it looks like just a speck of dust at the top of the picture.

We're already geared up for a fantastic fall. In addition to our "Play" classes, CMEE is hosting a Music Fair on September 21 in collaboration with Crossroads Music and Bulldog Studios. From 10am to noon, children can hear performances by local musicians and try out a variety of musical instruments!

Definitely plan to spend the morning at CMEE Saturday, October 12 when we launch rockets to celebrate the liftoff of CMEE's new campaign for the future. During this free community event, children can create and launch off their stomp and soda bottle rockets. You will not believe how high they travel! Check CMEE's website for more details.

A model of a proposed miniature golf course at CMEE is on display in the lobby of the Museum.

During the festivities on October 12, we will also be soliciting input on several proposed new exhibits at CMEE. If you've visited the Museum recently, you've no doubt seen the models showing our conceptual plans for a miniature golf course and a hands-on exhibit using wind, water, and solar power to teach children about sustainable energy. In addition, we're planning to --

• Move the front desk closer to the entrance so that we can welcome visitors more effectively.
• Create a bigger space for our growing community of "crawlers" and their parents.
• Design a tractor that's intended for play and install it in the Farm Stand.
• Expand the Diner/Ice Cream Parlor, replacing the potato chip machine with a kitchen so kids can select their food at the farm stand, prepare it in the kitchen and serve in the diner.
• Reconfigure the ship by reducing the size of the hull, adding rope climbs and tunnels that take children 25 feet up into the air, and installing an exhibit that teaches children about the six simple machines. 

In CMEE's new "Under Construction" space, kids and families will be able to make circuits and "hands-on" projects.

From Monday, September 23 through Friday, September 27, CMEE will be closed for its annual Fall Cleanup and when we reopen, I'm delighted to announce the unveiling of CMEE's "Under Construction" room. Inspired by the Maker Spaces around the country, CMEE will use the MoonSoup Gift Shop space for activities that are engaging to older siblings. While we're sad to see MoonSoup leave, we're thrilled to provide opportunities for hands-on play, starting with circuits, stop motion animation, and fiber arts. If you have any suggestions of things for kids to make, please email me at steve@cmee.org or call us at 631.537.8250.

Thank you again for your ongoing support for CMEE! If you have any suggestions for how CMEE can improve its effort "to enrich the lives of children and families and strengthen the East End community by promoting learning through play," please email or write a post on our Facebook page. Also, please take the opportunity to "Like" us on Facebook! We're just a few "Likes" shy of 1,000!

I hope to see you again at CMEE soon! 

Sincerely,

Steve Long
Executive Director