Thursday, April 23, 2015

PlayWatch: Making Tracks

This story was shared by Experience Coordinator Maggie Dawson  

We had a very dedicated visitor who was so fun to watch. He was about 3 years old and I saw him building a line of blocks. He would place one block at a time and once it was set down, he would step back, place his hands on his hips, shake his head, and run to select another piece.

His mom said that he has done this before and is constantly doing similar projects at home. I told her that it was wonderful to watch him plan this because ThinkSpace, the exhibit he was in, is dedicated to spatial thinking and he is demonstrating his own spatial skills. She told me that his goal was to make it all the way down the ramp!

It was also fun because other visitors watched him and were cheering for him. One father even stopped his toddler from destroying it because he was so impressed. As you can see, he made it pretty far before the Museum closed!

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Unicorns Appear at Providence Children's Museum!

Providence Children’s Museum is part of Unicorns in Residence: Providence, an imaginative, interactive art experience taking place across the city this spring and summer.  Designed by New York artist Camomile Hixon and curated by Helene Miller, the project invites families to join a search for a missing unicorn and spot the mythical creatures in different forms at Providence parks, museums, libraries and other cultural organizations.

For its role in Unicorns in Residence, the Museum hosts several playful components from April 15 - May 15:
  • Step into the “PlayPhone” – a life-sized glittered phone booth – to report a sighting to the missing unicorn hotline.
  • Examine posters and photographs of the missing unicorn at recognizable locations around the world.
  • Listen to recordings shared by others about their enchanted unicorn encounters.
  • See two sparkly unicorn figures that are part of a larger “unicorn stampede,” which was recently on view at Providence Public Library.

Credit Ania Simpson
Inspired by the project, the Museum is also offering accompanying activities exploring mythical creatures.  Decorate unicorn horns and dragon scales, draw with unicorn dust, play a unicorn shoe toss game and more in Discovery Studio most days from April 13 - May 1, and meet the unicorn artist on Friday, April 17 from 5:30 - 7:00 PM; visit our web calendar for details.

To learn more about Unicorns in Residence, visit unicornsinresidence.com.