Wednesday Workshops Challenge Kids’ Creativity

Every Wednesday now through December 17, the Westport Historical Society has organized a series of workshops for curious creative kids from 3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.  These fun workshops will allow kids ages 6 to 12 years old  to create a new project each week.

The workshops will be a fun way to encourage kids to explore their creativity.  Projects will be of interest for kids with a variety of interests.  For the child fascinated by technology, there’s “Industrial Revolution Robots,” where kids will make their own bots from nuts and bolts. For the budding artist there are workshops on how to make folk art signs and decoupage treasure boxes. Workshops on making sock dolls, parchment paper, scary Halloween stuff, antique toy reproductions and holiday gifts round out the syllabus.

“Wednesday Workshops,” Wednesdays, Oct. 1-Dec. 17, 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. Ages 5-12. There is a $25 per session fee, $20 for members. For 10 sessions, the fee is $150 members, $200 non-members; includes all supplies. Reservations suggested: (203) 222-1424. For additional information visit  http://westporthistory.org.

Stepping Stones Museum for Children Announces 2014 Around the World Program

Exposure to the world’s diverse cultures and customs provides priceless educational opportunities for our children. Through the Stepping Stone Museum for Children’s highly popular and award-winning Around the World programming, families can explore the world without leaving Norwalk through cultural programs brought to life.

The Stepping Stones Museum for Children is proud to announce the 12 Around the World “destinations” selected for each month of 2014. Frequent Around the World participants will be able to achieve “World Traveler” status and attend an exclusive end-of-the-year event in December 2014.

Since 2009, Stepping Stones has been transporting children and parents to 12 different parts of the world each year. Each month, museum guests get an extensive look at a different country’s customs through their engaging, interactive Around the World Performance Series events featuring youth performers and professional artists and musicians and their Around the World Creative Kids offering hands-on cultural craft activities.

Throughout the month, the designated country is represented on the museum’s walls with a map display and travel guide, in the Multimedia Gallery with a short film and interactive digital media floor games broadcast at various times each day and in the Family and Teacher Resource Center with the Around the World Bookshelf offering children’s books about the featured country.  School vacation weeks are dedicated to Around the World programs and include special crafts, story times and activities.

From the program’s inception, participants have been receiving a keepsake Around the World “passport” that is stamped to keep track of each destination they have “visited.”   Stepping Stones registers each child’s passport to keep track of his or her participation.  If a child “visits” at least 6 countries during the year, he or she will receive “World Traveler” status and will be invited to the special World Travelers’ event in December 2014.

Experiencing the world’s diverse cultures can be enriching and rewarding. Below is the 2014 roster of countries that will be “explored” at the Stepping Stones Museum for Children located on 303 West Avenue, exit 14N or 15S off I-95 in Norwalk.  Museum hours are Labor Day through Memorial Day, Tuesday—Sunday and holiday Mondays from 10 am-5pm; and Memorial Day through Labor Day, Monday-Sunday from 10 am-5 pm. Admission is $15 for adults and children and $10 for seniors. Children under 1 are free. To learn more, call 203 899 0606 or visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org

2014 Around The World Performance Series Schedule:

January 18, 2014

Ballet Los Pampas – Argentina 

February 15, 2014

Soro Bindi – Ghana

March 8, 2014

Inca Son – Peru

April 19, 2014

Kahana Hula – Samoa

May 3, 2014

Rossijanochka Folk Dance Troupe – Russia

June 21, 2014

Didgequest  – Australia

July 26, 2014

Music and Dance of the Scottish Highlands – Scotland

August 16, 2014

Surcari  – Chile

September (Date TBA)

Greek Mythology – Greece

October 25, 2014

The Catskill Puppet Theater presents The Lion’s Whiskers – Ethiopia

November 8, 2014

Shane Long – United States (Native Americans)

December 13, 2014

ABBA Girlz – Sweden

Breakfast with Frosty at Beardsley Zoo!

Once again, the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport is planning Breakfast with Frosty the Snowman from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. on December 21 and 22 that is sure to get the entire family in the holiday spirit.   The breakfast will take place in the Zoo's colorful Peacock Cafe that is decorated for the holidays. 

Frosty and his friends will be making two special appearances, one at 9:30 and another 10:30 am. on both days.

Reservations for this event are required and can be made by calling (203) 394-6574. The cost of the breakfast is $10 per person for Zoo members and $15 per person for non-members. This price includes zoo admission & breakfast.  

If you still have some gift buying to do, check out the Beardsley Zoo gift guide that offers a series of unique gifts for the animal lovers in your life!  A membership at the Zoo, for example,  starts at $50 and is a gift that lasts the entire year!  If you are looking for a personalized gift, consider giving an engraved commemorative brick that will be displayed at the Zoo's front gate.  Another option is to sponsor a special zoo animal for $35 or purchase a birthday party package and go wild in 2014! 

The Beardsley Zoo is located on 1875 Noble Ave. in Bridgeport Connecticut. For more information visit www.beardsleyzoo.org.  For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Ride a Vintage Train to Visit the Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny will once again pay a visit to the Danbury Railway Museum located in downtown Danbury in Litchfield Hills and you can take a ride in a vintage train through the historic rail yard to visit him.  This popular annual family event will take place on Saturday & Sunday, March 23 & 24, and Friday & Saturday, March 29 & 30.  

Museum hours are 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; noon - 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.  Trains leave every 30 minutes from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m..  Admission is $9.00 (age 2 and up); each child will receive a small gift from the Bunny.  Reservations are suggested and may be made by visiting the museums Web site at http://www.danburyrail.org.   

The short train ride in a fully-restored 1953 New Haven RR Rail Diesel Car (Budd RDC), will take visitors past the fully operational turntable, over 70 vintage railroad cars and locomotives, and many unique pieces of railroad history, including a Boston & Maine steam locomotive built in 1907.  The highlight of the trip is when the train stops at the Easter Bunny's special railroad car. 

The museum’s beautifully restored circa-1910 Railway Post Office (RPO) car is open for tours.  The exhibits inside the restored 1903 Danbury station will be open, along with a coloring station, temporary tattoos, Thomas® play table, and the operating model train layouts.  Don't miss a visit to the fully-stocked gift shop chock full of affordable items.    

The Danbury Railway Museum is a non-profit organization, staffed solely by volunteers, and is dedicated to the preservation of, and education about, railroad history.  The museum is located in the restored 1903 Danbury Station and rail yard at 120 White Street, Danbury, CT.  For further information, visit the Web site at www.danburyrail.orgwww.danburyrail.org, email info@danburyrail.org, or call the museum at 203-778-8337.

For area information visit www.litchifeldhills.com.

Native American Drum Making Workshop at The Institute for American Indian Studies

The Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington Connecticut located in the heart of the Litchfield Hills is offering a workshop to celebrate the drum because it is considered to be the most important Native American instrument.  Most Native Americans prefer to use drums made from traditional materials made by a master drum maker or make their own. This is because of the strong spiritual associations of the drum....it is the heartbeat of Mother Earth.

Indigenous peoples made several kinds of drums; log drum, water drum and the most common, the hand drum. Hand drums could be single or double-headed. In the northeast region they were traditionally made using a wooden base and an animal hide; typically deer or elk.

The drum is considered to be the first musical instrument used by humans; historians believe the drum has been virtually every culture known to mankind. The original purpose was for communicating over long distances as a type of signal.

On Saturday, February 23 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Allan Madahbee, Ojibway artist and musician, will instruct participants in making their own single-face drum while sharing the importance of the drum in Native American culture. This workshop is recommended for cildren ages 12 and up. The workshop fee is $150; $125 IAIS Members. Reservations and a $50 nonrefundable deposit is required by calling 860-868-0518. The museum is located on 38 Curtis Rd. in Washington 

Connecticut. For additional information www.iaismuseum.org. For area information www.litchifieldhills.com

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

IAIS is a Not-For-Profit organization. We do not receive monies from the State, Town of Washington nor any other museum or gaming facility. We reply on membership, programs and contributions for support.

Atka the wolf visiting New Canaan Historical Society

On Saturday, January 12 at 3 p.m. Atka, a beautiful white wolf will pay a visit to the New Canaan Historical Society in conjunction with the current exhibit, “Little Red Riding Hood Visits the Historical Society,” on display until March 2.

Little red Riding Hood is a fairy tale that has fascinated generations from the 1800s to the present day. To celebrate this tale, collector, Peg Rice has amassed all things “Little Red” and much of her vast and impressive collection is on display at the New Canaan Historical Society located on 13 Oenoke Ridge in New Canaan.

On January 12 at 3 p.m. the Society will welcome a special guest on behalf of Little Red Riding Hood Atka, a wolf ambassador from the Wolf Conservation Center.  The program begins with an informative and entertaining look at the history of wolves in North America, their biology and the mythology that surrounds them. Atka is a beautiful wolf that loves to meet people, and, as a great "wolf teacher," he will educate all in attendance on the importance of his wild "brothers and sisters"!  Atka always receives rave reviews and never fails to impress children and adults alike! 

Atka is the oldest ambassador wolf at the Wolf Conservation Center. He arrived at the center from Minnesota when he was just 8 days old.  The Center's staff, ambassador wolves and Eno raised him.  Eno was the Center's resident German Shepard and ambassador wolf nanny. The Wolf Conservation Center teaches people about wolves, their relationship to the environment and the human role in protecting their future. For additional information http://nywolf.org.

Atka’s visit will be an indoor event and is appropriate for all ages Atka: $10 per person

Seeing Red exhibit: $5 per person Atka + Exhibit: $13 per person. Reservations are not necessary. For additional information http://www.nchistory.org. For regional information www.visitwesternct.com. 

STEPPING STONES MUSEUM FOR CHILDREN CELEBRATES IRELAND DURING VACATION WEEK APRIL 14-20

Stepping Stones Museum For Children

Stepping Stones Museum for Children will treat visitors to a taste of Ireland with a performance by the Tigh Na Coille Irish Youth Folklore Troupe from County Clare, Ireland, on Saturday, April 14.

The following week, the museum will also offer crafts, storytelling and other activities inspired by the Emerald Isle.  Made up of twelve young musicians and dancers from the heart of Ireland, the Tigh Na Coille Irish Youth Folklore Troupe brings traditional Irish music and dance to the museum. Award-winning master fiddler Denis Liddy will join the Troupe for this special Around the World performance at 2 p.m. in the museum's multimedia gallery.   Members of the Troupe will also lead an interactive workshop at 1 p.m.

Visitors are invited to meet, dance and sing with these talented young performers. The Troupe will demonstrate traditional Irish instruments and teach participants a bit of Gaelic. 

The museum continues its celebration of Irish history and culture April 16-20 with a different activity each day, such as making a Celtic pendant and a replica harp. Activities will occur at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily.

The performance, workshop and vacation week activities are all free with museum admission.  

Irish Troupe to Perform at Stepping Stones

Vacation Week Schedule: 

Saturday, April 14, The Tigh Na Coille Irish Youth Folklore Troupe will lead an interactive workshop at 1 p.m., followed by a musical performance at 2 p.m. 

Monday, April 16, Listen to an original fairy tale about a clever young lady who triumphs over a greedy leprechaun king in Teresa Bateman's story Fiona's Luck. 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

Tuesday, April 17, Make a Celtic pendant and learn about the symbols that have survived from the Iron Age. 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

Wednesday, April 18, The harp is among the chief symbols of Ireland and was played as long ago as the  10th century. Listen to traditional Celtic folk music and create a replica harp.  11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

Thursday, April 19, Ireland is famous for its medieval castles scattered across the green countryside. Explore their history and create a castle to take home. 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

Friday, April 20, Discover the work of Irish stained glass artist Harry Clarke (1889-1931) and create a replica stained glass window. 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.  

About Stepping Stones Museum For Children

Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Conn., is an award-winning, private, non-profit 501(c)(3) children's museum committed to broadening and enriching the lives of children and families. Located on five acres in Mathews Park, the recently expanded LEED Gold certified museum encompasses five hands-on galleries, state-of-the-art Multimedia Gallery, Family and Teacher Resource Center, café and retail store.