BCM Home Edition
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Boston Children’s Museum Home Edition to know. L TSto do. 26 Activities Families Can Do Together! Boston Children’s Museum Home Edition to know. L TSto do. 26 Activities Families Can Do Together! 3 Acknowledgements The content for Boston Children’s Museum: Home Edition was developed Thanks to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton for his participation in this project and his many years by Jason M. Rubin, with contributions from BCM Senior Vice President for of support for the museum. Research and Program Planning Leslie Swartz and Director of New Learning This book’s look and feel is the capable work of Creative Director Vicki Adjami and to know. Resources Tim Porter, along with Gene Dubrow, and Hannah Rubin, who Designers Stephen Preston and Phuong Huynh from Communication via Design; repaid her father for taking her to the Museum when she was younger by thanks also to Recycled Paper Printing. giving him many good ideas for this book. Finally, this book would never have existed if not for the vision, commitment, and Grateful acknowledgement for guidance and insight goes to BCM Chair extraordinary efforts of Boston Children’s Museum Trustee Robin Jones, who conceived to do. Jonathan Rounds, Vice Chair Dr. Michael Yogman, Interim President the project, convened the creative team, and managed the entire process from end to end. ex officio Dr. David Ellis, President and CEO Carole Charnow, Vice President of Corporate Development and External Relations Charlayne Murrell-Smith, L0TS and Chief Financial Officer Amy Auerbach. Copyright © Boston Children’s Museum 2011 Table of Contents 6 8 16 26 34 42 52 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Conclusion Foreword Creative Families Curious Families Global Families Green Families Healthy Families Ready, Set, GO! T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. 1. Salt Dough Handprints 1. No Trouble Double Bubbles 1. Your Family Flag 1. Nature Prints 1. The Family Olympics Welcome! Are You Ready For 2. Jeweled Suncatcher 2. Ice Cream in a Bag 2. Soup Joumou 2. Easy Seed Starters 2. Eat Smart and Stay Active Some Fun?, Carole Charnow, 3. Hide and Peek 3. Pizza Box Solar Oven 3. Travel the World … 3. Recycled Flower Arrangement 3. Fabulous Family Fruit Kebabs President and CEO, Boston Without a Passport with Delicious Dipping Sauce Children’s Museum 4. Finger Puppets 4. Edible Architecture 4. Rain Gauge 4. Celebrate Children’s Day 4. Dance, Dance, Dance 5. The Family Players 5. Tangram Slam 5. Feed the Birds 5. Color, Colorcito 5. Travel Bingo 6. Making Music With the House Band 6 7 Foreword Welcome! Are You Ready For Some Fun? Parenting has never been easy and today it In our Touchpoints model of child development, As the new President and CEO of Boston I also hope you will share it with your friends and neighbors, and use it during your family visits and events. This book is meant to be used and look used—if some is more challenging than ever. Parents and we assume that: Children’s Museum, I am delighted to present to children both have more demands on their time you Boston Children’s Museum: Home Edition. ingredients get spilled on it or if it gets dirty in the process, then I know the book has than previous generations had. Family members The parent is the expert on his/her child been a resounding success! Boston Children’s Museum exists to help tend to be more isolated, not only in relation All parents have strengths children and families enjoy, understand, and On behalf of everyone at Boston Children’s Museum, I want to thank you for your to their neighbors but also to each other. The All parents want to do well by their child become active citizens of the world in which interest in this book and wish you hours, days, weeks, months, and years of fun with it. image of a family engaged in a cooperative they live. We want children to grow up as And don’t be a stranger: even with Home Edition on your bookshelf, you and your family activity like playing a board game, taking a drive All parents have something critical to share at each developmental stage successful learners who respect others and will want to come back to Boston Children’s Museum for more exciting, inspiring, and together, or pitching in around the neighborhood All parents have ambivalent feelings the natural world. We encourage imagination, educational experiences. is rapidly becoming as nostalgic and Parenting is a process built on trial and error curiosity, investigation, innovation, artistic anachronistic as a Norman Rockwell painting. Enjoy! expression, and play. And we hope that And yet, even as our activities and priorities have changed, the world around Boston Children’s Museum has a long history of providing cooperative learning children will learn and play alongside their adult caregivers and other Carole Charnow us has changed as well, and many of us find ourselves ill-equipped to face the opportunities in which parents and their children can explore, create, and play together, family members. President and Chief Executive Officer challenges and demands of the new order. Our schools and our workplaces are strengthening bonds of attachment and trust. With this book, the Museum is giving Boston Children’s Museum Of course, this kind of exploration doesn’t only happen at Boston Children’s more competitive, requiring different skills to succeed. No longer is it enough parents an easy-to-use tool to help them lead positive and collaborative activities at home Museum—it can happen at home as well. This resource book encourages to be smart, polite, and hard-working. Children and adults both are judged and in their communities. These activities have real benefits to children, parents, and to families to recreate the sense of adventure and excitement of discovery we by how well they can work together, show initiative, problem-solve, and see a the family unit as well. offer at the Museum. As a mother of two children myself, I know you will project through to its completion. We believe that when families are strong, they strengthen their communities as a whole. appreciate the many activities that get every member of the family involved Whatever their size or configuration, families are ideally a source of love and And a strong community is one where children can thrive, which is what every parent and engaged in playing and learning together. This shared experience builds support for their members, where each person feels valued, respected, and wants for their children. So use this book, build on it, and allow yourself to be as creative greater closeness and unity, strengthening our family relationships. safe. While parents provide this emotional support to their children, parents and spontaneous as possible. The important thing is that you do these activities together I hope this is a book that you will refer to again and again and that you will have needs as well. The more they feel a sense of competence as parents, as a family—perhaps even involving other families. The results and rewards will be mark your favorite activities, write notes in the margins, and document your of being socially connected to other parents and sources of support, and of apparent on your children’s faces—and in their ability to face the challenges that await own enhancements and experiences. being able to positively influence their children’s future—the more they will them at every stage of their development. be emotionally available to their children. T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. Professor of Pediatrics Emeritus, Harvard Medical School Founder, Brazelton Touchpoints Center Boston, Massachusetts Creative Families 9 Creative1. Salt Dough Handprints Making an Impression with Artistic Expression Access to the arts is not a luxury for children—it Best of all, anyone can be creative anywhere and at any age, and arts activities are especially fun when families do them together. While less art education is being offered 2. Jeweled Suncatcher is fundamental to their development. Research in the public schools these days, you can be an artist at home. Parents should handle suggests that the visual arts help children improve materials that are sharp or that cause stains, and children can let their imaginations run their language, math, critical thinking, and free. It’s also nice having some extra sets of hands to clean up afterward. 3. Hide and Peek communication skills. In addition, the performing It’s important to note that making art does not require a gargantuan budget. You probably arts teach discipline, teamwork, and self-confidence. have plenty of materials around your home that can be transformed into art projects. Old magazines, cereal boxes, and newspapers can be cut up to make collages. A carved And doing any kind of art provides important potato can be used for stamp art. And who needs paintbrushes when you have fingers? opportunities for creative self-expression. Families4. Finger Puppets The joy of creating art together is one that will last throughout your lives. As the refrigerator art gallery gets covered with the fruits of your child’s work, you will be both beautifying your home and strengthening your family. Just remember that the most important things you and your family can create are good memories. In addition to 5. The Family Players making wonderful works of art, we have prepared activities to encourage the whole family to sing, dance, and act. So turn the page and start creating! 6. Making Music With the House Band Creative Families Creative Families 10 11 To do this activity, To do this activity, you will need: you will need: * 1½ cups salt * Bunch of crayons, 1½ cups water preferably broken ones * that you may have been 4 cups flour * thinking of throwing out Salt Dough Handprints Rolling pin Jeweled Suncatcher * Food peeler or grater 1 Wax paper 2 * This activity makes a decoration for your home that looks good enough to eat—but don’t.