Quarterly Newsletter from the Imaginarium of South

July • August • September 2009

2009-2010 Exhibit Schedule SANDtastico! 2009 Don’t miss these great exhibits coming soon to the Imaginarium! Beach Party Fun for the Whole Family The Imaginarium of will host three national exhibitions this coming year at On July 3-5, the Imaginarium opened its annual giant sand- its facility in Mall del Norte, located next to Dillard’s. But fi rst, this August, the Museum box exhibit to the public, introducing the exhibit with an opens an addition to its permanent collection through a collaborative with the Texas Net- indoor beach party and special guests. work for Exhibit-based Learning and Teaching [TexNET]. “Thinking Tinkering” catches the We were proud to welcome back Lucinda “Sandy Feet” Wierenga for the week- national wave of interest in engineering design, and the exhibit allows visitors to design end, as well as welcome the Lamar Bruni and improve rockets, automata, art cars and more with a variety of materials. Additional Vergara Environmental Science Center as support has been provided by Target. they brought Laredo Wildlife into the mu- seum on Friday afternoon. On Saturday, In September, “Body Carnival: the Science and Fun of Being You” will open from the July 4, we hosted a variety of beach and Catawba Science Center of . It uses carnival-themed components to ex- summer themed hands-on activities and plore the connections between perception and laws of physics in the human body. games including foamerators, make your own moon sand, and limbo! The sandbox Mid-January the Imaginarium hosts “Air Play”, developed through a grant from the Na- will remain in the museum through August, tional Science Foundation to the Montshire Museum and the TEAMS (Traveling Exhibits at so be sure to stop by soon and play in Museums of Science) collaborative. “Air Play” shows that while air may be invisible, it is the sand! all around us, all the time. “Air Play” provides visitors with the tools to explore the nature We would like to thank of air--how it moves and how it infl uences our environment. our generous sponsors of SANDtastico 2009, Coming in the Summer of 2010, “Nature’s Numbers” from the Franklin Institute of Phila- including La Flecha Materials, AT&T, Cono- delphia, , explores math in nature. Components such as Repeating Patterns, co Phillips, HEB, City of Laredo/County Basic Shapes and Structures and Designs In Nature all relate natural formations specifi - of Webb, Great American Cookie Co. (Mall del Norte), cally to math. By asking visitors to solve nature’s puzzles, the exhibit builds a natural Hockey, and Build a Bear Workshop (Mall del foundation for mathematical inquiry. Norte). We would also like to thank our SANDtastico Sand Sculpture Judges Richard “Heatwave” Berler and Gabriel A Special Thank You to our Donors and Sponsors Castillo, Director of the Laredo Center for the Arts. The Imaginarium of South Texas would like to send a special thank you to our do- nors, sponsors and partners for 2009-2010: AT&T, the Fernando A. Salinas Trust, SUMMER CAMP 2009 Borderplex Area-Wide Phonebook, Target, Union Pacifi c, International Bank of Don’t miss out on the fun - space is available! Commerce, and the LAMAR BRUNI VERGARA TRUST. The Imaginarium still has space available in the remain- ing summer camps. Budding archaeologists will love Camp Rockasaurus (July 27-August 6), a special two- week camp where we’ll be learning about rocks, volca- noes, fossils and the dinosaurs that once roamed Laredo. Stop by the museum to register your children for these great camps today! A Message from the Imaginarium Director We strive at the Imaginarium to provide a fun and dynamic place for you and your children to share and make memories, but there is alot more go- ing on here... A Children’s Museum is defi ned as an institution committed to serving the needs and interests of children by providing exhibits and pro- grams that stimulate curiosity and motivate learning. We do this through a variety of hands-on science-based exhibits that provide fi rsthand experience and an opportunity to develop intuitions about the natural world. They offer people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to ask questions, discuss, and explore. Our aim is to motivate life-long learning, which is how anybody opens the doors of opportunity. The pathway to future economic growth will be made by creative problem-solvers who are curious, persistent and risk-takers. Failure is not the end, it is a challenge. Laredo, TX 78041 5300 San Dario, Ste. 505 South TexasImaginarium of We want our kids to be creative inventors of a future that we as their parents can only imagine. And all this starts with allowing kids to dream, to create, and to do. With new permanent Exhibits “Thinking Tinkering” and “Green Screen”, and traveling exhibits “Body Carnival” in October and “Air Play” in January, we are a place for exploring, investigating, and playing. We are proud of this, and invite you to join us as we continue to bring these oppor- tunities of DOING to you and your children. We want to especially thank the LAMAR BRUNI VERGARA TRUST for their support of our traveling exhibit program this upcoming 2009-2010 year. Without this support, this exhibit schedule would not have been possible. We also thank UNION PACIFIC for their support this year. Thank-you from all of us at the Imaginarium of South Texas. MindFest September 5, 2009 • 12noon - 6pm Art and Science meet for family fun at MindFest, the Imaginari- um’s annual festival celebrating the creative spirit and invention. This year, MindFest will also celebrate the opening of the Imagi- narium’s newest exhibit “Thinking Tinkering”. This exhibit will be a space full of open-ended creation and discovery, engineered to encourage the design process in all ages. Shifting Gears - July, August, September 2009 Imaginarium of South Texas At Home Activity: Parachutes Calendar of Events Explore the effects of gravity on a slowly falling object. SUMMER HOURS: What You Need for This Experiment Monday-Thursday: 2pm-7pm • 3 small plastic bags (not zip-lock kind) or 12 inch pieces of plastic cut from a Friday-Saturday: 10am-8pm trash bag or grocery bag. Sunday: 12noon-6pm • Some string • 3 small stones of different sizes. SUMMER PROGRAMS: • Masking tape Construction Station Mon. 5-6 Puppet Palooza Tues. 3pm To Do and Observe Super Science Wed. 5-6pm Make 3 small parachutes; each one weighted with a different size stone. EcoArt Thurs. 5-6pm 1. Cut 12 lengths of string, each 20 inches long. Bright Sparks Fri. 11am 2. Use a paper clip to punch four holes, equally spaced around the opening of Movie Maker Workshop Fri. 5-8pm each bag. Robotics Workshop Sat. 11am-1pm 3. Tie a separate string into each small hole, and let the strings dangle down Create It! Workshop Sat. 2-4pm below the bags. You Art What You Eat Sun. 4-5pm 4. Use a piece of masking tape to secure the string ends to a stone. 5. Do this with each bag. Test your parachutes! 6. Next, arrange your parachutes in order; small, medium and largest stone. Take JULY is See the Sea Month them outside. 27 8am-2pm: Camp Rockasaurus Begins 7. Loosely wrap the string and baggy around each stone. 8. Throw each parachute up into the air and observe the time it takes for each AUGUST is Bug Month one to reach the ground. 1 See us at the DA Offi ce’s Introduction of “Huggy 9. Time several tries for each parachute if you wish to get an idea about which Bear” at Mall del Norte, next to Build A Bear parachute falls to the ground fastest and slowest. 3 Pinewood Derby Cars on Display at the museum 8 See us at the LEC for the Laredo Buck’s FREE What’s Going On Family Fun Day Gravity is the universal force of attraction in space. It pulls objects with mass 14-15 Boy Scouts Pinewood Derby at the Imaginarium together, keeps planets in orbital motion, and holds you and me fi rmly grounded 17 Library Day at the Imaginarium - FREE admission on Earth. Gravity pulls down equally on all your falling parachutes. But each one with your current Laredo Public Library Card! must push against the resisting force of air molecules in the atmosphere as it trav- 17 7:30pm - Summer Volunteer Appreciation Night els earthward. Depending upon its size, each of your stones has a different sur- 22 Family Create It! Workshop face area and weight! Those stones with larger surface areas and lighter weights 24-28 MUSEUM CLOSED fall at a different rate than heavier stones with smaller surface areas. Stones of 28 Members Only Preview of “Thinking Tinkering” equal weight, yet different surface areas will fall to earth at different rates. Now, imagine doing the same experiment using both large and small plastic bags. 29 “Thinking Tinkering” Grand Opening SEPTEMBER is Inventions Month Parent/Teacher Tips Fall Hours Begin: Try to make sure that the stones are securely fastened to the parachutes with CLOSED Mon-Tues, 10am-7pm Wed-Thurs, 10am-8pm Fri-Sat, and 12noon-6pm Sun masking tape. Also, the tape itself has weight and will create a resistance to fall- 5 MindFest ing. So equal amounts of tape are encouraged for each parachute. 9-13 Technology Week at the Imaginarium 9 Daring Girls Science Club Begins This activity is from TryScience, contributed by COSI Columbus, © TryScience, this activity and more 10 Dangerous Boys Science Club Begins can be found at www.tryscience.org 25 Members Only Preview of “Body Carnival” PINEWOOD DERBY AT THE IMAGINARIUM 26 “Body Carnival” Grand Opening The Imaginarium is excited to partner with the Aztec District of Boy Scouts of America to host its FALL PROGRAMMING: Begins September 2 1st Annual Don Murphy Memorial Pinewood Derby Invitational. Join us on August 14 for derby Bright Sparks Wed. 11am building workshops and August 15 for race day. Special guest Donn Murphy, son of the inven- Super Science Wed. 5-6pm tor of the Pinewood Derby, will be on hand to address the participants and award trophies. Puppet Palooza Theatre Thurs. 11am & Sat. 2pm Children and adults are eligible to participate in the Derby. Participants do NOT have to be EcoArt Thurs. 5-6pm affi liated with a scouting group to join in the fun! Entry fee for youth (ages 7 to 17) is $20. Movie Maker Workshop Fri. 5-8pm

Robotics Workshop Sat. 11am-1pm Now at the Imaginarium Gift Shop: Marble Runs Create It! Workshop Sat. 2-4pm You Art What You Eat Sun. 4-5pm Ages 4 and up You Art What You Eat Sun. 4-5pm $14.99

Design and create your own marble roller coasters with this Marble Run Dangerous Boys and Daring Girls Science Clubs Kit from the Imaginarium Gift Shop. This kit will inspire creativity and de- Starting Wednesdays and Thursdays in September 2009, the Imagi- velop budding engineering skills in your young ones as they make tracks narium introduces a new science club for girls and boys. These clubs with endless combinations of drops, turns, funnels, and spins. are the perfect opportunity for your children to have fun with science. Children will be occupied with hands-on science activities from 5:30 until 7pm in our Dream Studio. Kids can join the club for $55 (mem- bers) and $65 (non-members). The clubs will meet 11 during the fall Imaginarium of South Texas semester, with a new activity at each meeting. www.imaginariumstx.org

Contact Field Trips & Family Science Festivals (956) 728-0404, Fax (956) 725-7776 Call the Imaginarium today to book these educa- Hours tional events for your class or school! If you are curious about these programs, Imaginarium staff is CLOSED Mondays-Tuesdays available to come and speak at your PTO meet- Wednesday-Thursday: 10am-7pm ings to give you a more in depth look at how these Friday-Saturday: 10am-8pm programs will benefi t your children. Sunday: 12noon-6pm Call 956-728-0404 for more information. Admissions $3 per child, $2 per adult Location For the latest information about our programs and events, please visit Inside the Mall del Norte, next to Dillard’s www.imaginariumstx.org 5300 San Dario, Ste. 505 • Laredo, TX 78041 Dates subject to change Discover Museum Membership Get free admission for a year, discounts on parties, programs and more! The Laredo Children’s Museum, DBA Imaginarium of South Visit our website or call us for more information. Texas, is a 501c3 non-profi t organization registered with the Offi ce of the Secretary of the State of Texas.