Kitetails Quarterly Newsletter - Winter 2013
In This Issue
News In Brief

Calendars

Feature Article:
Joyful Children's Day

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Program Highlights 
Here's a sampling of the exciting events coming up this quarter.
For more, visit our Calendar of Events.

Music & Dance Afternoon
Sunday, 1/27 
2:30pm
Moving is a great way to stay warm on a cold winter's day - and dancing is a great way to move! We'll listen to music from around the world and find out how it moves us.
Free with admission.

Teensy Weensy Acting Class: Verdi
Wednesdays
2/6, 2/13 & 2/27
10:15-11:15am
In February, our youngest acting students (ages 3 to 5) will explore and perform Verdi, Janell Cannon's story of a little spotted snake who doesn't want to grow up.
$50 visitors, $40 members; admission not required.

Movie Makers:

Stop-Motion Animation Workshop 

Mon & Tues, 2/18-2/19 

2:30pm-4:30pm

Make the most of February vacation week with this two-day workshop just for kids 7 to 9. In just two afternoons, we'll create a movie from the ground up - backdrops, story, claymation characters and all!  

$60/visitors, $50/members; admission not required.

Visit kitetails.org to register.

 

Eating Healthy:

Homemade Energy Bars 

Tuesday, 2/26

11am 

We're making - and eating! - tasty, healthy snacks in this monthly program sponsored by Shaw's. In February, we'll learn how to make a nourishing snack we can take on the go.  

Free with admission.

 

Happy Birthday,  

Dr. Suess! 

Friday, 3/1

4pm-7pm 

On this First Friday evening, we're celebrating the characters and stories of beloved author Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.  

Free with admission. 

 

Boy Singers of Maine

Mini-Concert 

Saturday, 3/2

11am

For 30 years, this non-profit group has been training and celebrating young male voices. Today, singers in grades two through eight will perform. 

Free with admission. 

 

Auditions:

Country Mouse and the Missing Lunch Mystery 

Thursday, 3/7

3:30-5pm 

We're looking for actors ages 8 to 17 to be part of our spring production, a rockabilly take on Aesop's fable of the town mouse and the country mouse. No experience is required, and newcomers are welcome!

Free 

 

DIY Perfume Workshop

Saturday, 3/16

3:30pm

Learn what goes into creating a scintillating scent, then go home with a jar of perfume that's all your own.

$8/visitors, $7/members 

Visit kitetails.org to register.  

 

Before Hours Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, 3/30

9-10am

The Museum will have hundreds of eggs hidden in and around our exhibits. Bring your basket and find as many as you can!

$16/visitors (with admission), $6/members

Visit kitetails.org to register

Special
Thanks

 

Corporate Exhibit, Education, Admission, Event & Theatre Production Sponsors:

July 1-December 31, 2012


Andrucki & Mitchell, Attorneys at Law

Ameriprise Financial

Baker Newman & Noyes

Bangor Savings Bank

Burns Cleaning

Cyrus Hagge Development

Dirigo Design & Development, Inc.

Fairchild Semiconductor

Flatbread Company

Gorham Savings Bank

Hancock Lumber Company

H.P. Hood LLC

Hunter Panels

KeyBank

L.L. Bean

Life's Healthy Pleasures

MaineHealth

Norman, Hanson & Detroy, LLC

Oakhurst Dairy

Pine State Services

Portland Volvo

Robert W. Baird & Co.

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution

Seaman Corporation

Target

TD Bank, through the TD Charitable Foundation

United Insurance

Unum

WalMart

Whole Foods Market

SPOTLIGHT ON:

JOY  feature-intro

Joyful Children's Day:
A Community Comes Together

 Joy comes in all sizes!

"Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities."
- Stuart Brown, MD
Contemporary American Psychiatrist



On December 14, a tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School shook not only the Newtown, CT community, but all communities. For many of us, it was hard to imagine feeling joyful again. At the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, our work is to inspire play - to make sure that there is always joy within our space, despite (or perhaps because of) the challenges of the outside world.

In the wake of the terrible events in Newtown, we called on our community to help us create a joyful day for Maine families, in honor of the children of Sandy Hook Elementary and children everywhere. On Friday, January 4, our community answered that call, with dozens sharing their time and their talents, welcoming more than 1,000 people to play, learn, connect and find joy.

NEWS IN BRIEFNewsinbrief  

Education 
Welcome spring by planting an herb garden. If one science experiment is great, wouldn't a whole day of fun, fizzy chemical reactions be even greater? If you get a kick out of a star show, wouldn't an entire starry, starry day be even more exciting? In 2013, we decided to find out! We put our heads together to come up with a series of theme days. We picked out a handful of concepts we know our visitors love and planned a whole day of programs and events, exploring each theme from lots of different angles. January's StarDay was a big hit with visitors,who counted the sea stars in the Touch Tank, took in special star shows, danced in a solar system flash mob and had stars stamped on their hands and painted on their faces. Upcoming theme days include Kitchen Chemistry Days (2/2, 2/22 & 3/9), Ink Blot Art Day (2/19) and Welcome Spring Days (3/21 & 3/23).   

Following a successful run in 2012, we are pleased to announce that Play Our Way will return in 2013 with funding from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine and Walmart. Play Our Way is a series of free, private playtimes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. The first playtime of the year will be held on Friday, February 8; monthly playtimes will continue through September. (Visit our website for details, dates and times.) Now through March 26, we are accepting submissions for the Show and Tell Gallery, an art exhibit featuring the work of children and teens with ASD. The show will open in April for Autism Awareness month and remain in our front stairwell gallery throughout the summer. 

 

Despite the single-digit temperatures outside, here in the Museum & Theatre we're already making plans for summer! Registration for our summer camps will open at the end of this month. In 2012, camps started selling out before the early bird special was over! With another summer of terrific camps on the way - camps for auteurs, inventors, artists, dino enthusiasts and more) - we expect them to fill up fast once again. To receive details about all eight one-week camps and be the first to know when registration opens, be sure to subscribe to our Summer Camps email list.  

 

Theatre


Peter Pan Since we announced our 2012-2013 theatre season, excitement has been building for our winter production, Peter Pan. Theatre Artistic Director Reba Short has adapted J.M. Barrie's classic specifically for our Dress Up Theatre. With a grant from the Simmons Foundation, we're incorporating some technological elements in our set design to evoke some of the more magical aspects of Never Land. We strongly recommend reserving tickets early for this much-anticipated show. Peter Pan runs throughout February vacation week and on the Saturday after, and tickets are on sale now.

Last fall, we presented The Biggest Little House in the Forest, a production that we conceived especially for toddlers. There were bubbles, puppets, songs, dances, building blocks and even treats to eat! We called this series of interactive performances Tot Theatre, and it got young audiences excited about the performing arts and eager to see more. We are pleased to announce that Tot Theatre will return in 2013 with support from the Edward H. Daveis Benevolent Fund and Maine Charity Fund. The new production - featuring choreography developed in collaboration with the dance department at Portland Arts and Technical High School - will debut late this spring.

The Dress Up Theatre is only one of the places to find the performing arts this spring. You'll also start to see theatre peeking out from our exhibits, sprinkled into our educational programs and integrated into all the ways you learn and play here at the Museum & Theatre. Funded by the Davis Family Foundation, Project: Integration is a new initiative to blend the performing arts with our educational work, making the Museum & Theatre a more exciting place to learn. To get a sense of what Project: Integration is all about, stop by on First Friday night in April to check out A Thousand Pails of Water, a performance in the What About Whales? exhibit.
 
Camera Obscura at twilightExhibits

The Camera Obscura is among the Museum & Theatre's most versatile exhibits, serving as a tool for exploring art, photography, history, light and anatomy. Although it's been profiled in AAA Magazine and the Boston Globe, some visitors come and go without ever making their way to the third floor to take in the breathtaking in the panoramic views. With support from the Rines-Thompson Foundation, we will begin renovating the Camera Obscura and the Focus Room later this spring. Keep an eye out for prototypes of new exhibit components and staff members seeking your input. With your help, we look forward to making the Camera Obscura a memorable part of every visitor's experience.

 

Development


Auction night is more fun with friends! Please save the date for our Annual Auction on Friday, May 3 at Ocean Gateway from 6-10pm. Please join us for this unparalleled social event and fun night of fundraising. Bid on over 500 items ranging from framed original artwork and prints, jewelry, sports tickets and memorabilia, ski excursions, beach & sightseeing getaways, games, books and play sets for kids and much more! All funds raised this evening directly support our exhibits, educational programs and theatre productions, as well as scholarship memberships and admissions for families in need of a place to play.

 

The Annual Auction is the Museum & Theatre's largest fundraiser of the year, and volunteers play an instrumental role in its success. There are volunteer jobs of all shapes and sizes on our auction committee - no time commitment is too small or too large! If you are interested in helping out with the 2013 auction, contact Alicia at alicia@kitetails.org or 828-1234 x242.    

 

To get the most up-to-date auction information, including previews of the auction catalog, subscribe to our Fundraising Events email list.  

   
 
CALENDARScalendars
Our printable calendars are an asset to any family fridge or bulletin board. Print them at home (click each image below) or pick up the current month's calendar on your next visit.
    
January 2013 February 2013 March 2013

Our events schedule is subject to change. For the most current schedule, as well as online event registration and ticketing, visit our calendar of events page or follow us on Facebook to get the latest updates.

FEATURE ARTICLE spotlight-on-joy 
Joyful Children's Day: A Community Comes Together
(Continued from top. Read intro here.)

On Sunday, December 16, Executive Director Suzanne Olson sent an email to the Museum & Theatre staff:

"Dear CMTM Friends: I have spent much of this weekend feeling incredibly sad about the senseless deaths of 20 children and 6 educators in Newtown, CT, and I imagine you have, as well. In the past, I've found that grief grows if one cannot find a way to channel the pain into something positive. To that end, I'd like to propose... that we designate a day as Celebrate the Child/Children Day in memory of the children and educators who died on Friday."

Play.
When you're in the Museum & Theatre, it doesn't take long to start feeling playful.
Two days later, the staff gathered; soon plans for an event on Friday, January 4 began to take shape. We knew we wanted to open our doors to the public, free of charge. We also wanted to invite the community to join us in filling the day with events and performances - not only to make the day exciting for visitors, but to give all of our friends an opportunity to heal. As we know from our own work, spending time among children - playing with them, reading to them, helping them try something new - gives one an opportunity to marvel at their remarkable resiliency, and to learn from it.

Staff members began reaching out to friends in the days before Christmas, with educator Louisa Donelson, an active member of the Portland arts community, spearheading the effort. We were seeking volunteers of all skill sets and experience levels - from professional performers to people who just wanted to lend a hand in any way they could. An official call for volunteers was sent by email on December 26 - the day after Christmas, when many people were still in the midst of holiday travel (including several members of our own staff). The tricky timing of this endeavor made it all the more poignant that so many answered the call, offering to use their own skills and interests to help make January 4 a special day.

Gloria Aponte Clark, a native of Colombia, volunteered to read a story in both English and Spanish. "I wanted to take time out of my work day to volunteer because of all that my daughters and I have received from the Museum," she says. "They learned to crawl and walk at the Museum on the cushioned rainbow stairs," recalls Clark, whose daughters are now involved in the children's theatre. "We made memories there that will last a lifetime."

Sarah Holman, a former staff member who now volunteers on the auction committee, was eager to be a part of Joyful Children's Day. "It felt like all the good things the Museum & Theatre does rolled into one very special day," she says. Holman brought her four-year-old daughter, a Museum & Theatre enthusiast and frequent
It's amazing how much happiness a little face paint creates!
From face painting to poetry, volunteers brought their diverse skills and boundless enthusiasm to Joyful Children's Day.
visitor, for her first volunteer experience. Together, they read stories in the Toddler Park. "She really enjoyed picking out her favorite books and sharing them with other kids."

Portland-based poets Sarah Herklots and Tina Smith offered to lead a poetry activity. Both were excited to introduce young children to the art form. "So many times kids grow up with this idea of poetry being stuffy and inaccessible," says Herklots. "I love showing kids that poetry can be fun!"

 

By January 3, nearly 30 people had volunteered to lead a wide variety of activities - face painting, story time, arts and crafts, a banjo performance, a sing-along and more. These volunteers were joined by half a dozen local businesses who offered donated goods or services toward the effort, providing visitors and volunteers with snacks and drinks.

With only a few days to spread the word about Joyful Children's Day, we turned to social media. Once we shared the news with our Facebook fans, excitement seemed to spread quickly. Many local businesses - from day cares and dance schools to construction companies and attorneys - helped get the word out by sharing information with their fans. Still, given how quickly the event had come together, there was still some attendance anxiety. We had the volunteers scheduled, we had the events planned... but would people be here to enjoy them?

Dylan loves those scarves!
Dylan was enchanted by the flying scarves in Toddler Park.
In the hour before we opened our doors on January 4, staff members hurried around the Museum, preparing for the busy day to come - inflating balloons, picking up donations of coffee and snacks from local businesses, setting up a welcome station for volunteers. By 9:45, a small crowd had gathered outside the lobby. By the time we officially opened at 10, the atmosphere was already festive - and it stayed that way for the next ten hours. A total of 1,030 visitors had come to play before we closed our doors at 8 that evening. Many of them stayed for hours. Children who'd had their faces painted at 11 could be spotted at the 2 o'clock puppet show, and later found participating in the poetry slam at 3.

"My son was totally stimulated from the time we walked in until we walked out the door," said Jenn Roubo, a mother of two who attended with friend Rebecca Flaherty and her 10-month-old, Dylan. "Dylan's eyes lit right up watching the silk scarves and beach balls floating in the tunnel of air," said Flaherty, who learned of the event on Facebook. "I can remember back when I was five, and the Children's Museum was a lot smaller... and it was still the best thing ever. I would get to be a store clerk, a television reporter and so many other things. It's nice to see how far it's come."

Some families who spent the day
The Discovery Woods was bustling throughout the day.
The Discovery Woods (and all of our other exhibits!) was bustling from 10am until 8pm
with us were enjoying their very first visit to the Museum & Theatre - but hopefully not their last. A group of 45 (including children, parents and teachers) from a Head Start preschool in Biddeford arrived together at 10; many stayed well into the afternoon. Nicole Kent, a substitute teacher at the preschool, had visited the Museum before with her two children (one of whom is a student in the class), but she says that many of her child's classmates were visiting for the first time. Concerns about the cost of admission and transportation had kept them from coming. Joyful Children's Day gave these families an opportunity to explore the Museum together. It also gave Kent a chance to tell them about $1 admission on First Friday nights and show them where to find discounted parking. "Now they're excited to go back," she says.