Join us at the Funhouse Commons for our 20th Science Fair, happening on Saturday, April 27th, from 12-4 PM!

This incredible journey began in 2001, aimed at celebrating and inspiring the marvels of discovery achieved by young scientific minds.

After a four-year hiatus, we're thrilled to announce the return of this cherished tradition, revitalized and ready to bring excitement back to our community.

All Orcas K-12 students are invited to register their projects, and we extend a warm invitation to community members interested in sharing their work in conservation and environmental science. If you'd like to be a vendor or volunteer at the science fair, please contact Ryan@thefunhouse.org

Our Earth Day themed Science Fair promises free food and beverages, live music, community exhibits, and, most importantly, the incredible displays of wonder from our young participants.

Every participant will receive an award, and our esteemed wandering wizards will select the top three prizes in elementary, middle, and high school categories, with the prestigious Richie Moore "Rocket Ship of Wonder" awarded to the top three best-in-show science projects.

Here's the breakdown of prizes:

• High School: 1st place $500, 2nd place $350, 3rd place $250
• Middle School: 1st place $250, 2nd place $150, 3rd place $100
• Elementary: 1st place $100, 2nd place $75, 3rd place $50

We're reaching out to our community for support in raising $5,000 to cover the costs of food, beverages, awards, prizes, and supplies needed for this extraordinary event. We're also seeking volunteers to assist with setup, activities, and cleanup. As always, your tax-deductible donation and/or volunteer time are greatly appreciated and critical to making this event a resounding success.

Remember, it takes both a village and a Funhouse to make magic happen!

Warm regards,

Ryan Carpenter, Executive Director

Story of the Month - Family Reading Time

Primetime

Family Reading Program

The Primetime Family Reading Program is a new collaboration between the Funhouse and the Orcas Public Library. A six week reading program held at the Funhouse, where stories are read in both English and Spanish, models that reading is fun and easy and encourages families to have conversations about the books they read. Griselda Cruz, Marisela Medina and Jenny Degroot are the facilitators of this highly interactive and well attended program, reading 2 books each week in both Spanish & English. Families get to keep the books to take home with them. “This program is important to the community because it encourages a love for reading. Really no one ever told me that I needed to do these things with my child. This program shows people how we can do these things as a family,’ says Griselda. “This program is important to me because we can strengthen in the children a passion for reading. Reading is so important because it can show us things we don’t know. I also see that times are changing; the more education my children have the more doors will open for them, added Marisela. “The Funhouse means a lot to me because it is a place where children can be safe.” “It’s a place where parents can leave their children in order to work, knowing that they will be safe. And, it’s the FUN house– it is a place where they can be safe, but apart from that, they can have fun!” Griselda agrees. “In short, for me, it's a FUN house. There are many activities here. I like it because they are always thinking about us Latinas. I think that the work of the Funhouse is very broad, because they also do things for parents and not just for children.” 

Programa de Lectura Familiar: Primetime 

El Programa de Lectura Familiar Primetime es una nueva colaboración entre Funhouse y la Biblioteca Pública de Orcas. Un programa de lectura de seis semanas que se lleva a cabo en Funhouse, donde se leen cuentos tanto en inglés como en español, demuestra que la lectura es divertida y fácil y anima a las familias a tener conversaciones sobre los libros que leen. Griselda Cruz, Marisela Medina y Jenny Degroot son las facilitadoras de este programa altamente interactivo y con mucha asistencia, leyendo 2 libros cada semana tanto en español como en inglés. Las familias se quedan con los libros y se los llevan a casa. “Para que fomentan el amor a la lectura. Realmente nunca me exiliaron que tenían que hacer esas cosas con mis niños. Y enseña a la gente que podemos hacer esas cosas como familia,” dice Griselda. “Pueden aprender algo, podemos fortalecerlos a ellos…por ejemplo podemos hacerlos un pasión a leer. Yo veo personas que tienen una,” añadido Marisela. “En pocas palabras, para mi, es una casa divertida. Muchas actividades aquí– me gusta porque siempre pensamos en nosotras latinas, y también es una pequeña guardería. Y las personas pueden usarlo muy independiente de la guardería. Yo pienso que el trabajo del funhouse es muy grande, porque además hacen cosas para los papás y no solo para los niños. Griselda está de acuerdo. “Me significa mucho, porque es un lugar donde los niños pueden estar seguros. donde los padres pueden dejarlos y trabajar, sabiendo que los niños van a estar bien. Es un lugar de diversión– un lugar donde están seguros, pero aparte de eso, se divierten.”

More FUN stuff to check out! Join Us!

REGISTER here

and come hang out with us!

Only 12 spots available so

REGISTER soon!



Looking for a Summer Events Intern!

The Funhouse Summer Event Interns will meet four times throughout the summer to plan at least three community events geared for High School-aged people. 

• Choose what events to host (ex. outdoor movies, bonfires, parties) 

• Set dates for the events

• Develop a promotional timeline and action plan 

• Carry out and help host the events, including set-up and break down. 

The internship runs from May to August, with meetings once a month and events in June, July and August. A $100 stipend is available for each intern, upon full commitment of summer responsibilities. Please return your application along with a resume to maddie@thefunhouse.org by May 13th, 2024. 

APPLICATION can be found here!

Woohoo!

Summer Camp Registration NOW open!

REGISTER HERE