MAY 2023
(FL) Through Sept. 4, 2023, SPIDERS ALIVE! Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, 352-846-2000. Take an eight-legged walk on the wild side with Spiders Alive! This exciting exhibit dives into the world of spiders, scorpions and their relatives with more than a dozen LIVE species on display. Discover the unique traits and characteristics of this diverse group of animals at this interactive, family-friendly experience! Spiders and their relatives highlight the ecological importance of these animals that include black widows, orb weavers and scorpions. Large touchable models reveal more about spider anatomy and their differences from insects while rare fossils — including one that’s 100 million years old — display species from the past. Videos showcase a variety of unique animal behaviors, such as a diving bell spider living under water and a southern black widow spinning silk. Separate fact from myth and learn about ancient spiders, conservation, venom and more. $8 adults | $7.50 FL. residents, seniors & non-UF college students; $5.50 ages 3-17; FREE for ages 0-2, UF students & Museum members. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/.
(TN) May-August 2023, SUMMER READING PROGRAM, K-12. Madame Tussauds – Nashville, 515 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville, TN 37122, 615-485-4867, monica.jackson@merlinentertainments.biz. Sign up to receive a local library card. Join the summer reading program. Completed reading assignments qualify families for a limited timed time GOBO. Cost of Event: BOGO – Buy 1 adult admission ticket and receive 1 child admission complimentary. madametussauds.com/Nashville.
(NJ) New Jersey State Museum, SMALL EXPLORERS, 2nd Saturday of each month through June 2023, 9:45 or 11:00 am, Ages: 0 to 5 years, NJ State Museum, 205 W. State Street, Trenton, NJ 08060, njsmfsmallexplorers@gmail.com. Small Explorers is a FREE program for children 5 and under and their families to assist with developing school-readiness. Every month we explore a new theme through storytelling, museum objects, crafts, games, and playtime! Program takes place in-person in the Museum from October-June. Two sessions to choose from: 9:45 or 11:00 am. Space is limited, registration required. Registration link available each month on the Museum’s website or Facebook page. Free. www.statemuseum.nj.gov.
(PA) York County History Center, HOMESCHOOL DAYS, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, through May 2023. Sessions generally run from 11 a.m. to noon, with additional sessions added as needed based on interest. Elementary age students. Agricultural and Industrial Museum, 217 W. Princess Street, York PA 17401, 717-848-1587, schools@yorkhistorycenter.org, $5 per student, adults admitted free. Each Homeschool Day at the York County History Center features a different student-centered workshop led by our museum staff and free time to explore our museum and interactive exhibits. Programs are designed for elementary school-age students but younger and older siblings are welcome to participate. Your family will be encouraged to work together, ask questions, and engage with our museum’s STEAM content! www.yorkhistorycenter.org.
(VA) Children’s Museum of Richmond, BILINGUAL STORY TIME, every Thursday at 10:30 AM. Ages 0-8 and their caregivers. Children’s Museum of Richmond – Downtown, 2626 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220804. 474.7000, info@cmorva.org. Join us Thursday in October for a bilingual story time in the Downtown Playhouse! We’ll sing, dance, read and learn Spanish! Free with Museum admission. www.cmorva.org.
(VA) Children’s Museum of Richmond, SPECIAL NIGHTS, every third Friday of the month from 5-7 pm, alternating between our Downtown and Chesterfield locations; first Special Night of 2023 takes place Downtown. All ages. Children’s Museum of Richmond – Downtown, 2626 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220 & Chesterfield, 6629 Lake Harbour Drive, Midlothian, VA 23112, 804.474.7000, info@cmorva.org. The Children’s Museum is excited to host a FREE night for families with children with disabilities on the third Friday of each month from 5:00-7:00 pm. The event will be open for registration about a week prior to each event. Free. www.cmorva.org.
(VA) Children’s Museum of Richmond, TUTUS & TIES, Every Tuesday at 2:00 PM. Ages 0-8 and their caregivers. Children’s Museum of Richmond – Downtown, 2626 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220, 804.474.7000, info@cmorva.org/ Movement and Play are good for children’s bodies and brains. In fact, movement can help increase memory, perception, language comprehension, attention, emotional understanding, and decision making! Join us in the Downtown Playhouse where we’ll dress up and move! Free with Museum admission. www.cmorva.org.
(MD) May 6, 2023, DRAYDEN AFRICAN AMERICAN SCHOOLHOUSE OPEN HOUSE, 11:00 am-2:00 pm. Drayden African American Schoolhouse, 18287 Cherryfield Road, Drayden, Maryland 20630, 301-994-1471. The St. Mary’s County Museum Division, in partnership with the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions (UCAC), will be offering free Open Houses for visitors and the community at the Drayden African American Schoolhouse in Drayden. The Drayden African American Schoolhouse is one of the nation’s best-preserved one-room African American schoolhouses, and its story represents a significant part of St. Mary’s County’s African American history. The St. Mary’s County Museum Division also offers special programs for school, bus, and other tour groups who would like to schedule a visit to the Drayden site. Individual visitors who would like to see the schoolhouse during times outside open house hours can contact the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum at (301) 994-1471 to arrange a visit. For more information about the Drayden African American Schoolhouse Open Houses, programs, admission prices, and more, visit the Drayden African American Schoolhouse Facebook page at Facebook.com/DraydenSchool or call (301) 994-1471.
(PA) May 12, 2023, SPECIAL FIELD TRIP PROGRAM – WOODHICK DAY, 9:30am -1:30pm, Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, 5660 US Route 6 West, Ulysses, PA 16948. Visit the museum to explore the courageous yet reckless spirit of Pennsylvania’s lumber past. Learning stations across the museum will give students the opportunity to watch demonstrations, try hands-on activities and talk with knowledgeable staff to discover what it was like to work in the woods. Learning stations will include: demonstrations from our blacksmith; try your hand at using tools like a cross-cut saw and auger; watch our shingle mill in action; learn about the importance of the CCC program during the Great Depression; talk with the camp cook to learn what it takes to feed a logging camp; he Pennsylvania WoodMobile will be on-site; and so much more! Space is limited and reservations are required. Admission is $3 per students with teachers and chaperons free (so long as they don’t outnumber the students in their party). Interested families or homeschool groups can contact Jennifer Haines at (814)435-2652 or email jenhaines@pa.gov to make reservations. http://lumbermuseum.org/.
(NJ) May 13, 2023, HOORAY FOR BOLLYWOOD! 2:00 pm. For all ages. New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102, (800) 255-3476, information@njsymphony.org. Take a musical journey inspired by Bollywood, the Indian Hindi-language film industry. Hear captivating stories of Bollywood’s meteoric rise to international fame and dance along with special guests to signature music, moves and lyrics of this thrilling genre. New Jersey Symphony family concerts are held in Victoria Theater at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark so the children in your life can sit closer to the action! Tickets start at $10. https://www.njsymphony.org/.
(CT) May 15, 2023, Homeschool Program Aviation Engineering, 10:00am-3:00pm, New England Air Museum, 36 Perimeter Road, Windsor Locks, CT, 06096, 860-623-3305, staff@neam.org. Meet an aviation engineer and practice your aircraft design skills with our paper plane challenge. Homeschool families and co-ops are welcome to participate in our special Homeschool Days or book a customized field trip. Homeschool Days include themed scavenger hunts, hands-on activities, and special open aircraft experiences. All activities (except for flight simulators) are included with Homeschool Day fees. Homeschool Days are from 10:00am-3:00pm and tickets will be available for purchase the day of the event. There is no pre-registration. Adults: $10 per person, Students: $20 per person (Ages 4-17), Ages 3 and under: Free. All students must be accompanied by an adult and activities/programs are subject to change. Museum memberships, complimentary passes, library passes, corporate admission passes, or other discounts do not apply to homeschool day fees. www.neam.org. .
(MD) May 17, 2023, BUDDING BOTANISTS, 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Recommended for Grades 2 to 5. Masonville Cove Environmental Education Campus. 1000 Frankfurst Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21226, 410-354-7180, vbandell@livingclassrooms.org. This day is All About Plants! Students will explore Masonville’s Nature trails and learn how to identify different native plants and test their skills at identifying the different plant parts in nature. In the lab, students will learn about plant anatomy beginning with a seed dissection and then get up close and personal- viewing leaves, roots, stems, and flowers through a microscope. But plants aren’t just on land! Discover how aquatic plants adapt in our watery environments by modeling adaptation in this hands-on lab. $20/participant. www.masonvillecove.org.