Clinton Area Chamber Of Commerce issued the following announcement on Sept. 8.
The Felix Adler Children's Discovery Center, "Clinton, Iowa's Children's Museum!” will offer activities to celebrate Patriot Day at Funtime Friday, and they begin a new weekly program on Saturday afternoons called Saturday Special. The children’s museum is offering a birthday party special for the month of September with free arm painting. And Pizza Hut will sponsor a fundraising night on Monday.
Funtime Friday: Patriot Day
Funtime Friday is the Discovery Center’s popular program for young children and their grown-ups, held every Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. The activity for Friday, September 12, will be a celebration of Patriot Day. Come learn about 911 and do a craft to show your pride for the red, white and blue. Participants will be socially distanced as they experience the shared activities. No snack will be served.
Saturday Special: A New Program Every Saturday Afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
The Discovery Center education staff has added a new program to their weekly line up of offerings, hoping to help area families with their at-home learning experiences. Saturday Special will be held every Saturday afternoon, from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Children and families are invited to drop in for a fun and educational discovery time together. Each week the children’s museum will present an opportunity for hands-on learning with topics including science demos, art techniques, engineering challenges, musical exploration, games, cultural topics, and much more.
Last Saturday afternoon, Michelle Kelley, an engineer with Lyondell-Basell, brought in her sons’ Lego Boost robot. She demonstrated his capabilities then let museum guests program and operate him using computer coding on an accompanying tablet. Lego Boost is designed to introduce children to computer programming by playing with motorized creations and utilizing simple commands.
The Saturday Special program requires no advance registration and is free with regular museum admission.
Upcoming topics include:
September 12, Saturday Science/Slime Lab-- participants will delve into the wacky world of chemical reactions and understand what really goes on when they make slime of two varieties, traditional slime, and puffy slime.
September 19, Creation Station -- museum visitors will use art supplies and found objects to craft their own unique creation to take home. It will be an open workshop atmosphere for all ages with example projects provided for inspiration.
September 26, Twist Balloons -- Come learn the basics of balloon twisting from Sheryl Huizenga, of Fulton. She'll feature the bumble bee, and also teach other basic balloon moves. Children and adults alike will be introduced to the skill of making balloon art.
Birthday Party Special
The Discovery Center is running a special for birthdays and other parties during the month of September. Customers who reserve a private party room and hold their party at the children’s museum in September, will receive free arm painting for their party guests. This is a $15 savings.
To enhance safety, the Discovery Center has transitioned to arm painting, rather than their much-loved face painting. Arm painting uses a plexiglass window on a stand to separate the painter and the paintee. The window sits on top of a table and provides just enough clearance for the paintee to put his or her arm under for painting. And, while wearing masks, communication and friendliness can still be enjoyed. They Discovery Center has been using this arm painting method successfully since offering it at the LumberKings’ stadium on the Fourth of July.
Families can choose from two private event rooms each adorned with hand-painted murals. Each room has a kitchenette and tables and chairs for guests. There are no restrictions on food that may be brought in. Room rental includes admission to the children’s museum for all party guests. Please call the Discovery Center to reserve dates and times.
Pizza Hut Fundraising Night
Pizza Hut on North Second Street, in Clinton, will hold a fundraising night for the non-profit children’s museum on Monday, September 14, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Customers can order pizza for delivery or carry out, as the restaurant is not conducting dine-in service. Carry out service is particularly easy for customers. Pizza Hut employees bring the pizza out to the customer’s car for ease of pick-up. The Discovery Center will receive 20% of everything sold during the two-hour fundraiser.
Monarch Caterpillar and Butterfly Exhibit
A seasonal exhibit currently on display at the Discovery Center is the monarch caterpillar habitat. Many monarch butterfly eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalises are on display to teach about the insect’s lifecycle. Guests can watch caterpillars eat milkweed, make chrysalises and hatch into butterflies. The exhibit will continue until after the Great Migration, sometime in late September, when area butterflies will join the group flight south to over winter.
New Hours & New Way to Stay Safe and Play
The Discovery Center is open adjusted hours and is following a procedure for “a new way to stay safe and play.” Hours are Fridays and Saturdays with a morning play period from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and an afternoon play period from 2:30 to 5 p.m. The mid-day closure is a time for museum staff to sanitize and disinfect surfaces and to replace toys and costumes. On Sundays, the Discovery Center will be open for an afternoon play period from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Face masks are required for everyone ages two and older. Guests may wear their own masks or they may get one at the Discovery Center. Disposable masks are available for purchase for $1. If cloth masks are preferred, they are available to rent for $1.
Other reopening differences at the Discovery Center include the turning off of drinking fountains for hygiene reasons. Guests are encouraged to bring their own drinking water if desired. Bottled water will also be available to purchase for $1.
Guests are asked not to bring in food or snacks to be eaten during general playtimes. The only food allowed is for scheduled private parties held inside the closed party rooms.
Also, as a precaution, members of the public who are experiencing fever, cough, shortness of breath, or who have been in close contact with someone who is ill with COVID-19, are asked to not enter the Discovery Center at this time.
The mission of the Felix Adler Children’s Discovery Center is to provide a safe and positive environment for families to discover the world by exploring arts, culture, literacy and science through educational programs and interactive exhibits. They turn no one away based on inability to pay.
The Discovery Center is located at 332 8th Avenue South in downtown Clinton, Iowa, at the foot of the U.S. 30 Bridge over the mighty Mississippi – where the Lincoln Highway meets the Great River Road.
Museum admission is $4 per person ages two to 64, $3 per person ages 65 and older, free for children one and younger, and free for members of the children's museum.
Contact them at (563) 243-3600, email at info@adlerdiscoverycenter.org or message them on Facebook at FelixAdlerChildren’sDiscoveryCenter.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Clinton Area Chamber Of Commerce
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