July 10, 2008

ACM NEWS

ACM/Nickelodeon Children’s Museum Promotion
WHAT: Participate in a national promotion of children’s museums in GoCityKids Steals & Deals. Participants will agree to honor a "buy one adult ticket, get one child ticket free" coupon for the month of October 2008.
WHO: All ACM open museum members are welcome to participate — there are no fees.
WHEN: Participants must respond to ACM by July 31, 2008.
WHY: Participation in a national promotion increases the awareness that children’s museums impact communities across the U.S. GoCityKids.ParentsConnect.com is winner of a Webby Award for Best Family/Parenting Web site, has approximately one million unique users each month and serves more than 200,000 newsletter subscribers each week. The coupon is national in its focus and provides editorial exposure for the children’s museum field; it’s not just a coupon.

If your museum would like apply as a GoCityKids Children’s Museum Deal participant, please complete the online form at the link below.
http://www.childrensmuseums.org/programs/gocitykids.htm

Bring Kids Dig Dirt! To the Table
One of the ways you become a community leader is by demonstrating that you have something to offer, and that you want to work collaboratively. Take advantage of the Kids Dig Dirt! Green Paper, which ACM has now posted as a free download on the ACM public portion of the Web site. Tell organizations in your community about your children’s museum resource — in other words own it and use it to build partnerships with organizations that seek to connect children to nature through outdoor play.

In order to download a free copy, we are asking for individuals to register so that we can track its dissemination. So please, pass on the link to your parks department, health officials, Boys & Girls Clubs and any organization that might be interested to partner with you.
http://www.childrensmuseums.org/programs/health.htm#latestdevelopments

InterActivity 2009 Session Proposal Deadline: July 14, 2008
ACM is especially in need of Marketing/PR, Visitor Services/Operations, Leadership and Finance/Development presentations. Share your impact with colleagues today! Click below to read the InterActivity 2009 theme statement and to submit your proposal.
Submit InterActivity 2009 Session Proposals

InterActivity 2008 Session Presentations Available Electronically
Misplaced a session handout? Couldn’t make it to Denver? Looking for the most current professional development resources for staff? More than 40 presentations/handouts from the annual meeting are available to download. Log on to the ACM Member’s Only Web site, select the Access link to reach the Bulletin Board and discover InterActivity 2008 content.

Museum Disaster Planning & Recovery Tool Kit Available
Disaster can strike at any moment. In the United States alone the number of declared major disasters has nearly doubled in the past 15 years. Though each situation is unique, any organization can be better prepared if it plans carefully, puts emergency procedures in place and practices for emergencies of all kinds. ACM has gathered resources that can help children’s museum navigate through the process of disaster preparedness. Log on to the ACM Member’s Only Web site, select the Access link and look for the Disaster Planning Tool Kit link on the right side of the page.

MEMBER NEWS

Children’s Museum of Phoenix Opens!
Congratulations to the Children’s Museum of Phoenix (AZ), which reopened June 14 after completing a $22.8 million project! The museum’s anticipates hosting more than 300,000 visitors a year at its new home, a renovated 1913 three-story elementary school that features many green materials and finishes — from particleboard made of sunflower seed hulls to recycled paper countertops to eco-friendly VOC free paint. Watch video from the museum’s festive grand opening at the following link:
http://www.childrensmuseumofphoenix.org/press-media/multimedia.aspx

Brooklyn Children’s Museum Receives Project of the Year Honors
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum (NY) expansion has been named the 2008 “Project of the Year” by the Society of American Registered Architects/New York Council. The museum will reopen in September 2008.

Designed by internationally renowned architect Rafael Viñoly, the expanded museum will be twice its former size and features a new Kids Café, a children’s library and four all-new permanent exhibitions exploring science, world cultures, the arts and the environment. The new facility incorporates a variety of high-performance technologies and eco-friendly materials, providing children with first-hand lessons in energy efficiency and environmental conservation.

Wisconsin Governor Visits Children’s Museum of Eau Claire
On July 7, the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire (WI) hosted a press conference for Governor Jim Doyle who announced the launch of the Department of Children and Families. The Department’s mission is to protect children, strengthen families and build communities. The museum offered free admission during the governor’s visit.

Stepping Stones Joins Staycation Destination Campaign
Here’s a bit of inspiration that not just a lot of hot air. Visitors of Stepping Stones Museum for Children (Norwalk, CT) can download a discount coupon from the museum’s Web site worth the daily market price of a gallon of gas. Families who purchase two full-price admission tickets can use the coupon to offset the total cost of visiting the museum.

The Stepping Stones Museum promotion is part of Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell’s Staycation Destination initiative, a comprehensive marketing campaign to showcase attractions, lodging and dining throughout the state and to assist families confronting high fuel costs.

Strong National Museum of Play® Launches Journal
Strong National Museum of Play (Rochester, NY) will launch the American Journal of Play, a quarterly journal that is the first interdisciplinary journal dedicated solely to the study of play. The inaugural issue will be available in late July.

American Journal of Play aims to increase awareness and understanding of the role of play in learning and human development and the ways in which play illuminates American cultural history. The journal is intended for museum professionals, educators, psychologists, play therapists, sociologists, anthropologists, folklorists, historians, toy and game designers, policy makers and others interested in children and the importance of play.

For additional information or to subscribe to the American Journal of Play, visit: http://www.americanjournalofplay.org/

Save on Discount School Supply Orders
For the past 20 years, Discount School Supply has served as a leading developer, manufacturer and retailer of educational products for childcare programs, preschools, elementary schools and museums. As an ACM Affinity Partner, Discount School Supply offers ACM members a 10% discount and special freight terms on all items in its catalog.

OPPORTUNITIES

2008 Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids is Saturday, September 20
This is a great opportunity to galvanize national attention on the importance of spending meaningful time with children. ACM is serving as an Honor Roll partner and encourages all museum members host an event or participate in a celebration with local Boys & Girls Clubs and other community groups. Planning for and participating in these events can include family picnics, street carnivals, parades, back to school rallies, ice cream socials. For program and planning ideas, visit http://www.dayforkids.org/.

Email ACM’s Communication Program Officer, Diane Kopasz, at if you are hosting an event so that she can have it incorporated into the Boys & Girls Club’s Making Memories Family Activities Calendar.

Fellowships for Mid Atlantic Association of Museums’ Annual Meeting
Mid Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM) will award up to six fellowships to its annual meeting, scheduled October 26-29, 2008, in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the fellowship is to make attendance at the annual meeting affordable for promising graduate students, emerging professionals and first-time meeting attendees. Each fellow will receive: $500 towards transportation, meals and lodging; free registration; and a one-year membership in MAAM. Applications are due August 22.

For full eligibility requirements and to complete an application download:
http://www.midatlanticmuseums.org/Documents/MAAM_2008_Fellowship_Letter.doc

Design Squad Trash To Treasure Competition
Sponsored by Intel Foundation and in corporation with public broadcaster WGBH Boston, the design competition challenges children of all ages to take everyday discarded or recycled materials and re-engineer them into functional, usable new items or products. The grand prize winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize. Deadline is August 31.

To host a Trash to Treasure event at your museum or to learn more about the competition, visit the following link:http://pbskids.org/designsquad/

Free Science Activity Materials
Available this fall, the WGBH Boston’s series “FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN” is distributing a free science activity guide. The kit includes six new, hands-on science activities with invisible ink, camouflage and rubbery gobbledy-gook. Each reproducible activity sheet comes with science explanations, extension activities and a free game.

To order a free FETCH! resource kit, email your name, organization, mailing address, email and phone number to: fetchnews@wgbh.org

Obtain Free Email Marketing Services
Email marketerConstant Contact has created a new charitable program, Cares4Kids. Current Constant Contact customers in good standing can nominate one nonprofit with social or educational programs that support children for a free account. Selected organizations will be accepted into the Care4Kids program and will receive one free account to conduct email marketing and online surveys.

For more information, visit:
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/cares4kids.jsp

Design for Children IN Nature
The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) will hold its 6th Annual Design Institute, Design for Children IN Nature, on August 7-9, 2008, at Marbles Kids Museum (Raleigh, NC).

CLASSIFIED

There are 7 grant and award opportunities on the National Grants and Awards Calendar. Here are some highlights with upcoming deadlines:
The Lego Children’s Fund, Foundation Grants — August 1
National Gardening Association and Gardener’s Supply, — October 15
The American Academy of Dermatology’s Shade Structure Program — April 10, 2009 
 
There are 17 openings on ACM Museum Jobs section. Here are some of the latest postings:
The Children's Museum of the Upstate [Education Program Associate]
(Greenville, SC)
Grand Rapids Children’s Museum [Exhibits Manager] (Grand Rapids, MI)
Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville [Executive Director] (Evansville, IN)   

All E-Updates are available online. We welcome member contributions: press clippings, exhibit information, major announcements. Please forward all materials for the E-Update and ACMForum to acm@ChildrensMuseums.org.