December 2004 & January 2005 issue

Contents:

Letter From Lindy - Make the Museum a Holiday Tradition

Forecast: Expect the Snowflake Lady

Taking Play Seriously: Traveling Exhibit Shows the Hard Work of Play

Host your Holiday Party at Omaha Children's Museum!

Come Play With Us: Volunteer at the museum

Letter From Lindy - Make the Museum a Holiday Tradition
It is the holiday season. Love it or loathe it, it is here. I can't think of a child I've ever known who doesn't love this time of the year. They wish and dream for everything under the sun and believe that behaving and doing nice things will help them realize their short term dreams. Although kids rarely get everything they want, the excitement built up in anticipation can carry them through the disappointment of the practical adults who didn't check everything off the list.

As a member of Omaha Children's Museum, you can add a trip to the museum to your list. If you are planning a trip for your family, it's probably not much more work to invite another family to join you, too. You'll have twice as much fun and the museum is equipped to handle the indoor play often required at this time of year. Or give family or friends the gift of museum membership this holiday season.

We've planned a very exciting 2005. Invention at Play opens the year. This nationally acclaimed exhibit is totally interactive and includes actual artifacts from the Smithsonian. In July, we host Five Friends from Japan, a traveling exhibit that will introduce you to family life in Japan. Summer camps will return, and you won't want to miss the annual museum birthday party we throw ourselves each year.

I have to admit, I love this time of the year. In spite of the hectic schedules of five children and making time for shopping, baking and decorating, I still love the hassle of it all. I'll even add to my extensive list a day set aside to invite a new family into the world of Omaha Children's Museum.
Lindy J. Hoyer
Executive Director

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Forecast: Expect the Snowflake Lady
No two snowflakes are alike, especially when one is a dinosaur and another is a Christmas tree. Just ask the Snowflake Lady (a.k.a. Marion Nichols), who will bring her unique snowflake-making talents to Omaha Children's Museum beginning Nov. 30, 2004.

Making the snowflakes is easy and fun. Nichols provides the design cut-outs and all participants have to do is fold along the dotted lines, cut along the solid lines and unfold.

Not only will children and adults be able to make one-of-a-kind snowflakes, Nichols also entertains by telling fascinating and true stories of her father’s adventures in the old country.

Nichols created her snowflake art a few years ago while cutting snowflakes for her Christmas tree. She saw a nature program on television about a picture of a tiger that was then opened like a fan into a kaleidoscope of tigers. Immediately, she noticed the similarity of the tiger and the snowflakes she was cutting. She wondered if it was possible to include animals and other designs in her snowflakes. Her first design was a Christmas tree, and it snowballed from there. Nichols began making snowflakes with animals, initials and even a person's silhouette. She wanted to share her new art, so the City Museum in St. Louis allowed her to open a station in its Art City section, where she is now director.

This program is sponsored by The Nebraska Arts Council and Children's Hospital.

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Taking Play Seriously: Traveling Exhibit Shows the Hard Work of Play
Inventor Thomas A. Edison said, "Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." One can almost see Edison perspiring through a New Jersey summer in his shirtsleeves as he explored his ideas through trial and error to eventually reach his goal. We know he was inventing. But could he also have been playing?

Edison may have been doing both, according to Invention at Play, the traveling exhibit opening at Omaha Children's Museum Jan. 29. The exhibit, developed at the Smithsonian Institution, explores the inventive side of play and the playful side of invention.

It's now known that play and invention are just two sides of the same coin. The enthusiasm inventors take in solving problems creatively is drawn from the same well that keeps children at play for hours, unaware of the time.

At Invention at Play, visitors will get to do just that. By working with a large magnet wall and kitchen utensils, creating block towers on a wobbly surface and devising wind-powered devices and tessellation patterns, visitors of all ages will have opportunities to engage in four distinct types of play that foster inventive thinking.

Many inventors say that mechanical tinkering, fiddling with construction toys, reflecting in and about nature, and drawing or engaging in other forms of visual modeling inspired them to become inventors.

"All sorts of things can happen when you're open to new ideas and playing around with things," said Stephanie Kwolek, inventor of Kevlar.

The exhibit, developed by the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., is founded on the idea that being creative and inventive is not only for geniuses. Everyone has skills and talents similar to those which aid inventors in the process of creation.

Invention at Play includes case studies of five inventors with brief stories of many additional inventors, artifacts from the collections at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, a variety of small and large-scale invention activities, four videos and several other components.

Invention at Play will be on display at the museum Jan. 29 – May 1 in the upstairs traveling gallery.

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Host your Holiday Party at Omaha Children's Museum!
By Hilary Nather, Dir. of Development

Looking for a new and exciting location for a winter holiday party or event? Look no further!

Plan your evening soirée at Omaha Children's Museum. Rental packages are available, from a few rooms at the museum to the entire 60,000 square foot space. The museum is a perfect place to host a family event, an adult cocktail party or even a sit-down dinner. Rental space and price varies, offering accommodations that range from small intimate groups of 10 to large groups of 850. The museum is a fabulous location to host an event and the facility itself offers an ambience not found elsewhere.

For more detailed information or questions, contact (402) 342-6164 x418 or hnather@ocm.org.

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Come play with us
Volunteer at Omaha Children's Museum
By Jennie Mathisen, Dir. of Guest Service

The museum is seeking volunteers—both the young and the young at heart—who are fun, enthusiastic, creative and enjoy working with children and their parents.

Volunteers make a difference in the life of a child by sharing their skills and having fun, while creating lasting memories for the entire family. Volunteer duties include meeting new people by welcoming visitors to the museum, explaining and maintaining the exhibits, interacting and encouraging families to have a memorable museum experience.

Omaha Children's Museum is a creative and energetic environment where volunteers can "play" while they work! Volunteering is fun and rewarding. It also requires elbow grease and a commitment to the museum.

OCM's flexible scheduling and varied assignments include many engaging opportunities for adults and youth. (Youth ages 13 - 16 are required to have parental permission.)

Volunteers are needed for weekdays weekends during public hours and for museum-sponsored events and outreach programs.

Service organizations, civics students, retired educators, community involved individuals, sport teams, families and those who enjoy giving of themselves and their time are welcomed to fill out an application. Applications may be picked up at the admissions desk.

For more information, contact (402) 930-2343 or jmathisen@ocm.org.

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