Museum & Gardens

Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 9am-5pm
Thursday 9am-4pm*
Friday 9am-4pm*
Saturday 9am-4pm*
Sunday 9am-5pm

*Festival Hours: 5:30-9:30pm.
Info & Tickets

Play Along! The Mirror Song

There are so many things to learn in Hot Toast Music Co.’s songs each week. Let’s learn together and make discoveries! Each week’s Singalong Saturdays will include ways to connect ideas in the songs to fun at-home activities you can do together as a family. Simple activities are multidisciplinary and appropriate for a wide variety of learners. They include storytime, artmaking, science explorations, film suggestions, discussion prompts, and more!

Singalong

Storytime! Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o

Download Activity Guide

Song: The Mirror Song

Watch the song, and sing along! (https://youtu.be/yBCGocAIrFA)

Join Miss Jenny and read Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o (https://youtu.be/cJVnlGtvkgU)

Watch this little girl discover what is special about her in, The Reflection of Me. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9OOXCu5XMg)

Sesame Street on the street! Watch as children talk about what makes them special. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrPm7BasRBo)

Talk about it!

We are all special. And you are uniquely you! After listening to Mr. Symon’s song and Ms. Jenny’s story, reflect on what you learned by using these questions as prompts.
⦁ What are things that make you special?
⦁ What are things that make your friends and family special?
⦁ What are ways we can be kind to each other and make everyone feel special?

Creative Challenges: All About YOU!

Mail a Hug

For this project you will be creating a self-portrait. A self-portrait is when the artist (you) create your own image. When we create self-portraits, we have to look and think about what we look like.

After you create your self-portrait, think of someone you would like to mail it to. We have been living apart for several weeks now, and somebody would love to have your self-portrait hug!

You will need:
⦁ Pen or pencil
⦁ Long piece of paper (or you can tape several pieces together)
⦁ Paint, markers, crayons, colored pencils (anything you have around to color with)
⦁ Envelope and stamps (to mail your hug)

  1. Lay out the long piece of paper and have your child lay down with arms extended.
  2. Trace child’s head and arm shape onto paper.
  3. After the outline is traced, have your child color themselves in! This is a great time to talk about your child’s hair color, eye color and everything else that makes them unique and beautiful.
  4. Optional: Once complete, cut your “hug” out and fold neatly to put in an envelope to be sent to a loved one!

Self Portrait Collage

This project allows you to pull together whatever materials you have around your house to create a portrait that is uniquely you! Look around for yard, cardboard, buttons, beads and more to see what you can find to represent you.

You will need:
(The items for this project are open to just about any supplies you have, listed below are suggested items)
⦁ Mirror for face reflection
⦁ Paper in whatever color you choose. You will need paper for the background of your self-portrait and paper to cut the neck and head from
⦁ Scissors
⦁ Glue, tape, or another adhesive
⦁ String or yarn
⦁ Markers, crayons, or other drawing materials

  1. Start by cutting out shapes for your head and neck. After you cut these out, adhere them to another sheet of paper. This will be the base of your creation.
  2. Start by looking in the mirror- what do you see? What do you want to add to your face? Maybe gemstones for eyes? Or string for hair?
  3. Adhere or draw in your face. Add as many details as you can to create art that is truly reflective of you!

Self-Affirmations

Creating self-affirmations is a wonderful way to remind yourself of why you are special and unique in this world. Self-affirmations are personal encouragements that we can give ourselves every day! They can be reminders when we are feeling down and need some encouragement.
You will need:
⦁ Notecards or small pieces of paper
⦁ Something to store the cards in
⦁ Pen or pencil
⦁ Drawing materials
⦁ Something to store the affirmations in (like a box)

  1. You will start by writing the affirmations on the card or paper. These words or phrases will reflect positive things about yourself. Example: “I am smart”, “I am capable”, “I love my hair”, “I can handle anything that comes my way”
  2. After the words are on paper, get creative and decorate the cards in ways that will remind you of what you wrote down.
  3. Store the cards in a special place- maybe in a box or a jar. Read one every day or when you are need a confidence boost.
Download Activity Guide
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