Children’s Museum of Atlanta welcomes 2018 with engaging programming

ATLANTA (December 18, 2017) – Families are invited to kick off the New Year with Children’s Museum of Atlanta! Whether little ones are snapping photos with Sid the Science Kid, learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through special programming or building a drum to celebrate the Chinese New Year, January is sure to be jam-packed with educational fun!

Feature Exhibit: Sid the Science Kid: The Super-Duper Exhibit!
Through January 15, 2018

This thrilling traveling exhibit brings the award-winning PBS KIDS TV series Sid the Science Kid to life. Children will be able to step into Sid’s world and become “science kids” themselves as they discover and investigate everyday science questions around Sid’s home, at school in the Super Fab Lab and on the playground. Through fun, hands-on activities, kids will use scientific tools to learn about simple machines, the laws of motion, magnetism, air power and the five senses. It’s sure to be a super-duper-ooper-schmooper good time!

Themed daily programming during Sid the Science Kid: The Super-Duper Exhibit! will occur through January 15, 2018. Programming subject to change and may be altered during special events. All programs included with admission unless otherwise noted.

Sid the Science Kid Appearance
Every Monday at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Kids are invited to meet and take photos with Sid the Science Kid on the Children’s Museum of Atlanta stage!

Mini-Musical: Hilarity Academy written by John Jenkins
Weekdays at 11 a.m. and noon; Weekends at noon and 2 p.m.
Congratulations and welcome to Hilarity Academy – a place where science and comedy collide! Children will join Professor Punchline as he teaches Jo King how to incorporate laughter in the world around him.

Story Time
Weekdays at 3 p.m.; Weekends at 1 p.m.
“Sid the Science Kid” books
Little ones can gather around as the Imaginators read all about Sid’s adventures and teach children new science vocabulary. 

Music and Movement
Weekdays at 2 p.m.; Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Sunday at 11 a.m.
Kids are in for some bone-ified fun, featuring a skeleton scavenger hunt and, of course, the Hokey Pokey!

Super Spectacular Science Show
Weekdays at 1 p.m. and Weekends at 4 p.m.
Professor Lab Coat and her assistants will lead a mesmerizing science demonstration for the entire Museum. Kids are invited to join her to see what kind of fun she and her assistants have cooked up! Questions are encouraged at the end of the show.

Eat A Georgia Rainbow
Sunday at 3 p.m.
Children will embark on a scavenger hunt and cold cooking activity with the Imaginators to learn more about fruits and veggies harvested in Georgia throughout the year.

Dr. Wondershop: The Science Wondershop with Brian "Dr. Science" Williams
Sundays at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.
The Science Wondershop offers children the opportunity to explore science through a variety of hands-on activities. The program is designed for adult and child interaction to encourage imagination, curiosity and an interest in our world. Limited space available. A sign-up sheet will be located behind Security and is available on a first come first serve basis for the first 10 children and 10 adults.

Art Studio Projects
Weekdays 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Weekends 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Little ones can discover colors and explore artists from around the world through various crafts like creating 3D teeth models, examining X-Ray pictures, drafting secret messages using invisible ink and making an extra bouncy ball. 

Build It Lab
Weekdays, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Weekends 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Children will put their woodworking and creative tools to the test in this supervised space where they have access to real tools and materials. Encouraging inventions, Build It Lab sparks creativity by allowing young innovators to build items such as an extending grabber using materials such as straws, popsicle sticks and tape. 

Science Bar
Weekdays 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Weekends 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Science is everywhere, especially on the mezzanine at the Museum! Step Up to Science is the new STEM exhibit area and features interactive exhibits about light, robotics and how the human body works! Families can saddle up to the science bar for a full menu of fun activities, knowledge and have their questions turned into answers by one of the STEM educators. Throughout October, Professor Labcoat is exploring uncanny science! Kids are invited to piece together Bob – the Museum’s model skeleton, create ooey-gooey monster slime and learn what causes things to glow in the dark!

Sewing Thursdays
10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Children, along with parents and guardians, have the opportunity to work together to hand sew holiday themed creations! Little ones can drop in the open studio at any time. Fabric, thread and sewing machines will be provided along with professional instruction.

Building Blocks Programs
Recommended for children one-five years old

Tiny Club Monday
10:30 a.m.
Designed for little minds, Tiny Club Monday offers FOODiE Club, SCiENCE Club, ARTiST Club and BUiLDER Club for children ages 2-5 and caregivers to enjoy together. The 30 minute classes offer hands on activities, professional instruction and the chance to create and learn something new!

Messy Thursdays
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Little visitors and guardians are invited to get messy! Messy Thursdays offer slime, finger painting and more! Let the Children’s Museum of Atlanta clean up the mess while the little ones have a blast. New, messy activities await every week to try, offering endless opportunities.

Toddler Jam Fridays
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Kids are invited to rock and roll into the weekend with this high energy, music-filled class guaranteed to shake out the wiggles and foster a love of music. Each week little ones can enjoy new songs, instrument play, circle time activities and, of course, dance breaks.

January Special Programming

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Monday, January 15

• Special Program: Lessons from Dr. King and our Civil Rights leaders
  11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
  In this special reader’s theatre program, kids will learn about key leaders who took part in the 1960s Civil Rights movement – many of whom marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr! Activities include dressing up in clothes from that time period, listening to tales of the leaders’ lives and accomplishments and more!
• Special Program: I have a Dream…
  Noon
  Little ones are invited to experience a Children’s Museum of Atlanta tradition when Imaginator Jerry G. White recites Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Jerry’s rendition of the iconic speech encourages adults and children to continue King’s vision in their own communities. 
• Special Story Time
  3 p.m.
  Families can gather around as the Imaginators read “We All Love Pancakes” by Jennifer Greevy, illustrated by Jesse Mader to highlight the similarities among us and the importance of appreciating each other’s differences.
• Art Studio
  10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  Children can visit the Art Studio to create their very own paper dove – a symbol that signifies love, peace, and unity – key objectives of Dr. King’s vision and legacy.
• Build It Lab
  10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  Dr. King worked tirelessly toward his dream of equality in the United States and will always be remembered for his efforts. Kids are encouraged to express their own dream in the Build It Lab by creating a dream mobile using wood and various craft materials.

Better Me, Better You
January 16-26

• Music and Movement: Emotions in Motion
  Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Sunday at 11 a.m.; Weekdays at 2 p.m.
  The Imaginators, along with fan-favorite emojis, will help little ones explore their own emotions and how to interpret other’s feelings through song and dance.
• Mini-Musical: A Better Me, A Better You
  Saturday and Sunday at noon and 2 p.m.; Weekdays at 11 a.m. and noon
  Written by Jerry G. White; Musical Arrangements by Abe White
  Children will meet a helpful puppet named XO who teaches his friends, Jules the Toy Expert and EJ, about the importance of giving and volunteering. The mini-musical teaches how simple actions have lasting effects on others and how a little kindness can change the world in a big way.
• Story Time
  Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.; Weekdays at 3 p.m.
  Families can gather around as the Imaginators read “We All Love Pancakes” by Jennifer Greevy and illustrated by Jesse Mader to highlight the similarities among us and the importance of appreciating each other’s differences.
• Art Studio
  Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Weekdays from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  Inspired by the mini-musical, A Better Me, A Better You, kids can continue to learn about emotions by creating a paper plate emoji wheel.
• Build It Lab
  Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Weekdays from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  Using real tools under supervision, little ones can build a personalized friendship box to hold keepsakes and trinkets. If time permits, kids can also build a box for a friend!

Celebrate Chinese New Year: A Cultural Exploration
Sunday, January 28

• Special Performance: Atlanta Chinese Dance Company
  11:30 a.m.
  In celebration of the Chinese New Year, the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company will educate and entertain families about the holiday through traditional dances.
• Music and Movement
  12:15 and 1:15 p.m.
  After watching the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company, kids are invited to grab a colorful fan or umbrella and join the Imaginators to learn the traditional festival dances.
• Story Time
  1:15 p.m.
  “Bringing in the New Year” by Grace Lin shares the story of an American family preparing to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. Little ones will learn how families in the United States celebrate the holiday by decorating their homes, cooking special food and participating in parades.
• Science Bar
  11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
  Kids can step up to the Science Bar to learn all about fireworks and explore the electric circuitry needed to illuminate the dragon floats in Chinese New Year parades!
• Art Studio
  11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  Little ones can make their very own firework art posters using recycled paper towel tubes to decorate their homes for the holiday.
• Build It Lab
  11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  In preparation for a Chinese New Year parade, children will be given the tools the build a Chinese drum using cardboard and clothes hangers.

Feature Exhibit: Healthyville
January 27-May 28
Healthyville is a place for everybody! This bilingual (English/Spanish), interactive exhibit teaches health and wellness lessons through play-filled activities and educational messages that foster learning by doing. Designed primarily for children ages 5 – 12 and their parents, caregivers and teachers, Healthyville provides visitors with hands-on opportunities to explore health topics in ways that help them understand their bodies, the importance of making healthy choices and how to apply these concepts in everyday situations. Healthyville features engaging content about how the body works and the effects of our positive or negative health choices.

Healthyville was created by Stepping Stones Museum for Children for the members of the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative (YMEC). Healthyville is sponsored locally by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Strong4Life with additional support from Georgia Power Foundation. Major funding for Children’s Museum of Atlanta is provided by Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Major support provided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.           

Ongoing Monthly Programs

Target Free Second Tuesday
Tuesday, January 9 from 1-6 p.m.
Children’s Museum of Atlanta invites local families to visit the Museum free of charge on the second Tuesday of each month. Registration for Target Free Second Tuesdays will be available exclusively online through the Museum’s website (childrensmuseumatlanta.org) the day prior to each event to create a seamless process for guests. Guests who do not register in advance will be admitted on a first come, first served basis pending availability.

 Patrons will be able to choose from two sessions:

• Session 1: 1 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
• Session 2: 3:45 p.m. – 6 p.m.                         

For more information on the January program offerings or to support Children's Museum of Atlanta, visit childrensmuseumatlanta.org or call 404.659.KIDS [5437].