Welcome to our Online Newsletter and Virtual Bulletin Board!

Question or Suggestion? Contact cslevin59 (at) gmail.org.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

ComicCon this Saturday at the Bridgewater Library, Make Your Own (Temporary) Tattoos Monday & Master Chef Jr next Tuesday–plus a preview of April library programs.

A reminder – there will be NO storytimes, toddler times, baby time or pajama time this coming week.  Programs will resume the week of April 4th (see details below.)

Looking for things to do during vacation week? – check out the events listings in the “Useful Links for Families” section of this blog.
Free
Family Fun NJ has dozens of ideas for fun places to visit.

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Click HERE to register for these programs.

PREVIEW: Here’s What’s Coming Up in the Library in April:

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AROUND THE COMMUNITY:

EVENTS THIS WEEKEND & MORE @ HUNTERDON ART MUSEUM

Chocolate Eggstravaganza

How sweet it is!

WHEN: Friday, March 25, 2 PM
WHERE:
Hunterdon Art Museum, 7 Lower Center St., Clinton
COST: $30/2 participants

Chocodiem and the Hunterdon Art Museum are teaming up  for an event guaranteed to please both palate and palette: painting chocolate eggs with dyed cocoa butter.

Participants receive two chocolate eggs for painting, truffles to sample and a demonstration by artist Amanda Wentz. Indulge your sweet tooth and reserve your space by calling the Museum at 908-735-8415 or visiting ourwebsite.

This event is for adults and children ages 6 and older.


Tour Discomfort Show with Curator Liz Sheehan
Enjoy a fascinating and fun afternoon with curator Liz Sheehan as she guides you through the humorous, playful and subversive objects in our Discomfort: Experiments in Furniture, Function and Form exhibition.

WHEN: Sunday, April 10, at 2 p.m.

In this lecture and guided tour, Sheehan will discuss how wit is the common theme running through the exhibition. She'll discuss conceptual art and introduce you to the many talented artists featured in the show.

ADMISSION: This event is free with your Museum admission, but space is limited, so register today!


Visit ArtZone and Let Your Child's Imagination Soar

ArtZone is the perfect place for kids to let their imaginations run wild!

In ArtZone, located on our first floor, children feel the excitement of creating art, the pleasure of being in a museum without being told not to touch, and the pride of hanging their own work of art in a museum.

Stop by ArtZone this weekend!

Currently, kids can learn about internationally acclaimed artist El Anatsui, take part in our mini-members show or explore our bins art supplies to create their own masterpiece.

ArtZone is the ideal space for kids to begin developing an interest in the arts that will last a lifetime.

ArtZone

Calendar Corner—Upcoming Events at HAM

  • Spring Break Mini-Camp for Kids, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 29 and 30, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • HAM Friends Event, Saturday, April 9, details coming soon!
  • Two Mills Plein Air Festival, Sunday April 17, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Learn more!
  • HAM It Up! A Community Celebration sponsored by Flavorganics, Sunday, May 1, 1 to 4 p.m.
  • Exhibition Opening — Interconnections: The Language of Basketry; Diana González-Gandolfi, Sunday, May 15, 2 to 4 p.m.
  • Art on Tap: Beer and Food Tasting, Sunday, June 5, 2 to 5 p.m.




www.morrisparks.net

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Thrilling Science at RVCC Theater Tonight plus Storytimes, Movie Makers and a Comic Con Coming Soon at Bridgewater Library.

AROUND THE COMMUNITY:

Brochure | Tickets | Subscribe | 4+ | 2+ | Up | Home

LIVE WIRE! The Electricity Tour

…a complete delight, enthralling the youngsters in the crowd with his demonstrations, while keeping the adults amused with his hilarious running commentary.
BROADWAYWORLD.COM

LIVE WIRE: The Electricity Tour
Doktor Kaboom!
Friday, March 11 at 7PM
Tickets: $15 General Admission

Nothing says science like KABOOM!  Doktor Kaboom! Creatively blending theatre arts with the wonders of scientific exploration, Doktor Kaboom's supercharged (and super safe!) science experiments will have you erupting with laughter and bubbling with curiosity.  In LIVE WIRE: The Electricity Tour, Doktor Kaboom will explore the fundamentals of electrical energy and the history of humanity’s adventures into its potential. Topics covered include: safety; Tesla; Edison; Faraday; lightning bolts, current; voltage; conductive and non-conductive media; electrical arcs; light emission; sparks; resistance; magnetic fields, electric generators: mechanical energy to electrical energy; electromagnetic coils and conductors.


March Star Madness

With the luck of the stars, the Planetarium steps into March with star filled shows for everyone! Come join us at RVCC Planetarium and join in this years March Star Madness!

Visit Our Website

Observatory  

Weather permitting, 3M Observatory will be reopened to the public on Saturday evenings 

Little Star that Could & Laser Pop Rock

Saturday afternoon shows just for the family.  

"Little Star that Could" at 3:00 pm

"Laser Pop Rock" at 4:00 pm

(recommended for ages 6 and older)

Black Holes

Saturdays, Mar  12, & 19 7:00 pm

Take a virtual tour through space and explore the science and mystery of black holes: Where do they come from? How do we find them? Is there one on Earth's horizon?
(Recommended for ages 8 to adult)

 

What's up in the Sky?

Jupiter is at opposition on March 8th, when it will be above the horizon all night long. On March 1st, Jupiter rises 26 minutes after sunset. By March 31st, Jupiter rises 2 hours and 21 minutes before sunset.

Mercury is at superior conjunction March 23. When it comes out from behind the sun it's relatively bright and due to the high angle of the ecliptic, climbs quickly. Mercury may be spotted very low in the western sky by the end of the month.

Morning Planet Extravaganza Continues!

Four planets can be spotted simultaneously at the start of March. Venus is low in the eastern-southeastern skies at mid-twilight, rising just one hour before the Sun on March1st. By the end of March, Venus will rise a little over a half an hour earlier than the Sun.

Saturn and Mars continue to move closer to each other. the gap between these two planets will shrink throughout March. Jupiter in the west, drops closer to the horizon each day. On the last day of March, you can spot Venus and Jupiter at the same time on the opposite sides of the sky.

Last Quarter Moon: March 1 

New Moon: March 9

First Quarter: March 15

Full Moon: March 23

Last Quarter Moon: March 31

Planetarium at Raritan Valley Community College | 908-231-8805 | planet@raritanval.edu | www.raritanval.edu/planetarium 


AT THE LIBRARY:

All ages challenge – stop by the library on March 14th and recite Pi to the farthest number you can memorize.  We’ll keep score and give you a medal for trying! Celebrate International Pi Day with  stories,  mathematical art and fun! Everyone from Preschoolers to Pre-teens will have lots of fun things to do.  Monday, March 14, 2016
4:30 - 5:30 PM Register
HERE.

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Click HERE to register for any of these programs.


LET YOUR FINGERS DO MORE WALKING:

Does Your Kid Have a Messy Room?

Get Your Kids to Clean Their Rooms: Here's How

Fool-proof ways to get her to clean it—and then actually keep it that way.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Make Math Fun with Books & Programs at Bridgewater Library.

Between our Leap Day – Math Play program last week and our upcoming Pi Day Program on March 14th (of course!) – we are busy celebrating Math at Bridgewater Library this month.

All ages challenge – stop by the library on March 14th and recite Pi to the farthest number you can memorize.  We’ll keep score and give you a medal for trying!  Celebrate International Pi Day with  stories,  mathematical art and fun! Everyone from Preschoolers to Pre-teens will have lots of fun things to do.  Monday, March 14, 2016 
4:30 - 5:30 PM Register
HERE.

Want to make your kids more math savvy every day of the year?   Check out these booklists & activity suggestions courtesy of www.whatdowedoallday.com:

10 MATH BOOKS FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS

Math books for babies and toddlers that support early learning of patterns and numbers.

www.whatdowedoallday.com/2015/01/math-books-for-babies-and-toddlers.html  The toddler set is focusing on pattern learning, relative sizes and pairing. Their attention span for lap-sitting and reading is also very short. Focus on books with engaging, happy and simple text and bold, pattern-oriented illustrations. Just remember, your baby and toddler does not need how to learn to add and subtract!  More ideas 10 ways to make math fun for babies and toddlers!
10 ways to make math fun for babies and toddlers.

MATH BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOLERS

Math books for preschoolers, kids ages 3 to 5. www.whatdowedoallday.com/2015/02/math-books-preschoolers.html In no way is there a dearth of counting, shape and pattern books for preschoolers. This book list is a great way to start, but is by no means exhaustive! Once you start looking at the library you will easily find many more to add to your reading list. For more on easy and fun hands-on activities to encourage your young children to love math, read 7 Simple Math Activities for Preschool at The Measured Mom.

Preschool math activities


 

MATH PICTURE BOOKS (KINDERGARTEN, 1ST AND 2ND GRADES)


Math picture books to teach concepts in kindergarten to first grade

www.whatdowedoallday.com/2015/02/math-picture-books.html -- math books that incorporate concepts into engaging stories, or books that challenge kids to see math in the natural world around them rather than “math teaching books.” More age appropriate math activities from The Measured Mom that will help your kids develop a love of math from the get-go!

want kids to love math grades K-2


11 ADVANCED CONCEPT MATH PICTURE BOOKS

Math picture books that make math fun for 8-12 year olds

www.whatdowedoallday.com/2015/03/advanced-concept-math-picture-books.html  These math picture books look at a wide variety of more advanced concepts, from fractals to factorials. They are good for the upper elementary grades and even up to age 12.  And here are some more ideas on how to make math fun for 8 to 12 year olds.

How to make math fun for ages 8-12.

FIBONACCI BOOKS FOR KIDS

Fibonacci books for kids. Learn about the Fibonacci number sequence.

www.whatdowedoallday.com/2012/02/fibonacci-books-for-kids.html 

Add math to your nature walks – see  if their patterns in flowers, leaves, pine cones etc. adhere to the sequence and try out an open-ended Fibonacci art project!

MATH CHAPTER BOOKS AND STORY COLLECTIONS

Math Chapter Books for kids: a list of more than 10 titles

Math chapter books and story collections where mathematical concepts play a crucial part of the story. They are excellent tools for cross-curriculum learning. Best of all, even if your child’s favorite subject in school is art or drama or history, all of the books make math accessible and tell a good story. (And by the way, if your kid loves art, try one of these amazing math art projects for kids.) 

 

8 MATH REFERENCE BOOKS FOR KIDS

Fun math books for kids ages 7 and up. Elementary and middle school kids.

whatdowedoallday.com also offers more than 100 other great booklists on myriad topics

And check out our fun math book display this month on the area behind the Youth Services Desk.

Looking for a fun way to make math part of your family’s daily activities?  bedtimemath.org offers fun and interesting daily math problems -- 5 quick minutes of number fun for kids and parents at home. Read a cool fun fact, followed by math riddles at different levels so everyone can jump in. Here’s an example:

 

SHOOTING-STAR SKYDIVERS

Skydiving is one of the craziest sports out there. You jump out of a plane thousands of feet up in the sky, fall at over 100 miles an hour, then pull your “parachute” to slow you down to land. But if LOTS of skydivers jump at once, they can grab each other’s arms to link up and make pictures in the sky. These 164 skydivers hold the world record for the biggest crowd dive, jumping out of 7 planes over Chicago. If you watchthe video, you see how they steered themselves to fall faster or slower to meet each other in the sky. Some fell as fast as 175 miles an hour! They planned out the design down on the ground, then figured out who should grab whom…after all, some divers have a stronger right or left hand, and some dive faster than others. Their totally awesome star shape broke the record of 100 group divers — and everyone’s parachute worked!

Wee ones: How many points does the skydiver star shape have? Remember where you started counting!

Little kids: If 4 people grab hands, and they need 6 in total to make a loop, how many more divers need to join them?  Bonus: The group’s very first dive had just 18 people. If you had gotten to be one of them, how many skydivers would have jumped with you?

Big kids: The old record had 100 people jump in a square. How many more divers did this group have? Bonus: If 12 of the 164 had made a center circle, and the rest of the divers had fanned out to make 8 equal chains, how many divers would have made each chain? (Hint if needed: 8 is 2 x 2 x 2, so to divide by 8, just cut in half 3 times in a row!)

Click HERE for the answers.

AROUND THE COMMUNITY:


ONE DAY ONLY -- FREE MUSEUMS IN NJ & NYC

March 12th is a special edition Museum Day Live!*

Download your free Museum Day Live! ticket today

It’s easy to get a ticket!

        1. Create an account — or — Log in to your existing account

        2. Select your state and a museum

        3. Download your ticket to print and bring with you!

New for March 2016 is a special edition of Museum Day Live!, providing an opportunity to the public, especially women and girls throughout the U.S. to enjoy and share in our nation’s dynamic heritage and cultural life.

Smithsonian Magazine | MRC 513, P.O. Box 37012 | Washington, D.C. 20013


19TH ANNUAL STAGES FESTIVAL RUNS THROUGH MARCH AT VARIOUS VENUES AROUND NJ

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New Jersey Theatre Alliance presents

THE 19th ANNUAL STAGES FESTIVAL

The state’s largest celebration of theatre with FREE and discounted tickets to over 85 professional performances, workshops, and events throughout New Jersey in March 2016.

Performance at Passage Theatre of Trenton during the 2015 Stages Festival - Photo by Jerry DaliaNew Jersey Theatre Alliance and its partners and funders are pleased to present the 19th annual Stages Festival (Stages), a statewide, month-long festival of theatre offering over 85 theatre performances and programs for children and adultsfree of charge or at significantly discounted rates. Events will take place at theatres, arts centers, libraries, schools, hospitals, and other community venues throughout the state. Most events require registration. For a full listing of events, program details, and registration information visit stagesfestival.org. (Top: Performance at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey during the 2015 Stages Festival—returning to New Jersey in March 2016! Photo by Ruth Zamoyta; Above Right: Performance at Passage Theatre in Trenton. Photo by Jerry Dalia)

For other programs at the library and around the community, click here: bwlibys.blogspot.com