Long Island Children's Museum

Have you ever made your own lava lamp? At STEM Explorers' programs, visitors have a chance to dive into STEM concepts through fun activities like this. National Grid generously supports this service-learning program that combines community service by teenagers (LICM's Green Teens) with an in-depth level of instruction from museum educators to produce learning experiences for children of all ages. Alongside STEM Initiatives Program Director Claire D'Emic, the Green Teens develop STEM-based activities for our visitors, guiding them through engaging experiments and exercises.      STEM Explorers inspires learners of all ages by igniting curiosity in our young visitors and encouraging the Green Teens to delve into science topics that they find interesting.       We are delighted that Mauri Myers-Solages will be present at our Cupcakes & Cocktails gala on September 26 to accept the Great Friend to Kids Award on behalf of National Grid. This prestigious award spotlights the contributions of community champions who enhance the lives of children, and we are proud to honor National Grid’s long-standing support of STEM education.      Join us at Cupcakes & Cocktails as we celebrate the power of community, connections and creativity, while raising funds to support LICM’s dynamic exhibits, community and access programming, cultural festivals, and more. Visit https://lnkd.in/e8ZR_Yqs to purchase event tickets and sponsorships, or to make a donation.    #Cupcakes2024 #STEMEducation #Community #GreatFriendToKidsAward #PlayLICM

Earlier this week, the Green Teens took a field trip to the ReWild Garden at Dodge alongside STEM Initiatives Program Director Claire D'Emic D’Emic and Community Partnerships Educator Catherine Clark. The ReWild Garden at Dodge was created to teach visitors about the importance of native plants, and to provide inspiration for how to utilize native plants in landscape design. The Green Teens spent the day learning how to make seed balls that they took home to encourage the growth of more native plants, such as swamp milkweed, red columbine, zizia, and more, which help to preserve biodiversity in our community by supporting birds and other animals. Many thanks to Duong Vu of ReWild for showing the Green Teens this special space and teaching them about the many benefits of native plants. #NativePlants #ReWildLongIsland #GreenTeens #PlayLICM 

What does impact look like? National Grid’s long-term philanthropic investment in STEM Education through our Westbury STEM program has resulted in over 12,000 Westbury Union Free School District students engaged in more than 430,000 hours of hands-on STEM learning since 2010. Add nearly 8,500 hours of STEM professional development for teachers in the district and you can see the impact of community partnerships at work. In recognition of this significant investment in our communities’ children, we are proud to honor National Grid with the Great Friend to Kids Award, which will be presented during our Cupcakes & Cocktails fundraiser on September 26 and accepted by Mauri Myers-Solages. Designed to cultivate curiosity about science concepts, this program serves every first, second, and third grade student, and all special education students in grades K-12, in the Westbury district. Utilizing a unique school-museum teaching model, Westbury STEM captures students’ interest with hands-on, creative lessons while bolstering teacher confidence with professional development sessions. Students and their families are also invited to special STEM-themed evenings held at the Museum and at school. Additionally, free LICM memberships are provided to all families so they can visit the Museum as frequently as possible. The Westbury STEM program has ignited a passion in STEM topics at young age, increased family involvement in STEM Education, and expanded skills for Westbury educators. We are grateful to National Grid for their years of support for this valuable program. Join us at Cupcakes & Cocktails on September 26 as we honor National Grid for their longstanding support of STEM education and raise funds to foster the growth of our next generation of artists, scientists, educators, entrepreneurs, and citizens. Visit https://lnkd.in/e8ZR_Yqs to purchase event tickets, donate, or purchase sponsorships.   #Cupcakes2024 #Impact #CommunityPartnership #STEMEducation #PlayLICM

Last week, we celebrated our Session II Together to Kindergarten students and their families at our second graduation ceremony of the summer. Over the past few weeks, these children were busy learning kindergarten readiness skills while their parents and caregivers attended workshops to deepen their understanding of the United States public education system. As this unique program is designed for families whose adults were educated elsewhere, these workshops help parents learn skills to be active participants in their children’s education.   Congratulations to our Session II graduates, and many thanks to Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Councilman Thomas Muscarella, Deputy Commissioner Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreations & Museums Frank Alagia, Deputy Commissioner Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreations & Museums Michael Reinhart, Christopher Gosley from the office of Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, and Dallan Ashdown from the office Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti, for joining us.   We are grateful to the following foundations and corporations for their generous support of Together to Kindergarten:    NYS Assemblywoman Taylor Darling (NY18) has allocated funds from the New York State Assembly  Pritchard Charitable Trust  The Slomo and Cindy Silvian Foundation, Inc.   RICHMOND COUNTY SAVINGS FOUNDATION  Guru Krupa Foundation Inc Charitable Lead Annuity Trust under the Will of Louis Feil  New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) JOHN AND JANET KORNREICH CHARITABLE FOUNDATION LTD ELLA FITZGERALD CHARITABLE FOUNDATION  The Sands  JPMorganChase & Co.  Frederic R. Coudert Foundation  MARILYN LICHTMAN FOUNDATION  Northville Industries Inc  The Marion O. and Maximilian E. Hoffman Foundation M&T Bank Foundation     Visit https://bit.ly/licmttk2024 to learn more about this program. Photos are courtesy of Russell Lippai. #CommunityInitiatives #TogethertoKindergarten #PlayLICM 

If you attended Cupcakes & Cocktails last year, you probably remember our bright and bubbly young host, Lucianna-Marie. We are so excited that Lucianna-Marie will be joining us again this year. A proud graduate of our Together to Kindergarten program, here is what Lucianna-Marie had to say about LICM: “My brother and I love the Museum and always have fun when we go there. I can spend a whole day there and not get bored. There is always something new and exciting to see and do.”    We invite you to join us at Cupcakes & Cocktails on September 26, 2024, which raises funds to support all the wonderful programs, exhibits and events that make LICM such an exciting place! Visit https://lnkd.in/e8ZR_Yqs for tickets and sponsorship opportunities.    #Cupcakes2024 #GiveBack #PlayLICM 

LICM was buzzing with excitement as we celebrated Honey Hoopla today. We made bee crafts, met a beekeeper, did a honey taste-test, and enjoyed a theatrical reading of “Beezy County Fair: A Bee Tale,” by local author Gay Thomas. The festivities continue tomorrow with another day dedicated to celebrating our pollinator friends!     We are grateful to all who have donated to our Name a Bee Campaign to help preserve our observation hive. By allowing visitors a rare glimpse inside the busy world of bees, this transparent hive is instrumental in teaching children about the importance of bees in our ecosystem. Visit https://lnkd.in/e2bEgarD to name a bee of your own.   Honey Hoopla is made possible with support from PSEG Long Island LLC, Reworld Waste, and bee lovers and fans of LICM. Many thanks to the volunteers from PSEG Long Island who helped at today’s event!    #HoneyHoopla #SaveTheBees #PlayLICM 

Check out this amazing prize basket in our lobby! For each $5 donation visitors make to our upcoming Cupcakes & Cocktails fundraiser, they will earn one (1) chance to take home this basket of goodies from LICM. Valued at over $1,100, this basket is filled with: · Exploration Plus 1-Year Membership to LICM · Nunley’s Carousel 10-ride pass · Magna-Tiles Safari · Deluxe Combo Scratch Art Set · Smithsonian Mars Dig · Turtle & Hedgehog TY Plushies · PYO Dino Footprint Stepping Stone · CREATO Butterfly · Magna Tiles - Royal Castle & DX · Dissect Owl Pellets - Bones! · Stanley Jr. Leaf Blower · National Geographic Crystal Garden · National Geographic Amazing Worms · Spirograph · Clay Magic Planters · MYO Bumble Bee Wind Spinner Kit · Very Hungry Caterpillar Story Puppets · 54" plush snake · Koosh Face-off 3-in-1 games · Eric Carle Book - Eric Loves Animals · 2 LICM t-shirts · Mini Beamo · Kids soccer goal To take part, stop by the LICM box office during regular Museum hours. A winner will be drawn and notified on September 30, 2024. Funds raised from Cupcakes & Cocktails support our dynamic exhibits, community and access programming, cultural events throughout the year, and more. Visit https://lnkd.in/e8ZR_Yqs to learn more. Thank you for your support! #Cupcakes2024 #PlayLICM 

Thank you to our Cupcakes & Cocktails Connections Sponsors, Selby Drummond & Steven Dubb.    We invite everyone to join us at Cupcakes & Cocktails on Thursday, September 26 and support our mission of connecting children and families to a life of wonder, imagination and exploration. Visit https://lnkd.in/e8ZR_Yqs for tickets and sponsorship opportunities.      #Cupcakes2024 #ThankYou #Sponsor #Philanthropy #GiveBack #PlayLICM 

Last night, we were proud to celebrate our Associate Director of Support Services, Joshua Engel, who was recognized at the Long Island Business News Emerging Leaders Under 30 Awards, for his professional accomplishments and contributions to the community. Through his work at LICM and his service as a volunteer firefighter, Josh helps make Long Island a better place, and we are grateful to have him on our team. Congratulations to Josh and all of the honorees!   #EmergingLeadersUnder30 #LIBN #LIBusinessNews #LIBNEvent #PlayLICM

Last week, Access and Inclusion Program Director Beth Ann Balalaos (she/her) and Visitor Experience Coordinator Kyle Mahoney attended the The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) Conference in Seattle, Washington. Beth Ann and Kyle were grateful for the opportunity to come together with colleagues from around the world to discuss how cultural organizations can remove barriers of all kinds for people with disabilities.      Since LICM hosts monthly Friendly Hours events as part of our LICM4all program, which provides resources to better serve visitors with disabilities, one of the highlights of the LEAD Conference was attending Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)’s Sensory Friendly Night!    #Access #Inclusion #Conference #LEADConference #PlayLICM