DISCOVEROO!

The Virginia Discovery Museum is proud to announce its first annual Discoveroo, a family music festival, happening Sunday, May 3rd at the Downtown Pavilion of Charlottesville, VA from 3-5pm. Be sure to be at the Pavilion when the gates open at 2 pm so you can enjoy all the activities we will have for you! Freckles N’ Friends entertainment will be making balloon art, Partner Juggling Theatricks will be performing, Steven Levine will be walking on his stilts, and the Museum will have a Bubble Station and noise maker craft as well as temporary tattoos for the kids! The main event for the day will start at 3 pm when Shannon Worrel takes the stage followed by In Technicolor, 6 Day Bender and Jim Waive and the Young Divorcees! Each of these local acts will be performing music expressly for children so the show will be fun for all ages! The Museum’s own Executive Director, Peppy Linden and 106.1 The Corner’s, Brad Savage will be our announcers for the day.

Several organizations will be in attendance with information, activities and more for families as well. This event is sponsored by Whole Foods, MMM Design Group, Charlottesville Parking Center, Barton Mallow, The Hook, and the City of Charlottesville as well as Alakazam, AuPair Care, Bright Beginnings Preschool, Camp Friendship, Charlottesville Day School, Exploration Play Studio, and Nature’s Child. Tickets are $5.00 for an individual and Family Passes (good for 5 people) are available for $20.00. You can purchase tickets at the Virginia Discovery Museum’s front desk or at the gate the day of the show. We hope you will be able to attend this amazing event!

The Treehouse, Grand Opening April 4, 2009

A child enjoying the Treehouse

The George E. Moody Collection display case

On April 4, 2009 the Virginia Discovery Museum opened its newest, permanent exhibition, the Treehouse. This exhibition is sponsored by Bama Works Fund of the Dave Matthews Band and the George E. Moody Exhibition Project Fund. The Treehouse includes a large hollowed out tree that is perfect for curling up in and reading one of the many books from our shelves. The walls are painted in a colorful mural of the Blue Ridge Mountains which helps provide a feeling of being in the wilderness.

Display cabinets showcase items form three of the Museum’s collections. One cabinet holds fossils and artifacts from the George E. Moody Collection. The second cabinet will rotate items from one or more of our other collections including our over 300 brass animals, model cars, modern day Nigerian items, Pueblo Indian artifacts, and dolls and puppets from around the world. Currently brass animals and model cars are on display.

This is the first permanent exhibition by our Exhibit Coordinator, Mike Clark, with help from Jenny Elmore, Kenny Platt, Jordan Bryson and Patrick Nunnally. Thank you very much to this talented team! The Virginia Discovery Museum looks forward to seeing you soon in the Treehouse!

Kid*Vention: Discover the Human Body

A child decorating a tooth-fairy case

Hopper, the VDM mascot, giving a High 5 to a visitor

A child learning how to administer first aid on her stuffed animal

March 28, 2009 marked the 9th annual Kid*Vention, the Virginia Discovery Museum’s free hands-on educational science bonanza. This year’s theme was Discover the Human Body and the Key Recreation Center on Market Street was a perfect venue for the over 700 visitors who attended. Not only were there several activities, games and crafts but there were also door prizes given away every half hour to 7 lucky children! WVPT Virginia Public Radio, and Lite Rock Z95.1 partnered with the VDM to bring Kid*Vention to Charlottesville families.

Children could test their strength at the Pantops Physical Therapy table and learn exercises to stay in shape, or they could decorate their own dental goodies like a tooth-fairy tooth chest at the Children’s Density of Charlottesville table. The Western Albemarle Rescue Squad was definitely a highlight with their “Hands on Organs” activity where children put on gloves and actually touched and held pig organs!

We want to thank our sponsors; the event would not have been a success without your support! We also would like to thank the 11 organizations (listed below) who participated and exhibited in this year’s event. Together these organizations provided 70 volunteers and over 300 hours. Thank you very much!

Kid*Vention is an annual event that happens in the spring so be sure to look out for the date, theme and location of Kid*Vention 2010!

2009 Exhibitors

Alpha Phi Omega of Charlottesville
American Red Cross
Blue Ridge Poison Control
Children's Dentistry of Charlottesville
National Kidney Foundation of the Virginias
Pantops Physical Therapy
The Little Gym
UVA Children's Hospital
Virginia Chapter of the Dermatology Nurse Association
Western Albemarle Rescue Squad
WVTP