Teacher Work Days

We had a great time at the museum last Friday at our Teacher Work Day program about pumpkins! Here's some pictures of our activities.

 We took some time to brainstorm design ideas that we could use for our pumpkins and drew them out.

 Then, we estimated how big around our pumpkin was by cutting a string. Estimating is like guessing. It was a challenge to decide how long the string needed to be to reach all the way around the fattest part of the pumpkin. Once everyone had their string, we tested the lengths. We sorted our strings into groups that were too long, too short, or pretty close. We even had to add another group for the strings that were exactly right!

 We were very good at estimating length! You can see that almost all our strings were pretty close or spot on!

 After we estimated length, we estimated how many seeds were in the pumpkin. This was much harder, because we couldn't see inside yet. So, we cut it open. Everyone helped to get the seeds and goo out of the pumpkin, then separate the seeds from the pulp.

 We put the seeds in piles of 10 so that we could count them more easily. We had 522 seeds in our pumpkin!

After our snack and story break, we talked about how Native Americans used dried pumpkin to weave mats. We tried our hand at weaving some place mats of our own, but we used paper instead of pumpkin!

Happy Halloween!

Next Monday is also a Teacher Work Day, so we will be having another Teacher Work Day program. This time, our topic will be Maps and Mazes. Where are you going? How will you get there? Join us as we climb through a giant string maze, interact with some satellite maps, and get excited about geography! Call 977-1025 to register today!

Upcoming Programs at the VDM

Our Meet the Firefighter program was a lot of fun! Engine Co. 5 from Charlottesville Fire Department brought our excited visitors stickers and lots of fire safety information. A big thank you to these friendly firefighters!

In the next few weeks, we're having several more exciting programs! This Saturday is the next Young Readers program, at 2:30 in the Back Gallery. The fabulous Carole Gajdosik will be telling not-so-spooky Halloween stories. Listening to stories is good for developing early literacy skills and is great fun!

Speaking of Halloween, registration is still open for our Halloween parties! Wear your costumes and see the museum transformed into a kooky not-so-haunted house for everyone to enjoy. Come do the monster mash, meet our mad scientists, play some spooky games, and enjoys family time with a night of crafts, activities, and more. This year, we are hosting two parties, on October 26th and 27th, both from 6-7:30. Tickets are $6 for members and $8 for non-members and can be purchased by calling the Museum at 977-1025.

If you purchase your Halloween Party tickets before this Friday at noon, you will be entered in a drawing to win four tickets to this weekend's UVA football game, as well as a parking pass! What a wonderful way to spend a fall afternoon!

Lastly, did you know that October 26th is a Teacher Work Day? There's no school, so it's a great day to come to the Museum. We will be having a special drop-off program from 9-12 where we will be learning all about Pumpkins! Come learn about this fall fruit (yes, fruit!). We'll carve, paint, taste, and learn about the history of pumpkins, and even practice some math skills along the way! Pre-registration is required, so call us at 977-1025 to reserve your spot! This program is for ages 5-8 and costs $30 for members and $35 for non-members. We will provide all the pumpkins and materials, a healthy snack, and three hours of fun!

With all these events coming up, we hope to see you at the VDM soon!

Meet the Firefighters

 In our new Little Cville, we often have firefighters about town. Here's a young firefighter buying stamps at the post office.

This weekend, we are lucky enough to have a professional firefighter coming to visit! As a part of Fire Prevention Week, representatives from the Charlottesville Fire Department will be at VDM sharing information about fire safety. They will even bring a fire engine, as long as it isn't busy on a call! So, stop by the Museum this Saturday at 10:30 to Meet the Firefighter.

Keep an eye out for our new Meet Me on Main Street programs this fall. This program will give visitors a chance to meet different members of our community, like firefighters!

We're Open!

 We have been open for a whole week already! Have you had a chance to come try...

...drawing water from the well?

...relaxing in the Treehouse?

...selling tickets and snacks for a show at the Paramount?

... mailing a letter at the post office?

 ...finding the queen in her new home?

...conducting the railroad?

...selling treats to your friends at Panera?

...practicing the alphabet down the hallway?

 If you haven't yet, now's your chance! We are open Monday-Saturday, 10-5, and we would love to see you here. We can't wait to hear what you think about all our new exhibits!