Community Corner

New LICM Exhibit Lets Kids Get 'Inside Repairs'

"Broken? Fix It" opens this month at the Long Island Children's Museum.

Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) invites visitors to “embrace the broken” when it opens its newest exhibit “Broken? Fix it!” on Friday, July 26.

The exhibit invites families to diagnose breaks; then roll-up their sleeves and get inside the repair process. Families are invited to the “Fix It Festival” on opening day to hone their repair skills.

The program week kicks off with an exciting international marionette performance by Puppets in Prague as the Puppets Take Long Island Festival continues its summer-long exploration of puppetry.

Please note the children's museum will be open on Mondays now through Labor Day.
 
Program Schedule July 22-28:

Puppets in Prague present “Snehurka” (Snow White)

Monday, July 22 - Wednesday, July 24 at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Puppets in Prague is bringing a fairy tale across the ocean, from the romantic Czech forests to the coast of Long Island. Beautifully-carved marionettes will tell the well-known story of Snehurka (Snow Whilte), whose innocence and pure love triumphs over the egocentric wickedness of the Queen. Children will enter a magical world inspired by the rich tradition of European puppetry. After the show children will be invited onstage to to look more closely at the marionettes created by Czech puppet master Mirek Trejtnar. Ages: 2-6. Fee: $5 with museum admission ($4 LICM members). $10 theater only.

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Marionette Making Workshop

Monday, July 22 - Wednesday, July 24 at 3 p.m. Mirek Trejtnar, puppet master from Prague, will guide children and their parents through the process of making Czech-style marionettes (puppets that hang on wires). Children will receive pre-cut pieces of wood to make hands, legs, head and bodies. Then it’s time to paint and make costumes. Finally, you will connect your puppet to a controller, add strings and voila; now you are a puppeteer! Adults will need to assist their children nail and screw together puppets parts as they finalize their puppets. Workshop length: 45 minutes. Ages: 7 and up. Fee: $5 with museum admission ($4 LICM members).

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The Puppet Project

Monday, July 22-Friday, July 26 from 1 to 4 p.m.* Puppets have been crafted for thousands of years and used for storytelling around the world. Join in the fun as you design and engineer your own stick and rod puppet. Use exciting materials to build your own character as you learn how to create and operate your new creation. Develop your puppets character and learn how to perform for family and friends. (*except July 10 and Aug. 28.) Ages: 3 and up. Fee: $4 with museum admission ($3 LICM members).

Collage Like Carle

Tuesday, July 23 at 2 p.m. Eric Carle is well known for his playful children’s stories with bright and colorful collage illustrations, all of which are cut from hand-painted paper he creates in many colors. Learn about the work of author and illustrator, Eric Carle, as you create your own piece of painted paper, and a collage picture to take home! Ages: 5 and up. Fee: $3 with museum admission ($2 LICM members). 

National Circus Project – Solo Circus

Thursday, July 25 at 11:30 a.m. National Circus Project, Long Island’s own center for professional circus performers is back again this summer to share the fun and artistry of the circus with LICM Theater audiences. Enjoy new circus antics every week this summer. Ages: 3 and up. Fee: $5 with museum admission ($4 LICM members), $10 theater only.

Hoot Roots – Owl Pellet Dissection

Thursday, July 25 at 12:30 p.m. Get to the root of how owls eat, hunt and ingest food. Inspired by our Feasts for Beasts gallery, we will explore the fascinating digestive process of owls and discover the answers to these questions. Watch a live dissection of owl pellets by an animal expert and examine your own! Ages: 5 and up. Fees: $3 with museum admission ($2 LICM members)

National Circus Project – Circus Fun Workshop

Thursday, July 25 at 1:30 p.m. Have you ever thought of running off with a circus? You’ll need to brush up on some circus skills and we’ve got just the folks to teach you! Learn juggling, plate spinning, rope tricks, basic clowning and more from performers from National Circus Project. Ages: 5 and up. Fee: $5 with museum admission ($4 LICM members). 

Vered Music

Friday, July 26 at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Vered's songs are about being a parent, being a baby, and the love that forms between them. Her album, “Good Morning My Love,” was named by kids’ superstar (and fellow mom) Laurie Berkner as her favorite in USA Today. The album also received the prestigious Parents' Choice Gold Award and NAPPA Gold Award. Cool Mom Picks says "The real treat is Vered's voice which is so lush and pretty, along with smile-inducing lyrics." Vered's songs are lively, funny and upbeat. Imagine Feist meets barbershop with songs that will make you and your little one smile and bounce to the beat. Ages: 3 and up. Fee: $5 with museum admission ($4 LICM members) $10 theater only.

Plaza Theatrical Productions presents “Beauty and the Beast”

Saturday, July 27 at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. “Beauty and the Beast” is the beloved musical tale of the girl who yearns for a different life. She gets more adventure than she wanted in the Beast's castle, as she discovers what true beauty really means. To purchase tickets please call Plaza Theatrical Productions at 516-599-6870. Tickets are not available for purchase at LICM. Ages: 3 and up. Fee: $12 ($10 for LICM members). 

Broken? Fix it! Festival

Friday, July 26 from 1 to 4 p.m. Join us for the opening of our newest exhibit, Broken? Fix it! Immerse yourself in the art of repair as you use your imagination for creative fixes. Participate in fun, hands-on activities as you create your own adhesives, learn about repair tools and even break a few objects! Hammer, sew and glue along with us. All ages. Free with museum admission.

Exhibit: Broken? Fix it!

Friday, July 26, 2013-Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014. Be the first to explore this new hands-on exhibit where children and adults learn to diagnose problems, then roll up their sleeves and get inside the repair process. Visitors will enter familiar repair shop settings as they try their hand at a variety of fix-it activities: 

  • Figure out why the car thumps and clangs
  • Get a bike rolling again
  • Repair a doll and fix a broken train track circuit
  • Replace torn window screens
  • Match tools to tasks
  • Explore cultural “fixes” from around the world
  • Share family “breaks and fixes” in the “Truth Booth”

Broken? Fix it! builds creative thinking and problem solving skills and fosters cooperation and teamwork as families and groups solve fixes together. Broken? Fix it! was created by the Long Island Children’s Museum for the members of the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative (YMEC). This exhibit is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. Local exhibit support provided by Astoria Federal Savings.

Exhibition – Puppetry: The Art of Roman Valdes

Through Sept. 1, 2013. View puppets selected from the extensive collection of Roman and Eliza Valdes, founders of the Long Island Puppet Theater. The exhibit also features a representation of Roman Valdes’ studio where he designs and restores puppets, allowing them an insider’s view of the tools, sketches and materials used to bring these inanimate objects to life. (This exhibition is part of the Puppets Take Long Island Festival.) All ages. Free with museum admission.

Early Childhood Programs:

  • stART (Story + Art): Tuesday to Friday from 1- 1:30 p.m.†
  • Music and Movement: Wednesday and Friday from 11:30 a.m. -12 p.m. †
  • Messy Afternoons: Saturday-Sunday, from 3:30-5 p.m.

†Fee: $3 with museum admission ($2 LICM members).

Tickets for Early Childhood programs are available at the LICM box office on the day of programs.  To prevent disruptions of classes, ticket sales will stop five minutes before the start time of each workshop.

All activities will be held at the Long Island Children’s Museum, 11 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Museum admission: $11 for adults and children over 1 year old, $10 seniors, free to museum members and children under 1 year old. Additional fees for theater and special programs may apply. For additional information, contact 224-5800. 

Submitted by the Long Island Children's Museum


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