Cold Weather Escapes at LICM

Visitors to the Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) can shake off the chilly weather with a visit to the LICM Theater to view the hijinks of the “Dishwasher’s Circus” or create a winter-inspired plate to hold holiday treats.

Snowball Buddies

Dec. 17-20, 2:30–4 p.m. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Take one large “snowball,” add some buttons and a carrot nose, maybe a hat and scarf as you create own your smiling, non-melting snow buddy. All ages. Free with museum admission.

Community Connections

Dec. 18-20, 10:30-11 a.m. Join us each week as we explore the lives and daily routines of a different community helper. Children will build on their vocabulary as they are introduced to job specific words through songs and activities. Each class will include a hands-on, themed activity to reinforce information shared during class. Ages 3-5. Fee: $3 with museum admission ($2 LICM members). 

Dishwasher’s Circus

Dec. 21-23, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Join the Remarkable Renaldo as he heads to his job as a dishwasher in a restaurant. His day begins with a rough commute to work, at the same time a circus is arriving and setting up in the field behind his restaurant. Come see how Renaldo’s day develops as he imagines what it would be like to be in the circus and solves his work challenges creatively and with humor. Witness the juggling, pranks, magic and humor of this world class clown. Renaldo has performed with National Circus Project, Big Apple Circus, Circus Sarasota, the Royal Hanneford Circus, the Luna Stage Theater Co. and at SeaWorld, as well as Canada's Garden Brothers Circus and England's Zippo's Circus. Following the show, meet his alter ego, Al Calienes, the author and illustrator of the children's story book "Renaldo Joins the Circus." Tickets for this performance can be purchased online. Ages 3 and up. Fees: $8 children, $10 Adults. 

Of Snowflakes and Saucers

Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. Whether leaving out cookies for the reindeer or adorning the table for a holiday feast, cultures all around the world use dishware ceremoniously. Come decorate your own winter-inspired plates using special paint, as we gather inspiration from all that the season brings! Ages 5 and up. Fee: $3 with museum admission ($2 LICM members).

Messy Afternoons

Dec. 21-22, 3:30-5 p.m. We’ll be up to our elbows in oobleck, clean mud and slime … and we hope you’ll join us for the type of artistic activities that everyone loves, but not one likes to clean-up after. Except us! Ages 18 months to 4 years.  Free with museum admission.

Exhibit: Broken? Fix it!

Through 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.(IMLS logo).  Local exhibit support provided by Astoria Federal Savings. (logo- half size of IMLS)

Early Childhood Programs

Spanish Language Immersion: Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. †

stART (Story + Art): Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. -noon.  †

Community Connections:  Wednesday and Friday from 10:30-11 a.m.

Music and Movement: Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. -noon †

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. 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.