Each week at Thanksgiving Point are tons of educational and fun activities for families of all ages and abilities! Our Family Programs include, Tales for Tots, Monday Night Activities, and Design Challenge, just to name a few. All activities are FREE for Thanksgiving Point Members, as they are included with venue admissions.
The programs are always adapting and changing throughout the year so check back often for updates. They are also led by our trained educational team to ensure each person at the activity has a great time learning and playing together as family and friends. Click each drop-down menu below to learn more about these one-of-a-kind educational opportunities at Thanksgiving Point and to see dates, locations, and times for each one. See you soon!
Join us for our hands-on storytelling adventures, Tales for Tots, held each Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 11 am. Staff will engage guest with interactive storytelling followed by process-driven and play-based art, literacy, and/or science activities that connect to the story theme of the day.
Monday - Museum of Ancient Life
Wednesday - Farm Country
Friday - January - February - Museum of Natural Curiosity
March - May - Butterfly Biosphere
June - September - Ashton Gardens
October - December - Butterfly Biosphere
Upcoming Schedule:
February 18 | How to Dress a Dragon by Thelma Lynne Godin
If you must dress a dragon, you must be prepared to catch him as he flies by. Also, beware of ticklish toes, shirts with buttons, and hats that do not fit neatly between his horns!
February 25 | There is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems
Gerald discovers that there is something worse than a bird on your head-two birds on your head! Can Piggie help her best friend?
March 4 | We Don’t Eat Our Classmates! by Ryan T. Higgins
It's the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make human friends when they're so darn delicious!
March 11 | Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle
When Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs, she does it on Mr. Seahorse's belly! She knows he will take good care of them. While he swims waiting for the eggs to hatch, he meets other underwater fathers caring for their babies.
March 18 | The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
Kids need words to name their feelings, just as they need words to name all things in their world. The Way I Feel uses strong, colorful, and expressive images which go along with simple verses to help children connect the word and the emotion.
March 25 | Rude Cakes by Rowboat Watkins
Who knew that cakes were so rude?! In this book, a not-so-sweet cake—who never says please or thank you or listens to its parents—gets its just desserts.
February 13 | The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond
One day it rains hearts, and Cornelia Augusta catches them. She realizes that the hearts are perfect for making valentines. Each heart is special in its own way, and Cornelia knows exactly who to send them to.
February 20 | I Don’t Want to Be a Frog by Dev Petty
Frog wants to be anything but a slimy, wet frog. A cat, perhaps. Or a rabbit. An owl? But when a hungry wolf arrives—a wolf who HATES eating frogs—our hero decides that being himself isn’t so bad after all.
February 27 | Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson
Hilda Hippo loves to dance! But there's just one problem. When Hilda dances, it sounds like this: Ka-bump! Ka-bump! The other animals beg her to find a quieter hobby. Knitting? Singing? For Hilda, nothing else will do.
March 6 | Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon
When a group of kids finds an animal napping in their backyard, they set out to discover what it is and where it belongs.
March 13 | Hi, Pizza Man by Virginia Walters
The toddler shouts, 'I'm hungry!' 'What will you say when the doorbell rings and we open the door?' asks Mom. 'Hi, Pizza Man!' replies the child. But what if it's a pizza woman? a pizza kitty? a pizza duck?
March 20 | Who Took the Farmers Hat by Joan L. Nodset
The farmer had a hat. The wind came and blew the hat away. The farmer went looking. Neither squirrel, nor Mouse, nor Duck, nor any of the other animals has seen the hat. Would the farmer ever find his favorite hat?
March 27 | Barn Dance by Bill Martin Jr
A young boy sneaks’ downstairs, out the door, and walks toward the barn. he hears the sweet sound of a country fiddler and the rhythmic thumping of dancing feet. But who could possibly be having a barn dance in the middle of the night?
February 15 | The Happiest Book Ever by Bob Shea
What could be happier than a book with a dancing cake, a candy parade, and a hug monster? A book with all those things (and more) plus YOU! Your happy, thoughts will make this book super happy!
February 22 | Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
On a cold afternoon Annabelle finds a box with yarn of every color. It looks like an ordinary box of yarn. But it turns out it isn’t.
March 1 | I am Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton
The Official Spider Test. What do you do when you see a spider? A. Smile, but back away slowly. B. Grab the closest object, wind up, and let it fly. C. Run away screaming. If you chose a, b, or c, then this book is for you!
March 8 | Bring Me A Rock by Daniel Miyares
When a power-hungry grasshopper king wants a throne, he summons each of them to “bring me a rock!” One by one, the bugs bring him the biggest rocks they can carry.
March 15 | Roberto the Insect Architect by Nina Laden
Ever since he was a wee mite (a termite, that is), Roberto has wanted to be an architect. Discouraged by his wood eating family and friends, he decides to follow his dream to the big, bug city.
March 22 | Bug Lunch by Margery Facklam
Bon Appetit! Bugs for Lunch caters to a full array of creatures–animal, plant, and human–that munch on bugs. From a mantis perched and ready to prey on ladybugs and butterflies, to a spider trapping a fly.
March 29 | Bee Dance by Rick Chrustowski
A honeybee searches for nectar, then returns to the hive to tell the other bees. She does a waggle dance, moving in a special figure-eight pattern to share the location of the food source with her hivemates.
Enjoy a morning full of music and movement exploration at the Museum of Natural Curiosity and Farm Country. Led by our education staff, Melody Makers is the perfect opportunity for little kids to dance and move in a fun and friendly environment. Included with regular venue admission.
Tuesdays at 11 am: Museum of Natural Curiosity
Thursdays at 11 am: Farm Country
Upcoming:
February 12 | Dr. Seuss, Rhythm and Rhyme
Music is poetry most of the time. Mr. Brown can moo, can you? How many rhythms and rhymes can you do? Join us for this fun day with music and Dr Seuss.
February 19 | Art in Music
Explore different types of art in music through dancing, instruments, and more!
February 26 | Patterns and Shapes
Shapes and patterns are found everywhere—plants, animals, and even music. Take a closer look at the ways shapes and patterns are found in music and movement.
March 5 | Diving Deep
Dive deep into music as we explore different beats and rhythms.
March 12 | Math in Music
Math is all around us, even in the music we sing. Learn music that introduces numbers and counting, sing and play different patterns, and more.
March 19 | Yummy in my Tummy
Are you hungry? If not, then your kids sure will be after singing about all sorts of goodies including cookies, apple's and bananas!
March 26 | Shake Your Sillies Out
Are you feeling silly today? We are going to shake those sillies out as we dance, jump, play, and laugh through music.
February 14 | Be My Valentine
Will you be my valentine? Celebrate Valentine’s day with songs of love and friendship.
February 21 | Artist Spotlight: The Wiggles
Sing, dance and play to songs from the Wiggles group like “Hot Potato,” “Fruit Salad” and more.
February 28 | Animal Kingdom
Take a journey with us as we explore animals from around the world, both on land and sea.
March 7 | Fortissimo, Pianissimo!
Learn how dynamics effect the way we interpret music and language.
March 14 | Things That Go
Vroom! Vroom! Choo-choo! Hop in you car, take the train, or fly in an airplane to join us for songs all about things that go!
March 21 | Singing Time
Do you know sign language? Let’s learn some signs together today using music.
March 28 | Rhythms Around the World
From Japanese Taiko drumming to Bollywood beats and an Irish Jig, this Melody Makers will have the whole family playing and dancing!
It’s not every day you could meet an alligator or greet a skunk. Animals are all around us, some live in your backyard, some live far away, but all are important to our world. Come get up close and personal with some of the most interesting animals you will meet as we explore some of the curious critters that make our world wonderful.
Second Saturday of each month at 11 am: Museum of Natural Curiosity
Fourth Saturday of each month at 11 am:
October-February at the Museum of Ancient Life
March-September at Farm Country
Upcoming:
March 9 | Animal Rescue
When do animals need help and what are ways we can help local animals thrive and avoid conflict? Learn how while meeting some amazing animals from Wild Wonders!
February 23 | Reptiles Are All Around Us!
What do reptiles and snakes have in common? Join us as we explore snakes and other animals with Reptile Adventures.
March 23 | Farm Animals
What kind of animals can you find at a farm? What role does each animal play at the farm? Come take a closer look at what Farm Country has to offer.
Featuring new activities each week, Monday Nights at Thanksgiving Point focus on a single theme with various activities designed to entertain and educate the whole family.
4:30 - 7:30 pm. Location varies by season. See below.
January, February, March: Museum of Ancient Life
July, August, September: Farm Country
April, May, June: Ashton Gardens
October, November, December: Museum of Natural Curiosity
Museum of Ancient Life
February 11 | Terrific Trilobites
Take a closer look at one of the most plentiful and dominant species on Planet Earth at its very beginnings.
February 18 | Jump into the Jurassic
Take a leap into one of the most iconic periods of life on our planet when dinosaurs were at some of their biggest and most spectacular!
February 25 | Bug Bonanza
Creep into the museum to learn more about the time bugs ruled the Earth!
March 4 | What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur?
Explore the traits and characteristics that make dinosaurs unique from all other creatures!
March 11 | All About the Ice Age
Learn more about what made the ice age distinct from all ages of life on this planet.
March 18 | Dinosaur Arms Race!
Take a closer look at one of the most intense and aggressive arms races of all time, as predator and prey struggle to survive at the expense of the other.
March 25 | Life Before the Dinosaurs
Discover the weird and wonderful life that lived before the famous dinosaurs entered the scene.
Looking for a fantastic Friday night activity? On the first and third Friday of every month from 5:30-7:30 pm, get your game on with a variety of classic and new board games during our Family Game Night. Family Game Night is a family-focused evening for kids and parents of all ages.
First Friday of each month: Museum of Natural Curiosity
Third Friday of each month (October-May): Museum of Natural Curiosity
Third Friday of each Month (June-September): Ashton Gardens
Upcoming
February 15 | Glow in the Dark Games
It’s not easy to play in the dark. Light it up with our laser obstacle course, glow in the dark bowling, and other bright games!
March 1 | Strategy Games
It takes skill to defeat your opponent. What will your strategy be?
March 15 | Act It Out!
Be an actor on our stage! Act alone or with a group as we play charades and reverse charades.
Come have fun while innovating! Design Challenge is a museum program that gets everyone engaging in the engineering design process. Make a team with your family and join us! It is free to participate. Each month you’ll have the opportunity to come learn about an engineering concept and put your knowledge to the test by designing and completing a challenge. All supplies will be provided but if you wish to take your project home there will be a small fee to cover the cost of supplies. Come ready to design, build, test and prototype a solution to any given problem.
Third Saturday of each month from 2-4 pm: Museum of Natural Curiosity
Upcoming
February 16 | Air Power!
Whether it's the power of water, air, sunlight, or love Engineers are constantly trying to create methods to harness natural energy. Do you have what it takes to blow everyone away with your invention? Come find out as you and your team design, build and test your very own wind powered machine.
March 16 | Engineering
Are you an engineer? Part of being an engineer is refining and testing. Practice the engineering process with us while we build and create your own project.
We are excited to introduce our new Itsy-Bitsy Science sensory bins, happening every Tuesday at the Butterfly Biosphere. Itsy-Bitsy Science is designed specifically for families with children ages 5 and under. This hands-on experience lets children explore insects and the natural world through their senses, making early science concepts playful and fun!
Tuesdays at 2:00pm - Butterfly Biosphere
Stay updated and subscribe to receive all the latest information about Thanksgiving Point.
* Indicates required field