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 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 11 am. Each day a new story is read followed by a fun activity that goes along with that story.
Tuesday – Museum of Ancient Life
Wednesday – Farm Country
Thursday – Museum of Natural Curiosity
Friday (June - September) – Ashton Gardens
Upcoming Schedule:
July 31 | Are Pirates Polite? By Corinne Demas and Artemis Roehring
Pirates are unruly and pirates love to fight, but pirates still say 'please' and 'thanks' 'cause pirates are polite.
August |
Due to Two Buck Tuesdays, there will be no Tales for Tots at the Museum of Ancient Life during August.
July 25 | Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
Wilbur is different from the other Naked Mole Rats in his Colony, because he wears clothes (and he likes it!).
August 1 | Charlotte and the Rock by Stephen W. Martin
Charlotte has always really wanted a pet, so when her parents present her with one for her birthday she expects a cat, dog, or maybe a bird. Instead, she receives a rock.
August 8 | Whose Story is This Anyway by Mike Flaherty
What’s this book about? That depends on who you ask. Our humble narrator thinks he’s got a great story for you, but he barely begins before he’s interrupted . . .
August 15 | Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers
A penguin has wings for a reason . . . doesn't he? Having a best friend with his own airplane is one thing, but actually experiencing what it feels like to fly by himself?
August 22 | Rude Cakes
Who knew that cakes were so rude?! In this deliciously entertaining book, a not-so-sweet cake—who never says please or thank you or listens to its parents
August 29 | Who Took the Farmers Hat? By Joan L Nodset
The farmer had a hat, an old brown hat. Oh, how he liked that old brown hat! But then the wind came, and blew the hat away. And as fast as the farmer ran, the wind raced even faster.
July 26 | City Street Beat by Nancy Viau
In City Street Beat, a young girl travels along a city's twisty road on her way to a friend’s house. Together, they embark on an adventure, taking in all the city’s sights and sounds.
August 2 | Flight School by Lita Judge
Although little Penguin has the soul of an eagle, his body wasn't built to soar. But Penguin has an irrepressible spirit, and he adamantly follows his dreams to flip, flap, fly!
August 9 | Dig In! by Cindy Jenson-Elliot and Mary Peterson
Dig in to this vibrant picture book that celebrates all the surprises found down in the dirt!
August 16 | Nanette's Baguette by Mo Willems
Today is the day Nanette gets to get the baguette! Is she set? YOU BET!
August 23 | Hi, Pizza Man! by Virginia Walter
It all begins with a simple question posed by a patient mother when her impatient toddler shouts, 'I'm hungry!' 'What will you say when the doorbell rings and we open the door?'
August 30 | Roaring Rockets by Tony Milton and Ant Parker
Rockets have power. They rise and roar. This rocket's waiting, ready to soar. Rockets carry astronauts with cool, white suits oxygen helmets, and gravity boots.
July 27 | Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld
This charming book gets at the heart of what it means to make a difference no matter your size
August 3 | A Rock Can Be
Rocks may seem like boring, static objects - until you discover that a rock can spark a fire, glow in the dark, and provide shelters of all shapes and sizes.
August 10 | 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.
August 17 | If I were a Jungle Animal by Tom and Amanda Ellery
Morton is bored playing baseball all the way in the outfield. But if he were in the jungle, he could be a lion or a zebra or a hippopotamus!
August 24 | Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson
How do you make a garden grow? In this playful book you will see how tiny seeds bloom into beautiful flowers. And by tapping, clapping, waving, and more, you can join in the action!
August 31 | Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom! by Stuart J Murphy
As Molly plays with her big brother's toy cars, readers will see and recognize patterns, an essential first step in learning to reason from the specific to the general.
Bring your tots and enjoy a fun morning of exploring music and movement 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:
July 31 | Water Fun!
Come explore the wonders of the underwater world as we turn ourselves into a multitude of fun exotic sea creatures! Be a Slippery Fish with Us! Glug! Glug! Mini bottle shakers is the take home today.
August |
Due to Two Buck Tuesdays, there will be no Melody Makers at the Museum of Natural Curiosity.
July 27 | On the Farm
Old MacDonald had a farm and we love all the animals on his farm. Come explore with us as we learn songs about the many animals you can find on a farm including BINGO the farmer’s dog. Make a small box drum today.
August 2 | Animal Pretend
Do you like animals? Do you like to pretend? We will be making the sounds of farm animals like the cow, goat, sheep, horse and more. Then join in the pretend play as we explore the world of animals.
August 9 | On the Pond
What kinds of animals live on a pond? Join us as we quack like a duct, leap like a frog and swim like a fish. Then learn the actions to the song 5 Green and Speckled Frogs.
August 16 | Old MacDonald Had a Farm
What are your favorite farm animal songs? Join us today as we sing farm favorites like the Farmer in the Dell, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, BINGO and more. Then learn a song about a mama and her ducks called Five Little Ducks.
August 23 | BINGO
There was a farmer who had a dog and BINGO was his name. Today we will be using songs to learn patterns in music. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe can teach us more than counting to ten, songs like these help children learn to memorize in patterns and count to the music.
August 30 | Around Town
The Wheels on the Bus go around and around all through the town. Learn the actions to this and other songs as we discover the world around us. Just for fun we will learn Are You Sleeping and learn a variety of new actions to go with this and other children’s classic songs.
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:
August 11 | Classification Party!
Have you ever thought about how many different types of animals there are in the world? A whole bunch! The Monte L. Bean Museum has decided to come help us learn what it means to classify animals and what things we need to look at to do so. Come learn some fun skills!
July 28 | Baa Baa
It’s time to learn about sheep! What do sheep help us humans with, and in what ways? What does a sheep feel like and how do we take good care of them? Come meet some sheepish friends and practice your bleat! Baa Baa!
August 25 | Birds on the Farm
There are a few different kinds of birds we have here at Farm Country, and they all have some amazing differences! Come visit a peacock and see how different they can be even from each other. Greet some cute chicks and see if you can guess what they’ll grow up to be!
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
Farm Country
July 30 | Do You See What I See?
Come explore the world of light. Play with prisms, do a sunprint experiment and learn about the benefits of the sun for plants and animals. Join us for these exciting Leap into Science experiments and discoveries.
August 6 | Horses and Ponies
Want to meet a pony up close? Find out how we get to know our ponies by taking a closer look at their fur, hair, hoofs, heads, ears and fur patterns. Then measure yourself the way we measure horses, by “HAND” For extra fun, paint your own horse “art” based on what you saw.
August 13 | Bugs at the Farm
Have you ever wondered what that bug is on the underside of plants? Is a grasshopper useful? What is the life cycle of different bugs? Join in the fun as we explore the miniature world of insects. Then build a bug based on what you have observed.
August 20 | Fur and Hair - Animal Coverings
What do you notice about the wool of a sheep and after its been sheared, cleaned, spun and woven into scarves and blankets? Come take a closer look at the coverings of our sheep, goats and cows, then join in the fun as we learn how to clean and card the sheep's wool to prep it for weaving.
August 27 | Farm Fowl
Have you ever seen a peacock, turkey, or chickens? Come observe our farm fowl, walk like a chicken, learn about flocks, observe nest and eggs and then compare feathers to see which ones you think are for water. What else can you learn about our farm fowl? Then come and make a watercolor picture of your experience with us.
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: Ashton Gardens (June-September)
Upcoming
August 3 | Classic Board Games
Tonight, we will be playing some classic board games like Candyland, Clue, and Trouble.
Augut 17 | Lawn Games
Come play some traditional lawn games and a few giant versions of your favorite games.
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
August 18 | Hydraulics
Come learn all about hydraulics. Then put your knowledge to the test by, identifying a problem, designing, and building a hydraulics-based machine to help solve it.
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