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Homeschool Electricity for Ages: 9-12

Early Learning exhibition for children ages 2-5

Designed for young children and their adult caregivers, Welcome Home: Celebrating Asian Childhood invites immersive exploration inside and outside of Chinese, Japanese, and Hmong “homes.”

With interactive exhibits that have a focus on food, gardening, play, and storytelling across each represented culture, young children have the opportunity to hone gross and fine motor skills, practice early language and literacy skills, and grow general content knowledge. Storybooks celebrating Asian cultures invite discussion between children and their parents and caregivers, and encourage social and emotional learning. To make the exhibition more accessible to families, it is presented in both English and Spanish.

Welcome Home: Celebrating Asian Childhood was developed by the Freeman Foundation, in partnership with the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM).

As part of their efforts to support eclipse viewing and education across Vermont, ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, has created an educational solar eclipse exhibit, available for all to print and display. We are grateful for their hard work and generosity and we’re thrilled to present this exhibit to Montshire visitors in anticipation of the April 8th, 2024 solar eclipse.

This work is supported by the Simons Foundation and is part of its ‘In the Path of Totality’ initiative.

Light and Sound create waves we can see and hear. In this series students will investigate sound waves and vibrations through invention, play, discovery, and lots of testing. Light will be manipulated and redirected with shadows and mirrors, and we will witness the separation of color in light around us.

Light and Sound create waves we can see and hear. In this series students will investigate sound waves and vibrations through invention, play, discovery, and lots of testing. Light will be manipulated and redirected with shadows and mirrors, and we will witness the separation of color in light around us.

Light and Sound create waves we can see and hear. In this series students will investigate sound waves and vibrations through invention, play, discovery, and lots of testing. Light will be manipulated and redirected with shadows and mirrors, and we will witness the separation of color in light around us. ​

Thursdays: April 11, April 18, April 25

Ages 6-8: 10:30am - 12pm

Ages 9-11: 1:30pm - 3:00pm

Register HERE

Join us on March 9th for Astronomy Day, our annual celebration of all things celestial. This year includes programming for children, adults, and families including astronomical arts and crafts, hands-on space demonstrations, and lightning talks featuring graduate students from the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Dartmouth College. There will be opportunities throughout the day to meet face-to-face with astronomers to learn more about them and their research. We also welcome back the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People, who will share stellar stories, followed by an indigenous art activity.

The vernal equinox signals that spring is returning to the Northern hemisphere, but what does that really mean? And why does it matter? In this series we’ll use our planetarium to explore the celestial movements that signal the changing seasons, and make observations about the ways our forests and waters respond.

Hop like a frog and hunt for insects. Learn about the complete metamorphosis of frogs with educator Kelly Wieman for this Month’s Nature Adventure.

Moose are the largest animals in Vermont, and yet they are extremely elusive. We will read Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root and stomp like this massive animal with educator Kelly Weiman.

Hop in the snow like a Snowshoe Hare. We will play a game and read The Mitten by Jan Brett with educator Kelly Wieman.

Enjoy a fun and interactive learning experience in a comfortable and welcoming environment. This is a time for families to enjoy a less-crowded visit and may be appealing to individuals who have sensory processing differences. Admission is free. There will be reduced lights and sounds from select exhibits, a quiet respite space, sensory kits to borrow with noise-cancelling headphones and other supplies, and a sensory map.

Register here! (Registration not required. Walk-ins accepted.)

Join the Montshire with friends and family on Saturday, February 10, 2024 as we celebrate the Lunar New Year with special hands-on activities!

Activities to include making paper lanterns and kites.

Free with Museum Admission. 10am-5pm.

Sign up your 1st-through-4th grader, for only one day, or multiple days, to explore science and engineering while meeting friends, exploring the museum and playing outside!

An account on CampSite must be created first in order to register for the February Vacation Camp.

Once you create your CampSite account, you can then register your child for February Vacation Camp.

To get started, use one of the links below:

To create a new CampSite account, click here

To login to an existing CampSite account, click here

(If you don’t know if you have a CampSite account already, use the new CampSite account link!)

Sign up your 1st-through-4th grader, for only one day, or multiple days, to explore science and engineering while meeting friends, exploring the museum and playing outside!

Each day offers a new theme to explore: 9am - 3pm daily.

$75/day for members | $85/day for non-members.

Monday: Rollways (SOLD OUT)
Tuesday: Electricity & Magnetism (SOLD OUT)
Wednesday: Space (SOLD OUT)
Thursday: Insects (Limited Availability)
Friday: Shelters–above and below the snow (SOLD OUT)

Join us at the Science Discovery Lab for daily drop-in programs offered at 11am or 2pm for hands-on science.

A new activity is offered every morning and afternoon - you may get to experiment with electricity, build a parachute, or explore the fossil collection in the morning or examine skulls, test a paper rocket, or meet a live insect up close in the afternoon!

Please note that Igloo Build is CANCELLED due to inadequate snowpack!

Upon the advice of our Igloo expert, Dr. Norbert Yankielun, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Igloo Build.

According to NOAA, we are experiencing a warmer than normal winter season. Despite the appearance of ideal snow currently on the ground, this season has produced infrequent and insufficient snowfalls. Additionally, the multiple freeze/thaw cycles have caused the ice crystals to metamorphose, and the rain has saturated the snow, causing the snow to lose much of its strength. This causes the snow to become difficult and unsafe to cut and stack into igloos.

But wait! If you still want a snow-based experience, come to the Montshire for SNOW SCULPTURES!

We will have large blocks of snow ready for you to carve into animals, cars, mushrooms, buildings, or whatever you can imagine. We will have some tools available, but you are also invited to bring your own tools like trowels and buckets.

Schedule of the day:

10:30 AM– 3:00 PM - Snow Sculptures Open

Build your own Bee House for solitary bees after reading Am I Even a Bee by Felicity Muth.

After learning about colors and feelings in the book Color Monster by Anna Llenas we will explore mixing colors using science tools.

Relax surrounded by the aquariums in “Life in Local Waters” after we read the book Pattern Fish by Trudy Harris and create our own patterned paper fish to take home.

After reading the book Blackout by John Rocco, families will have the chance to experiment with batteries and circuits to make lights turn on and motors run.

After reading the book The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins, you can build your own contraption to test in the museum’s wind tube.

We’ll read One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Roots and afterward investigate animal tracks and learn which tracks belong to which animals.

Experiment with shadow puppets after getting inspired by the book Moonbear’s Shadow by Frank Asch.

Enjoy playing and experimenting with bubbles after reading Big Bad Bubble by Adam Rubin.

Build and test ramps after reading Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee.

Look at fossils and chomp like a Dino after reading We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins.

Blast off in a space ship after the story Small World by Ishta Mercurio and Jen Corace then create your own rocket and see how high it can fly.

Make and test your own parachute after reading Parachute by Danny Parker and Matt Ottley.

Explore human anatomy after reading More Parts by Tedd Arnold

Make a fence for your tiny robot bug after learning about robots inspired by animals in Robo-motion by Linda Zajac.

After reading The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld we will create our own block structures in the “Big Blue Blocks” exhibit.

Test your balancing skills after ready Balance the Birds by Susie Ghahremani.

We will read Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young and then testing our sense of touch with unexpected objects.

Experiment with making a gravity-powered toy car after reading Mo Willem’s book Let’s Go for a Drive.

Explore how simple shapes can be rearranged to make endless combinations after reading Windblown by Edouard Manceau.

The book One Frozen Lake by Deborah Jo Larson is a beautiful introduction to ice fishing - we’ll practice extracting our own fish from ice afterward!

Enjoy a fun and interactive learning experience in a comfortable and welcoming environment. This is a time for families to enjoy a less-crowded visit and may be appealing to individuals who have sensory processing differences. Admission is free. There will be reduced lights and sounds from select exhibits, a quiet respite space, sensory kits to borrow with noise-cancelling headphones and other supplies, and a sensory map.

Register here! (Registration not required. Walk-ins accepted.)

A new activity every day - you may get to examine skulls, test a paper rocket, or meet a live insect up close!

A new activity every morning - you may get to experiment with electricity, build a parachute or explore the fossil collection.

A new activity every day - you may get to examine skulls, test a paper rocket, or meet a live insect up close!

A new activity every day - you may get to examine skulls, test a paper rocket, or meet a live insect up close!

A new activity every morning - you may get to experiment with electricity, build a parachute or explore the fossil collection.

A new activity every morning - you may get to experiment with electricity, build a parachute or explore the fossil collection.

We’ll spend this series investigating indoor natural history collections along with outdoor tracking explorations as we search for and learn about the clues New England wildlife leaves behind (and yes, we’re talking scat, too!). This is a wonderful chance to start getting to know the winter wildlife in our woods, meadows, and rivers.

Thursdays, February 8, 15, 22

Ages 6 - 8. 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Ages 9 - 11. 1:30PM - 3PM (SOLD OUT)

NORWICH, VT - The Montshire Museum of Science will host two climate cafés for parents on December 2, 2023 at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Climate cafés are facilitated small-group gatherings where participants are provided with a safe space to share their thoughts and emotions around the threat posed by climate change. These two events will uniquely focus on the mental health of parents, who are faced with the challenge of raising their children in the shadow of an uncertain and changing climate.

The climate cafés will be co-facilitated by Vermont resident Elizabeth Bechard, Senior Policy Analyst of Moms Clean Air Force and author of Parenting in a Changing Climate: Tools for Cultivating Resilience, Taking Action, and Practicing Hope in the Face of Climate Change, and Maria Finnegan, Director of Communications for New Hampshire Children’s Trust.

“As we grapple with what it means to raise children in a changing climate, creating community spaces for parents to connect with others who care matters more than ever,” states Ms. Bechard. “Climate change increasingly threatens every aspect of our well-being, and for parents, it can be acutely painful to wonder what the world will be like for our children in the future.”

The Montshire Museum of Science recognizes it has an important role to play in our region as a community convener, bringing people together to talk about critical issues at the intersection of science and society. “Climate change is real, it is here, and it is already affecting families in our area,” shares Lara Litchfield-Kimber, Executive Director of the Montshire. “Gatherings like these climate cafés will go a long way toward empowering our community by helping people create connections and by inspiring collective action.”

The plan for piloting parent-focused climate cafés developed as an initiative of CHICKS (Climate and Health Initiative for Children in Kearsarge & Sunapee), a community-engaged and cross-sector program of the nonprofit New Hampshire Healthcare Workers for Climate Action. CHICKS is currently implementing a program to increase awareness of the impact of climate on health in K-5 children and their caregivers at four Boys & Girls Club sites in the Kearsarge region. Their collaborators include the Center for Advancing Rural Health Equity at Dartmouth Health and Colby-Sawyer College. Additional climate cafés are being planned for 2024.

Pre-registration is required, as space is limited in each climate café session. Free on-site childcare is available. Participating families receive free museum admission for the day. The Montshire Museum of Science is located at 1 Montshire Road in Norwich, VT.

To register, visit: https://mms.formstack.com/forms/climatecafes.

About The Montshire Museum of Science

Recently named “Best Museum” in the 2023 Valley News Reader’s Choice Awards, the Montshire Museum forges and empowers lifelong learners through engagement with science.

Located in beautiful Norwich, VT, the Montshire Museum of Science is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Daily admission is $20 for adults and $17 for children ages 2-17. The Museum is free for members and children under the age of two. Memberships are available. Visit montshire.org or call 802-649-2200 for more information.

The Montshire Museum of Science is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is supported by admission, membership, grants, and charitable contributions.

Media Contact:

Lara Litchfield-Kimber, Executive Director

Phone: 802.649.2200 x224

Email address: lara.litchfield-kimber@montshire.org

The museum will be closed on Sunday, December 31, 2023 for the Montshire’s New Year’s celebration.

An early New Year’s Eve party just for families. Mark your calendars and make plans to join us for New Year’s at Noon!

Enjoy themed activity stations around the museum and experience a festive, New Year’s celebration, Montshire style!

Registration now CLOSED! SOLD OUT!

This event is made possible with support from Simple Energy and The Lyme Timber Company.

Explore the physics of momentum - or “mass in motion” - through gravity play, roll-ways, chain reactions, and more in this new interactive exhibit space. Located on the second floor.

Climate Cafés are facilitated small-group gatherings for parents of young children to share thoughts and emotions on the impact of climate change on parenting and their children’s health.

These events will be co-facilitated by Elizabeth Bechard and Maria Finnegan. Ms. Bechard is a Senior Policy Analyst for Moms Clean Air Force, where she leads the organization’s work on climate change and mental health. She is author of Parenting in a Changing Climate: Tools for Cultivating Resilience, Taking Action, and Practicing Hope in the Face of Climate Change. Ms. Finnegan is the Director of Communications for the New Hampshire Children’s Trust. After a career in media and development at NPR, ABC, ESPN, and more, she came home to the Granite State and found her true calling in building a grassroots climate movement focused on the physical and mental health of children and parents.

Pre-registration is required as space will be limited in each session. Free on-site childcare is available. Participating families will also receive free museum admission for the day.

Climate Cafés are made possible through a collaboration with the NH Healthcare Workers for Climate Action and the Dartmouth Center for Advancing Rural Health Equity (CARHE) at Dartmouth Health.

Register Here

Climate Cafés are facilitated small-group gatherings for parents of young children to share thoughts and emotions on the impact of climate change on parenting and their children’s health.

These events will be co-facilitated by Elizabeth Bechard and Maria Finnegan. Ms. Bechard is a Senior Policy Analyst for Moms Clean Air Force, where she leads the organization’s work on climate change and mental health. She is author of Parenting in a Changing Climate: Tools for Cultivating Resilience, Taking Action, and Practicing Hope in the Face of Climate Change. Ms. Finnegan is the Director of Communications for the New Hampshire Children’s Trust. After a career in media and development at NPR, ABC, ESPN, and more, she came home to the Granite State and found her true calling in building a grassroots climate movement focused on the physical and mental health of children and parents.

Pre-registration is required as space will be limited in each session. Free on-site childcare is available. Participating families will also receive free museum admission for the day.

Climate Cafés are made possible through a collaboration with the NH Healthcare Workers for Climate Action and the Dartmouth Center for Advancing Rural Health Equity (CARHE) at Dartmouth Health.

Register Here

​Extended savings in the Museum Store on November 26, December 3, 10, and 17.

Get ready to get your hands dirty! We’ll be engineering solutions to different problems and then building both guided and free choice projects. We’ll focus on building structures and incorporating electrical systems using motors and LEDs. We will be using a handful of different tools including power drills and soldering irons to bring your creations to life. No experience necessary!

Wait, what is snow? In this program we’ll explore the many, fascinating ways snow reaches the earth in so many different forms, and just what it does when it gets here! We’ll experiment with changes of state, snowflake shape and ice formation, occupants of the subnivean zone and animal adaptations, as well as plenty of snow art and snow fun.

Get ready to get your hands dirty! We’ll be engineering solutions to different problems and then building both guided and free choice projects. We’ll focus on building structures and incorporating electrical systems using motors and LEDs. We will be using a handful of different tools including power drills and soldering irons to bring your creations to life. No experience necessary!

This workshop has three sessions and will meet on Tuesday, January 9, 16, 23

Wait, what is snow? In this program we’ll explore the many, fascinating ways snow reaches the earth in so many different forms, and just what it does when it gets here! We’ll experiment with changes of state, snowflake shape and ice formation, occupants of the subnivean zone and animal adaptations, as well as plenty of snow art and snow fun.

Register here! This workshop has three sessions and will meet on Thursday, January 11, 18 and 25.

For 9–11 year olds.

Wait, what is snow? In this program we’ll explore the many, fascinating ways snow reaches the earth in so many different forms, and just what it does when it gets here! We’ll experiment with changes of state, snowflake shape and ice formation, occupants of the subnivean zone and animal adaptations, as well as plenty of snow art and snow fun.

Register here! This workshop has three sessions and will meet on Thursday, January 11, 18 and 25.

For 6–8 year olds.

This workship has three sessions and will meet on Thursdays, November 30, December 7 and 14.

For 9–11 year olds.

This workshop has three sessions and will meet on Thursdays, November 30, December 7 and 14.

For 6–8 year olds.

Why do we design human-made structures the way we do, and how are they connected to the natural world? In this series we will investigate how we humans build our world and what it takes to build in a more sustainable way by balancing human and environmental needs. Along the way, we’ll dig into different ways of building, how natural systems affect our engineered world, and how we can build in a way that supports both humans and the natural world.

Norwich, Vermont — The Montshire Museum of Science will host its annual evening Halloween event, “Spooky Science” on Friday, October 27th, 2023 from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

This special evening event at the Museum will feature “tricked out” exhibits and live Halloween-themed demonstrations designed especially for families with children through age 12. The event will also include opportunities to make Potions, handle Creepy Crawlies in the “boneyard”, and investigate the Dark in a blacklight tunnel. For young guests, there will be not-so-spooky explorations in the Wonder Woods pumpkin patch. The event will conclude with a Grand Finale and trick-or-treating.

Guests are invited to come in costume and participate in a costume contest. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, including: Best Family Costume, Best Baby Costume, Most Earth Friendly Costume, Best Science-Themed Costume, Best Barbie-Themed Costume, and Most Creative Costume.

The Museum recommends that you purchase tickets in advance as this event will sell out. Ticket price includes museum admission and access to all Spooky Science exhibits, activities, demonstrations, and light refreshments. Tickets to Spooky Science are $11 per person for Montshire Members and $15 for non-members and may be purchased in person or online at www.montshire.org. Admission is free for children under the age of two. Free event parking is available at the Museum.

Spooky Science 2023 is generously sponsored by LCS Controls, Inc. and Simple Energy.

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About The Montshire Museum of Science

The Montshire Museum of Science forges and empowers lifelong learners.

Located in beautiful Norwich, VT, the Montshire Museum of Science is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Daily admission is $20 for adults and $17 for children ages 2-17. The Museum is free for members and children under the age of two. Memberships are available. Visit montshire.org or call 802-649-2200 for more information.

The Montshire Museum of Science is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is supported by admission, membership, grants, and charitable contributions.

Media Contact:

Lara Litchfield-Kimber

Executive Director

Phone: 802.649.2200 x224

Email address: lara.l.k@montshire.org

Email: lara.litchfield-kimber@montshire.org

Join Early Learning Specialist Kelly Wieman to explore color-changing weasels and do color experiments. $5 materials fee per child, due at the beginning of the program.

Drop in to learn about bears and hibernation with Environmental Educator Mike Loots! Read a related story and even dissect a log! $5 materials fee per child, due at the beginning of the program.

NORWICH, VT – The Montshire Museum of Science is excited to present a new exhibition designed for its youngest visitors. Welcome Home: Celebrating Asian Childhood opens on Saturday, October 14, 2023.

The Welcome Home exhibition was developed as part of the Freeman Foundation Asian Culture Exhibit Series and provides an age-appropriate, play-based introduction to Chinese, Japanese and Hmong cultures while encouraging the development of critical school readiness skills in children ages 2 to 5. The Montshire Museum is one of four museums selected from across the U.S. to receive this exhibition.

Designed for young children and their adult caregivers,Welcome Home invites immersive exploration inside and outside of Chinese, Japanese, and Hmong “homes.” With interactive exhibits that have a focus on food, gardening, play, and storytelling across each represented culture, young children have the opportunity to hone gross and fine motor skills, practice early language and literacy skills, and grow general content knowledge. Storybooks celebrating Asian cultures invite discussion between children and their parents and caregivers, and encourage social and emotional learning. To make the exhibition more accessible to families, it is presented in both English and Spanish.

“This exhibition accomplishes two very important goals,” shares Lara Litchfield-Kimber, Montshire Executive Director. “First, by encouraging school readiness skill development in young children, it helps build a solid foundation for learning in pre-K and kindergarten. Second, it enables the Montshire to stand with Asian communities and celebrate culture, diversity, and families at this critically important time.”

Welcome Home: Celebrating Asian Childhood was developed by the Freeman Foundation, a private foundation committed to increasing and strengthening the understanding of nations in East Asia, in partnership with the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM).

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

About The Montshire Museum of Science

The Montshire Museum of Science forges and empowers lifelong learners through engagement with science. Located in beautiful Norwich, VT, the Montshire Museum of Science is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Daily admission is $20 for adults and $17 for children ages 2-17. The Museum is free for members and children under the age of two. Memberships are available. Visit montshire.org or call 802- 649-2200 for more information.

The Montshire Museum of Science is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is supported by admission, membership, grants, and charitable contributions.

Media Contact:

Lara Litchfield-Kimber Executive Director

Cell: 607-227-2579

Email: lara.litchfield-kimber@montshire.org

Erin will provide simple tips and tricks that you can implement in your own home garden to attract pollinators and promote pollinator conservation. She will provide an overview of her favorite pollinator-friendly perennials and garden must-haves for growing in Zones 4/5. After her talk, she’ll have locally grown cut tulip bouquets for sale.

Bio: Dr. Erin Zagadailov is the founder and creator of Lady Grantham Apiary, a bees-first flower farm in Grantham, NH, with a mission to promote pollinator conservation and locally grown flowers. Taking a sabbatical from biotech, she is a pharmacist and health economist with expertise in developing and commercializing treatments for oncology and rare diseases. Her research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and other scientific journals. In her spare time, Erin volunteers with the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation. See more of her work at the Lady Grantham Apiary.

Join us as we use our higher powered light microscopes to look at the smallest parts of life. This class is a wonderful introduction to using our favorite scientific tool to explore the smallest elements of microscopic life from cells to paramecium.

From balloon races to parachutes and hot air balloons, each week we’ll be building, testing, and experimenting as we explore different properties of air. The only limit is the Montshire’s giant ceiling!

This workshop has three sessions and will meet on Thursdays, November 2nd, 9th and 16th.

For 9-11 year olds.

From balloon races to parachutes and hot air balloons, each week we’ll be building, testing, and experimenting as we explore different properties of air. The only limit is the Montshire’s giant ceiling!

Registration form coming soon! This workshop has three sessions and will meet on Thursdays, November 2nd, 9th and 16th.

For 6-8 year olds.

From balloon races to parachutes and hot air balloons, each week we’ll be building, testing, and experimenting as we explore different properties of air. The only limit is the Montshire’s giant ceiling!

In October, Nature Adventures will be exploring the beautiful leaves of Fall. Join Early Learning Specialist, Kelly Wieman, as we discover trees and their leaves on The Montshire grounds. $5 per child, due at the beginning of the program.

This month on Sunday, September 10th, we will be exploring birds as they begin their southern migration. Environment Educator, Mike Loots, will lead you on a walk and discuss various local birds and their habitat needs. $5 per child, due at the beginning of the program.