Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium
The Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery closed its doors as a New York State fish hatchery on March 31, 1982. The following day it was reopened as a non-profit educational center by the Friends of the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, Inc. Its mission is to operate as an environmental education center and public aquarium that continues to raise and stock trout. We are proud to have the largest living collection of New York State freshwater reptiles, fishes and amphibians. The Hatchery is a fun place for your family to spend an afternoon together. Visitors can tour our two aquarium buildings and eight outdoor ponds, feed the hungry trout, and try our Catch & Keep fishing. Special events, such as Animal Passport Program and Hatching Turtle Day, offer the public an opportunity to learn more about the creatures that inhabit New York States natural environment.
Long Island Children’s Museum Garden City
LICM offers year-round, hands-on exhibits for kids that even adults find fun and engaging. An outdoor water play area is open during warmer weather. The museum, on Nassau County’s Museum Row, offers weekly activities as well as STEM summer programs, early childhood programs, and more. The LICM Theater puts on live performances regularly. This season, enjoy Elephant and Piggie’s rocking musical “We Are In a Play!” Annual memberships include free guest and theater passes, as well as discounts if you host your child’s birthday party there.
Oberlin Values In Action:
From time to time, OAM will spotlight alumni entrepreneurs whose work reflects their Oberlin ideals while also having an important impact on the larger world.
The Long Island Childrens Museum gives kids a hands-on way to get excited about their world.
In 1989, three young couples, all residents of Long Island, New York, were having dinner together when the conversation turned to the dearth of activities in their area for families with young children. They talked about the childrens museums they had visited around the country, when suddenly one said: Why dont we start one?!
That impromptu moment of nearly 20 years ago has a very tangible result: The Long Island Childrens Museum , a lively, hands-on institution with a $5 million annual budget, 100 employees, and 65 volunteers housed in a 40,000-square-foot former Navy airplane hanger in Garden City. It is a source of great pride to Robert Lemle 75, chair of Oberlins Board of Trustees, and his wife, Roni Kohen-Lemle 76, two of the six founders, and who have remained intimately involved with the museum since its inception. To this day, Lemle has continued to take a leadership role, serving since 1996 as president, and now co-chair, of the museums board.
Heidi Waleson, a New-York based writer, is the opera critic for The Wall Street Journal.
Daub House, 145 W. Lorain St. Oberlin, OH 44074Phone: 440-775-8182
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Long Island Childrens Museum
Long committed to hands-on learning, the staff at Long Island Childrens Museum in Garden City added a Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom they call Our Backyard, where children can begin building lifelong relationships with nature.
In Our Backyard, the museum designed the learning space to flow naturally from one activity area to the next. Natural barriers such as boulders, trees and planters aesthetically divide space into regions where children can develop new skills, like building or weaving, in an outdoor environment.
Children will discover a seemingly endless array of activities all infused with learning opportunitiesin Our Backyard. Artfully named areas also provide the young person with a clear understanding of their functions: Build a Bird Nest, Spin a Spider Web and Feel the Heat let them know exactly what to expect. In other areas, they can dig sand or gravel, immerse themselves in the vegetable garden, or transport objects in wheelbarrows.
A skilled Master Gardener designed the various gardens with flowers, vegetables, and plains grasses that are native to this environment and will flourish within the exhibits micro-environment. Green materials both recycled and reused are mainstays in the classrooms concept.
Heckscher Museum Of Art Huntington
The Heckscher Museum of Art offers a variety of programs and resources specifically for families and children. Ongoing activities include a Paint-A-Selfie Station and a Digital Action station. On select Sunday afternoons, the museum hosts Heckscher Family Hour for kids ages 5-10 and their families. Summer drop-in workshops on Wednesdays and Fridays allow children to create works of art under the guidance of museum educators. Daily passes and annual memberships are offered.
Do some investigating at the Long Island Explorium.
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$120g Grant Will Expand Head Start Program In Riverside Flanders
Sara Whitcomb, the lead educator at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton, with children in one of the play areas. Museum officials said the renovations at a town-owned building on Flanders Road in Riverside that the museum sometimes uses will give it a “permanent presence” in the area to provide local children and their families with closer access to afterschool, music and childcare programs. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
Children from the impoverished Riverside and Flanders area could have permanent access to a closer space providing them with educational and art programs as soon as this summer.
Southampton Town was recently awarded a $120,000 grant from New York States Regional Economic Development Council initiative to complete a roughly $750,000 expansion and renovation of a 9,000-square-foot town-owned building on Flanders Road in Riverside. Once completed, which Southampton Deputy Supervisor Frank Zappone estimates to be this summer, the building will provide enhanced space for early childhood programs offered by Long Island Head Start and the Childrens Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton.
The Head Start program has utilized the building for several years, and the museum has provided arts and child care programs at the space via pop-up visits, Zappone said.
“Were hoping to bring in more cultural opportunities, more arts programs, more opportunities for families to play and grow together in just a safe community space,” Bard said.
Children’s Museum Of The East End
Children’s Museum of the East End
BEST FOR AGES 2 to 7
COST $10 per person free for children younger than 1. Miniature golf is $5 per person.
HOURS 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily closed Tuesdays
INFO 631-537-8250 cmee.org
The littlest foodies will be happy to see the new, trendy and hands-on food truck exhibit at the Children’s Museum of the East End. The kitchen inside the truck has a play stove where kids can “prepare” multicultural favorites such as ramen and flan. The museum is what museum marketing coordinator Paul Johnson calls a “please-touch museum,” and it’s set up like an East End village with a farm stand, a soda-fountain and a windmill like the one in East Hampton. The museum also features an outdoor nine-hole mini-golf course.
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Whaling Museum & Education Center Cold Spring Harbor
The If I Were A Whaler interactive exhibit enables kids of all ages to be part of Long Island’s once-vibrant whaling industry. Kids can dress up, play, and explore in an old general store circa the 1800s. There are plenty of educational exhibits on whaling and boating, including Folk Art and a Diorama of Cold Spring Harbor c. 1850. The museum also holds holiday events throughout the year and offers summer camps.
Center For Science Teaching And Learning
The Center for Science Teaching & Learnings expanded Dinosaurs! and Animal Adventure exhibit, featuring five new animatronic dinosaurs, is open and welcoming families and groups. Dinosaurs! And Animal Adventure is the only tourist and educational attraction of its kind on Long Island and a popular family-friendly attraction. The exhibit focuses on how animals adapt and survive, demonstrated through a unique intermixing of dinosaur models and live animals together. School children and families from the New York region and beyond are expected to visit this exhibit annually to experience more than 80 unique displays.
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Nassau County Museum Of Art Roslyn
This might look like a museum for adults, but there are plenty of kid-friendly options to delight little ones. From Family Sundays to Studio Saturdays, this museum affords kids and parents plenty of hands-on experiences from which to choose. There is also an after-school program on Thursdays for kids ages seven and up that teaches kids art-making and contemporary concepts. Special monthly programs are also offered for families. Daily passes and annual family memberships are available.
South Fork Natural History Museum And Nature Center Bridgehampton
The museum features both live and re-created exhibits of animals in their natural habitats. Wonderful murals cover the walls from floor to ceiling, adding to the beautiful aesthetic of the museum. The exhibits continue outside, with a butterfly and wildflower garden, as well as a nature walk through the Vineyard Field Preserve. There is also a marine touch tank, where brave kids can hold sea stars and urchins in the water. If you are visiting as a guest, tots under two years old are admitted for free. Memberships include free admission for your whole family.
A version of this article was originally posted in 2015.
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Long Island Explorium Port Jefferson
The Long Island Explorium encourages science and engineering education through play. Caregivers and children can explore, play, create, and build together. The museum’s exhibits combine maritime themes with STEAM-based activities. Children can build boats, learn about mass and volume with rice, send messages to friends with a pulley system, and so much more. It offers camps when school is out, birthday parties, and partnerships with the Boy and Girl Scouts.
Cradle Of Aviation Museum
Cradle of Aviation Museum
BEST FOR AGES Kindergarten through 12th grade
COST $12 per child ages 2 to 12 or senior citizen older than 62, $17 with theater ticket $14 per adult, $19 with theater combo
HOURS 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays
INFO 516-572-4111 cradleofaviation.org
The Cradle of Aviation Museum explores aviation history from the beginning of flight through space exploration with hands-on exhibits in eight galleries, including “Dream of Wings,” about hot-air balloons and kites “Hempstead Plains,” about the beginning of aircraft usage on Long Island and “Contemporary Aviation,” which explores jets. Kids can also sit in the cockpit of actual airplanes. The theater offers National Geographic Dome films and live programming.
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Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is a non-profit, educational institution featuring the legendary aircraft carrier Intrepid, the space shuttle Enterprise, the worlds fastest jets and a guided missile submarine. Through exhibitions, educational programming and the foremost collection of technologically groundbreaking aircraft and vessels, visitors of all ages and abilities are taken on an interactive journey through history to learn about American innovation and bravery.
The mission of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is to promote the awareness and understanding of history, science and service through its collections, exhibitions and programming in order to honor our heroes, educate the public and inspire our youth.
Long Island Children’s Museum
Long Island Children’s Museum
BEST FOR AGES Toddlers through 12
COST $13 per person, $12 for senior citizens 65 and older, free for babies 1 and younger theater performances additional fee
HOURS 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. closed Mondays
INFO 516-224-5800 licm.org
A new, traveling exhibit called “Once Upon a Time” opens at the Long Island Children’s Museum on Oct. 3, letting kids walk through seven different fairy tales. They’re not all princess-focused — they include “Jack and the Beanstalk” and a tale of the African spider Anansi, “called Anansi and the Talking Melon.” “The idea of it is to introduce them to the printed word,” says Maureen Mangan, director of communications and marketing. In addition to traveling exhibits that change every four months, the museum has 13 indoor and outdoor exhibits. Fan favorites include the two-story Climb-It at LICM climbing sculpture meant for kids to scamper up and down, the Bubbles exhibit and the Bricks and Sticks building blocks area. “Children learn best by seeing, touching and doing, so everything is play-based,” Mangan says. A museum theater holds 144 people and offers regular performances.
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The Animal Farm Petting Zoo
This 10-acre park is the perfect place to get close to nature and animals. You can pet and feed most of the animals. There are monkeys, parrots, llamas, deer, wallabies, reptiles, emu, cows, pigs and other animals. Bottle feed baby pigs and hand feed baby goats. Cuddle something soft in the Baby Barn. Free pony rides, Super Cow Musical Puppet Show, Super Slide, playgrounds, and picnic areas. Pony rides and Safari tour train additional. Birthday party, play date and group rates available. Open Spring through Fall – 11am-5pm every day, weather permitting. $15.95 for adults, $13.95 for children 2-16 & seniors.
The Whaling Museum And Education Center
The Whaling Museum and Education Center
BEST FOR AGES 5 to 12
COST $6 per adult, $5 per child ages 4 to 18 or senior citizen 62 and older, children younger than 4 are free
HOURS Tuesday through Friday noon to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
INFO 631-367-3418 cshwhalingmuseum.org
The Whaling Museum recently unveiled a new exhibit called “If I Were a Whaler” with a special event from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 called “SeaFaire.” Local craftspeople and artisans will display old-time crafts such as quilting, and visitors can make candles, miniature boats and scrimshaw. The new exhibit focuses on life on a whaling ship, including a replica of sleeping quarters. The museum also houses artifacts and pieces from whaling times, including a scrimshaw collection and an authentic 1800s whaleboat.
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Garvies Point Museum And Preserve Glen Cove
This natural history museum on Nassau’s North Shore has been a Long Island institution for more than 50 years. Have a dino-lover in the family? Take him or her to Garvies’ paleontology programs for hands-on lessons on dinosaur habits and habitats. Garvies also boasts archeology and bird-watching programs as well as Native American education and cultural seminars. Now through summer, check out an exhibit on Seashells from Around The World. Summer camps feature half and full-day sessions from June through August. Birthday parties are also available.
Exploring The Cradle Of Aviation Museum
You are bound to discover something you didnt expect, or learn a new fun fact during your tour. For instance, I learned that Long Island experiences more air traffic than any other place in the world, and I was even able to trace the flight path that went over my childhood home. I am happy to report our current home doesnt lay beneath one of the many flight paths here on Long Island. Thank goodness!
The girls were shocked when they discovered the Golden Flyer. Nora jumped into the pilots seat and Sadie thought she was supposed to climb onto the wing as passenger. It was one of those hands on experiences that I was hoping for that I mentioned at the start. And, it opened the door to discuss more about the evolution of aircraft with my girls, a truly immersive experience.
While in the main gallery, we spent a lot of time in the World War Two and Jet Age exhibits. Nora and Sadie both tried their hands at a carrier landing, a simulation game where you can pilot a Hellcat. They also took turns as pilot and gunner in a decommissioned war plane. This was one area they did not want to leave.
Overall, learning about aerospace history and the major role Long Island played in its progression was fascinating. We spent about 90 minutes at the museum but, I think we could have spent at least another hour exploring it all. The girls had enough, they were getting hangry.
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What Our Programs Offer
For Families and Children:
Our curriculum, exhibits and educational approach are unique by design, developed to spark inventive solutions, build confidence by embracing the fail forward concept and foster teamwork through hands-on workshops and activities that pose challenges with multiple outcomes or solutions. Because of this focus on creativity and innovation, the Explorium is recognized as Long Islands Family Maker Space, a place for families to play, create, build and grow together.
For Students:
Our workshops are smart and fun! We nurture childrens thinking as they work to develop their own solutions to open-ended challenges. STEM workshops include evidence-based writing, career awareness, and civic engagement components. Our distinctive challenge-based programs are built on New York State Science Learning Standards, New York State English Language Arts and Mathermatics Learning Standards, and the National Core Arts Standards.
For Educators:
The Long Island Explorium is a New York State certified provider of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education credits. Our programs help inspire teachers to incorporate STEAM and constructivist approaches into their standards-based lessons. Teachers learn how to foster engagement of all learners through hands-on challenges that explore the engineering design process, encourage teamwork, and incorporate career and civic awareness.
New Lantern Shows To Illuminate Long Island This Holiday Season
Long Island is truly a special place during the holidays. From Polar Express rides to light shows and craft fairs, the holiday spirit is everywhere. Adding to that excitement this season are three new lantern shows that will bring smiles as far as the eye can see.
Whether you want to be up close or stay warm in the car, read on for details about the walk-thru LuminoCity Festival in Manhasset and the drive-thru Lantern Festival in Roslyn. Enjoy another speclal show at the Queens County Farm Museum, just over the border from Nassau.
These events are unlike any other you wont want to miss them. We will, of course, be updating our Long Island Holiday Guide as the season draws closer. In the meantime, enjoy these great illuminations.
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