Spring is right around the corner, and the Children’s Museum of Bozeman is a hive of activity! Their calendar is full with hands-on learning programs engaging children from preschool through high school in science, math, literacy, and the arts.
The Spring Break day camps are for Grades K-5 and are quickly filling up. Stop in and see the exciting changes to our rotating exhibition space, take a tour of the STEAMlab, and grab a programs calendar so your family can take full advantage of the enriching educational opportunities happening at our museum every day.
Arduino: Etch-A-Sketch will be held Thursday, March 3rd beginning at 5pm. Discover the inner workings of the Etch-A-Sketch, then program an updated version of this classic toy using a microcontroller. Yours to keep! For grades 5 and up. Cost of this event is $50.
CMB’s STEAMlab is a high-tech experiential learning environment offering activities in coding, robotics, engineering, and 3D printing for children of all ages and abilities. Open Lab Hours are on Tuesdays from 4-7pm, and give children in Grades 6-12 a chance to explore topics that interest them most, alongside the expert guidance of a mentor. Drop-in for Open Lab is only $5, and Elementary aged children are welcome to participate with the support of a parent. There will be no Open Lab during the week of Spring Break (March 15th).
Spring Break Camps at CMB run from Monday, March 14th through Thursday, March 18th, and feature a variety of hands-on projects in electronics, engineering, physics, and art! Light it! Engineer it! Move it! Create it! These camps are designed for Grades K-5 and run from 9am-3pm. Register today on the Camps page of their website or call 522-9087. In the lab, CMB staff uses Minecraft as a tool to help kids learn about coding and collaboration, and they have just launched an exciting three-part Advanced Minecraft program where your child can build his or her own unique take-home game controller! Your child can make the connection between hardware and software through direct experience, and begin learning the basic principles of engineering, robotics, and aeronautics.
Add the monthly “adults only” STEAM & Suds program to your calendar, and join the growing number of adults in our community who are coming together to support opportunities in technology for our youth. STEAM Saturday is March 26th and CMB is showing its Bobcat pride with a family-oriented activity: making LED light-up MSU ball caps! If your child has passion for both art and science, be sure to sign up for the Circuit Board Jewelry Making class on March 31st, and create unique earrings, pins, and pendants using Eagle–a professional PCB design program. “Explore Montana” is CMB’s newest exhibition, featuring: a farm to market play-scape where your child can water, harvest, and sell crops; a barn and saddled horse to inspire imaginative play; and a fishing boat, “Reel Fun,” to try your luck at catching native fish species! Gallatin Girls Coding Club at CMB welcomes middle and high school aged girls from communities across Gallatin County to engage in the joy and beauty of coding. They provide direct instruction, hands-on experimentation, and expert mentorship to help you acquire valuable skills that will benefit you in any career path you choose. GGCC meets monthly and always welcomes new members. Contact Alex Opie at opie@mtcompact.org for more information and a schedule. Register for STEAMlab programs camps at cmbozeman.org/, or call (406) 522-9087 for more information. •
