San Jose Children's Museum Appeal

“

The Children’s Discovery Museum exposes kids

to the worlds of science, technology and art at an early age, to stimulate their curiosity and dreams — for the

” Curiosity. benefit of future generations.

KQED PUBLIC TV

Inspiration.

Inquiry.

Expression.

The future of our community depends on it.

You can help.

180 Woz Way ▲ San Jose, CA 95110

Joy. Discovery.

Exploration.

Wonder.

It’s everybody’s

birthright.

A children’s museum is a

Doorway to Wonder

Won’t you help us keep the doorways

“

The Children's Discovery Museum houses some of the most imaginative hands-on exhibits you'll find for kids anywhere.

Kids can probe, push, pull, climb, inquire, and learn in an environment that stimulates the imagination and creativity of developing minds."

”

W W W. C I T Y S P I N . C O M

Discovery

Discovery

in the Museum

in the Community

Since 1990, the 52,000-square-foot Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose has enriched the lives of more than four million young people with 150 highly interactive, engaging exhibits focusing on the arts, sciences, and humanities.

Children can walk through the doors of our Wonder Cabinet to discover a Woodland Puppet Forest and other “wonderfull” worlds, learn about the “soapy” science of bubbles, operate a “kid-powered” generator—or simply touch, test, crank, listen, prod, and tinker to their heart’s content. A virtual wonderland for developing minds, the Museum offers multi-sensory experiences for children of varying developmental stages, interests, and backgrounds.

Our commitment to young people and their families extends far beyond the whimsical, lilac-colored walls of our Museum.

Through community outreach programs and partnerships with local schools, we bring the Museum’s interactive arts and science programming to more than 20,000 children, parents and educators each year. We also offer job training for low-income teens; meaningful employment for women re-entering the workforce and adults who are not native English speakers; parenting workshops for teenaged moms working toward a high-school degree; and after-school activities to help at-risk teens stay off the streets, away from negative social influences and on a positive path in life.

Highlights from our Museum:

The Wonder Cabinet

Bubbalogna

Young children can walk though different doors into whimsical worlds, from a Woodland Puppet Forest to a Sand Science Laboratory, in this early learning exhibit designed to stimulate the cognitive development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Seven highly interactive exhibits exploring the “soapy science” of bubbles teach kids about the physics of bubble phenomena — from the reasons why bubbles stretch and float to how they capture light.

to discovery open for every young person in San Jose’s diverse communities?

Early Childhood Center A stimulating environment for children up to the age of five, with informal, daily dropin programs in art, science, and social development. The center also offers workshops on early childhood development for parents.

Waterways

CDMedia.Studio

Colorful plastic balls become tools for discovery as kids learn about the way that water gushes, rushes, and flows.

Children can create their own unique water fountain at the Waterfall Wall and sit in a Rain Shanty to hear the wonderful melodies of rain.

Our in-house computer and videoediting lab is equipped with the latest Adobe software, Internet access, digital cameras, and video editing equipment.

Kids can use the studio to work on school projects, make a movie, design a poster... and have a blast!

Highlights from our community programs:

Safe Nights Social events for young people between the ages of 11 and 15 in a safe setting at the Children's Discovery Museum, featuring food, music (complete with DJ), and fun.

Bio S.I.T.E. This award-winning program brings science to life for elementary, middleschool, and highschool students from low-income families through hands-on experiments focusing on the aquatic ecosystems in the Guadalupe River.

Winner of the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences Award for Exceptional Community Service

“

The middle schoolers are not only learning science by getting their hands and feet wet; they are participating in real research for an environmental conservation project.

”

HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE BULLETIN ARTICLE ON THE MUSEUM'S BIOSITE PROGRAM

Summer of Service

Young Parent Program

Students in grades 7-10 spend two weeks mentoring a child in a Head Start preschool program, serving food to the hungry, working on environmental projects, and performing other good deeds to make our corner of the world a better place.

This program for teen mothers combines exploration in the Museum’s exhibit galleries with interactive workshops emphasizing the role of play in the healthy cognitive, emotional, and social development of young children.

Discovery Youth A fun-filled, workbased learning experience that encourages young people in grades 5-9 to create digital art on the computer, make videos, produce radio programs, conduct science experiments, and more.