As Childrenโs Museum of the East Endโs (CMEE) mission is to โspark imagination and foster learning for children of all backgrounds and abilities and to build strong connections within the East End community by providing playful experiences,โ while the Museum is temporarily closed in response to COVID-19 CMEE has introduced several enriching virtual programming to keep little ones engaged.
โWe want families know that the Museum is here for them so we created CMEE @ Home,โ Liz Bard, the Museumโs Director of Education, explained.
CMEE @ Home offers a myriad of topics, including Songs In The Key of CMEE, CMEE Storytime!, Where Is Domino?, Homeschool for Beginners, Mrs. Leahโs Springtime Mystery Walk, and more.
โEvery morning, we plan to introduce a new โRecipe for Playโ so families can stay engaged and explore creative ways to learn while theyโre home from school,โ Bard shared.
For Songs In The Key of CMEE, Staff Members have curated a few family-friendly Spotify playlists โ encompassing happy tunes, sad songs, silly melodies, dance numbers, and everything-in-between. Those who have suggestions for the community playlists can e-mail info@cmee.org with their tune of choice.
Children can enjoy CMEE Educators reading beloved tales as part of CMEE Storytime!. Currently videos feature I Will Take A Nap! and ยกHoy volarรฉ!. Story suggestions can be emailed to Liz@CMEE.org.
CMEEโs beloved Domino the Bunny is being taken care of by a Museum staff member, although he really wishes he could be exploring the world. So, the Museum wants to know where CMEEers think he should visit. You can download a picture of CMEEโs #1 Bunny by clicking here, print it out, draw where Domino should travel to on his next adventure, and email the masterpieces to info@cmee.org so CMEE can share them with the rest of the Museum.
CMEE also offers advice on schooling that addresses screen time, scheduling, designating a set area for school, and more in the Homeschool for Beginners section.
When in need of some outdoor fun, partake in Mrs. Leahโs Springtime Mystery Walk. While on a stroll, take particular notice of your surroundings and then document what you and your little one sees. As spring brings Mother Nature alive, and blooms start to flourish, there is much to admire. After the trek, have them draw what they found most interesting, or have them take a picture of the captivating subject. Once completed, email the works to info@cmee.org or tag them on Instagram @cmeegram and theyโll share them.
CMEE has also enlisted local East End artists to create coloring pages that can be downloaded here and then little ones can use their imaginations to complete the works with bold, beautiful hues. Once again, CMEE would love to see the final products via info@cmee.org or @cmeegram.
โWe thought that these coloring pages would be a fun way for the areaโs incredible artist community to engage with children and families who are home from school for the time being,โ said Steve Long, the Museumโs President. โEveryone has been so incredibly supportive during this timeโฆevery artist we shared the idea with was immediately on board and sent us drawings within 24 hours.โ
Local artists who want to contribute a coloring page can contact paul@cmee.org.
For more information about the Childrenโs Museum of the East End, visit www.cmee.org.