Archives

Use materials that might otherwise make it into the landfill or recycling bin to create your own toy! Special guest artist Claude Ferguson will show you techniques on how to make your very own toy out of a fun assortment of materials.

Workshop 1: Doll-Making
December 22nd
10am-1pm

Workshop 2: Toys that roll!
December 23rd
10am-1pm

Claude Ferguson holds a BFA from North Carolina Central University, and an MFA from San Jose State University. Claude has worked as an arts educator youth and teens since 1984. He has taught with many Bay Area programs and institutions including the California Arts Council, Santa Clara’s Arts Connect, the San Jose Museum of Art, and The Community School of Music & Arts. Claude was also the cofounder of the Genesis Sanctuary for the Arts in San Jose. Aside from his teaching, Claude is also a working artist who shows his work throughout the Bay Area. Claude has taught a variety of courses for kindergarten- through junior high-aged students.

Members can join us at a reception for the artists whose work is featured in “The Art & Joy of the Toy”, our current Gallery exhibit. Light refreshments will be served. Talk to our young artists about their work and join them in a special art-making activity.

Artist “Clavo” Rivas will help you design and make “Superwear,” accessories specially designed to meet all of your superhero needs!

Note: Members’ only 11:00 a.m – noon.

Artist Neil “Clavo” Rivas will lead you through the process of creating a Jetpack Backpack!

Note: Members’ only 11:00 a.m – noon.

Register Now

Join us for a special evening designed for children with autism, ages 2-15, and their families. Play Your Way provides a judgment-free environment where children on the autism spectrum, along with their siblings, parents, and caregivers, play and learn together. Have fun exploring interactive exhibits in an outing that is enjoyable for the whole family. Attendance is limited to 400 guests and pre-registration is required.

Tonight’s special activities include guest artist Philip Ma as he uses his painting and animating skills to involve visitors in an interactive, collaborative story project. Also, Play-Well will provide

LEGO® pieces for free-play, encouraging inquisitiveness, self-reliance, and self-confidence.

Play Your Way events support your family through pre-visit resources, welcoming gallery spaces, and trained, supportive staff. We hope you enjoy the hands-on experiences here, and plan to return for another Play Your Way event or during regular Museum hours.

Pre-registration is required. Space is limited.

Resources

My Visit to Children’s Discovery Museum: A Social Story (.pdf)

Play Your Way is created in partnership with the Museum’s Autism Initiative Advisors. Learn More

Join us for a special evening event designed for children with autism ages 2–15 and their families.

Attendance is limited to 400 guests and preregistration is required. Register

Have fun exploring interactive exhibits in an outing that is enjoyable for the whole family. Play Your Way provides a judgment-free environment where children on the autism spectrum, along with their siblings, parents, and caregivers, play and learn together.

Play Your Way events support your family through pre-visit resources; welcoming gallery spaces; and trained, supportive staff. We hope you enjoy the hands-on experiences here, and plan to return for another Play Your Way event or during regular Museum hours.

Resources

My Visit to Children’s Discovery Museum: A Social Story (.pdf)

Play Your Way is created in partnership with the Museum’s Autism Initiative Advisors. Learn More

Join us for a special evening event designed for children with autism ages 2–15 and their families. Attendance is limited to 400 guests and preregistration is required. Register

Have fun exploring interactive exhibits in an outing that is enjoyable for the whole family. Play Your Way provides a judgment-free environment where children on the autism spectrum, along with their siblings, parents, and caregivers, play and learn together.

Performance

Potter the Otter: An Adventure
This original, live, interactive play follows Potter as he learns to love water!

Resources

My Visit to Children’s Discovery Museum: A Social Story (.pdf)
Event Flyer

Play Your Way events support your family through pre-visit resources; welcoming gallery spaces; and trained, supportive staff. We hope you enjoy the hands-on experiences here, and plan to return for another Play Your Way event or during regular Museum hours.

Play Your Way is created in partnership with the Museum’s Autism Initiative Advisors. Learn More

$$ Fee

Do you want to build a snowman?  Mark your calendars now because you won’t want to miss the chance to be one of the first visitors to explore the Build It! A Holiday Workshop experience. This exclusive, fun-filled evening will include special Build It! activities, maker experiences, and much more.

Make dinner a part of your night out. A full menu of fresh and delicious food will be available for purchase in our Café. From warm homemade soup, to gooey grilled cheese, there is something to please everyone’s taste buds. Top it off with a cup of fresh brewed Barefoot Coffee.

Register

Do you want to build a snowman?

So what if it doesn’t snow in Silicon Valley! Whether it’s a snowman you’d like to create, or you have another idea, you’ll find fun materials to build with at our Holiday Workshop. Builder materials and experiences crystalize your curiosity and result in a flurry of activity. If you’re lucky you may even catch sight of a Snow Queen or her Princess sister. Build It! A Holiday Workshop will only last a couple of weeks, so make sure to schedule time to visit. Get your e-tickets online and enjoy the benefits of quicker entry into the Museum.

The Museum is closed Christmas Day, December 25.

Build it! experiences will include:

• Toy (re)Making Studio – Old toys find a new life in the Art Loft. Use parts from previously-loved toys to create new, and unique sculptures. On select dates, visiting artists will share experiences with Museum guests.

• Blue Block Blizzard – Take fun to a new level!  Build life-size creations with giant, blue Imagination Playground™  blocks. The blocks cover the walls and floor, for a total immersive experience.

• FoamScape – Trees grow from post-consumer use Styrofoam, and hills and skies fill with “snow” flurries made of layered packing peanuts.  You can use the packing peanuts to make your own faux-snow sculpture.   For a squishy, sensory experience, crawl through a snow cave and make a snowball from fluffy memory foam.

Multiple performances today at 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

This original tale by singer/storyteller Keith Torgan and flutist Barbara Siesel will be enhanced by the performance of Bel Canto Flutes, a group that has performed in the Bay Area at venues large and small since 1998. Audiences of all ages will be delighted by this wonderful story that shows the power of music.

Multiple Sessions, Reservations Required
 

The Museum closes at 4:00 p.m. today.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING ON PROPOSED CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY MUSEUM OF SAN JOSE (CDM) EXPANSION

From: City of San Jose: Office of Cultural Affairs – Office of Economic Development

You are invited to a public meeting to review the plans for the expansion of the outdoor garden area in the rear of the Children’s Discovery Museum to include an outdoor environmental education area as well as a stand-alone structure for additional exhibit support capacity.

This expansion will add approx 15,000 sq. ft. to the current garden area. The expanded garden area willprovide an opportunity for visitors to gain hands-on exposure to gardening, environmental stewardship, water conservation and sustainable food production. The expansion will also provide a place for a 3,200 sq. ft. stand-alone structure which will serve as an exhibit fabrication and repair area to ensure that the museum’s exhibits are refreshed and maintained continually for the enjoyment of the community.

What: Meeting to review and comment on CDM expansion plans
When: Tues, September 2, 2014, 5:30 – 7:00pm
Where: Children’s Discovery Museum, Brandenberg Theater
180 Woz Way, San Jose

RSVP (not required, but appreciated):
arts.program@sanjoseca.gov or karen park at 408-793-4334

NOTE: Families are welcome. CDM has graciously opened their facility so that children of meeting participants can play in an area of the museum during the meeting, provided that they are supervised by an attending adult that is with the children at all times. Thus, one or more interested adults can attend the presentation while one or more caregivers enjoy the museum at no charge with their children/grandchildren/niece/nephew/etc.

If you have questions or need special ADA accommodation, please contact Karen Park, Arts Program Manager, at 408-793-4334, or 408-294-9337 (TTY), as soon as possible, but at least three business days before the meeting.

A celebration of many Asian cultures, Lunar New Year is a time for special foods, gifts, rituals, and family gatherings.

Saturday, February 28, special programming 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 1, special programming 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m.

Lunar New Year is an immensely important holiday in the lives of many people, a time for special foods, gifts, rituals, and family gatherings. Lunar New Year falls on a different day each year. This year the New Year falls on February 19, and is celebrated throughout the month of February. Join members of our Chinese and Vietnamese communities to kick off the Year of the Goat, try your hand at traditional crafts, enjoy displays and performances, and explore “Voyage to Vietnam: Celebrating the Tet Festival,” our newest exhibition.

This celebration is created in partnership with the Museum’s Chinese and Vietnamese Cultural Advisors.