Get ready for that first day of school

PITTSFIELD – All the experiences of a first exciting day at kindergarten will be replicated at the Berkshire Museum on Saturday, August 17, during WeeMuse: Countdown to Kindergarten, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Designed for children to enjoy with their parents or caregivers, children getting ready to start kindergarten can try taking a ride on a school bus or packing their backpack.

Countdown to Kindergarten includes model classrooms and activities that invite children and their parents to have a typical kindergarten experience. Adults can ask staff “teachers” questions they may have about the kindergarten registration process, child development milestones, and how to help their child be ready for school.

“The Berkshire Museum offers programs for people at every stage of their life. There is no more important audience than our youngest citizens during a time when they are developing their learning skills and WeeMuse is the leading edge of our education efforts to meet their needs,” says Van Shields, executive director of the Berkshire Museum

Special performances, guests, and activities for the whole family will be part of the event. Light refreshments will be served.

A special play, D.W. Counts Down to Kindergarten, will be offered at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. In this lively performance, Arthur’s younger sister gets help from her family and friends as she prepares to enter kindergarten. This is perfect for 4-year-olds and their families.

WeeMuse is the newest educational venture at the Berkshire Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate in Western Massachusetts. The exceptional educational programs already in place at the Museum provide more than 16,000 educational experiences for students and teachers each year.

Now the Museum will be using its extensive resources to assist early learners through WeeMuse.

Developed in collaboration with key community partners including Berkshire County Head Start and Pittsfield’s Transition Team, made up of early childhood educators and childcare providers dedicated to helping children get ready for school, WeeMuse serves pre-school children and their families in Berkshire County.

The first event, a Museum-wide Pajama Night held last November, was a huge success, with community leaders and educators acting as storytellers and readers for the more than 400 children and parents who attended, free of charge. And everyone went home with free books.

The most recent event, WeeMuse: Night of Science, brought more than 400 people to the Museum to participate in thrilling, fun science experiments like walking on water and making liquid nitrogen ice cream.

In addition to core WeeMuse projects such as creation of a year-round early childhood curriculum, professional development workshops for teachers, and publication of the book Welcome to Kindergarten, several community outreach events are planned.

WeeMuse: Count Down to Kindergarten Night on August 17 will be followed by the return of WeeMuse: Pajama Night on November 1, 2013, and WeeMuse 10 Days of Play in February 2014.

Posted by Kameron Z. Spaulding on August 14, 2013. Filed under Community Events,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry