Media Contact: Tim Scheidler (626) 243-4510 [email protected]

KIDSPACE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM GENERAL INFORMATION _____________________________

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Museum Location Kidspace Children’s Museum 480 N. Arroyo Boulevard Pasadena, CA 91103 (Adjacent to the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA Parking is usually free in Rose Bowl parking lot I) (626) 449-9144 www.kidspacemuseum.org Kidspace Hours and Admission General Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Summer Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m. (March 14 to September 5, 2016) Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m Kidspace Admission $11.00 for adults and children; infants under one year of age are free; member admission is free with valid membership. Free Family Night is from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month, except September. What Is Kidspace? Hosting more than 220,000 guests each year, Kidspace is a unique children’s museum that features exhibits, programs and activities over more than four acres of indoor and outdoor space. Kidspace encourages a child’s growth and development through explorations of the environment, investigations in science, and artistic forms of expression that captivate the inquisitive and growing minds of children ages 1 to 10. Kidspace Mission Nurturing the potential of all children through kid-driven experiences, inspiring them to become joyful, active learners.

(more) www.kidspacemuseum.org

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Kidspace Exhibits With more than 20 hands-on exhibits to explore, activities of learning and discovery take place side by side with the creativity of play. Some of the exhibits include: • The Dig – Uncover plant and animal fossils native to the Pasadena Arroyo Seco. • Trike Tracks – Follow the marked routes on special Kidspace tricycles. • Interpretive Arroyo – A mini model of Pasadena’s own Arroyo Seco with gentle, rolling water and native plant life for kids to explore and discover. • Boone Nature Exchange – Bring samples of rocks, plant life, soil, or other natural objects to trade at the Kidspace Nature Exchange. Share your knowledge of your object to earn points on your Nature Exchange Membership Card to trade for new items and artifacts. • Bugsy’s Diner – Learn about the anatomy and feeding habits of insects. • Live Animal Collection – Get up close and personal with over 20 species of live exotic insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals from spiders to hissing cockroaches, Bearded Dragons, Rats, Doves, and more. • Harvest Corner – Get your hands dirty in the vegetable garden as you learn how food grows. • Fossil Hunt – Experience the excitement of uncovering dinosaur fossils. • Nature Exchange – Bring samples of rocks, plant life, or other natural objects to trade at the Kidspace Nature Exchange. Share your knowledge of your objects to earn additional points on your Nature Exchange account that can be used to trade for new items. • The S. Mark Taper Foundation Climbing Towers – Featuring the Raindrop and Wisteria Climbers, these 40-foot tall climbing structures are designed to reflect their namesake and offer a fun and active challenge for all Kidspace guests. • Kirby’s Kids’ Corner – A special, outdoor space just for toddlers, with water play and toddler-sized trikes. • The Wildlife Pond – Koi, mosquito fish and others make their homes in this serene pond. • Splash Dance Fountains – Can you make it through the fountains without getting wet? It’s not as easy as it sounds. • InterAntics Climber – Climb through underground tunnels just like ants, popping up through the ground and scurrying up the anthill. The Robert & Mary Galvin Physics Forest The first major expansion to Kidspace since the Museum moved to Brookside Park in 2004. Physics Forest features 13 hands-on and interactive physics-related exhibits, on a three-quarter acre area, all under a natural canopy of trees that are native to the area. Exhibits in the Physics Forest will deal with fundamental physics concepts and enable Kidspace to expand its age range offerings to newer and older audiences. Among the new exhibits will be Giant Levers, a physicsbased version of the classic “tug-of-war;” the Bottle Rocket, rockets that use water and compressed air to provide forward thrust; and the Ball Bounce, which uses momentum and

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gravitational acceleration to create a transfer of energy. Physics Forest opened to the public on July 12, 2012. Imagination Workshop The Imagination Workshop is a space for children of all ages to assemble, dismantle, and repurpose all manner of materials and objects. Whether it’s a toy or radio, electronic or mechanical device, new object or old, this resource will present children with limitless opportunities to discover the inner workings of everyday objects, as well as the principles that make them work. Imagination Workshop opened to the public on November 9, 2013. S. Mark Taper Foundation Early Childhood Learning Center Designed to inspire wonder, stimulate exploration, and prompt interaction between children and their adults. Inspired by nature, this space will provide a variety of experiences through interactive exhibits geared towards children from birth to age three. Crawlers and early walkers can enjoy the tactile nature of the Shiny Stream, exploring different surfaces, climbing and sliding. Families can snuggle up for a story in the Nuzzle Nests, or explore different activities at the Tinker Tables. The Twisty Tunnels can move all around to create walls and tunnels for children to explore, and the Wonder Woods provides objects of all shapes and sizes to stack, sort, and play with. Overhead, the Shapes and Shadows mobile moves and sways, attracting interest from the smallest of guests. The S. Mark Taper Foundation Early Childhood Learning Center opened to the public on May 22, 2014. Kidspace Greenhouse Guests inside the Greenhouse can expect a mix of hands-on art and science activities. Such activities include: “stained glass” projects which explore the science of light and color theory, clay play and pot making and their cultural connections, and a more in-depth look at plants and what helps them thrive through experiences like seed-pot creation and “Wormy Wonders”, a visual and tactile experience of touching and examining worms and learning how they help enrich the soil to help plants grow. Technology also has a place in the Greenhouse as guests are invited to use plants and a special device to create music. The Kidspace Greenhouse opened to the public on March 11, 2015. Pepper Tree Music Jam Featuring a wide assortment of percussion and wind instruments created from a selection of natural and everyday objects that produce a variety of beautiful sounds this space has been designed to invite guests to develop an understanding, appreciation, and sensitivity for the music and sounds that are inherent in nature. The installation of the Pepper Tree Music Jam marks the initial stages of construction of the larger gardens enhancement project, Arroyo Adventure, that is set to open in Spring of 2016. Arroyo Adventure will feature 8 brand-new exhibit experiences, including the Pepper Tree Music Jam, that encourage children to connect with nature, engage in

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adventuresome play, and uncover possibilities between boulders and rocks, mud and sticks, trees and native plantings. The Pepper Tree Music Jam opened to the public on November 7, 2015.

Additional information, including up-to-date programming and events can be found at: • www.kidspacemuseum.org • www.facebook.com/kidspacechildrensmuseum • www.twitter.com/kidspacemuseum • www.flickr.com/kidspace • www.pinterest.com/kidspacemuseum

Media Contact: Tim Scheidler Kidspace Children’s Museum (626) 243-4510 [email protected]

KIDSPACE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM HISTORY _____________________

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1979: Kidspace Children's Museum officially launches at the California Institute of Technology. A community project of the Junior League of Pasadena, Kidspace addressed a critical educational need in the San Gabriel Valley: increased access to the arts, humanities and sciences for children. Volunteers created and presented a prototype interactive exhibit, "Making Senses," designed to stimulate the interest and curiosity of children by featuring robotics and neon light displays. More than 10,000 young visitors, their parents and teachers participated in the first exhibition during its six-week run, a significantly larger turnout than the 2,000 visitors expected. 1980: The Museum opens its doors in the Rosemont Pavilion on scenic Arroyo Seco parkland with long-term "hands-on" exhibits. Among other organizations, exhibit design and construction was the product of community collaborations with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Art Center College of Design and UNOCAL. Volunteers helping create the new museum included a Pasadena Unified School District superintendent, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory director and an originating director of the Princeton Junior Museum, all of whom provided expertise and guidance as members of the Museum's first Board of Advisors. 1981: With burgeoning support, Kidspace leases a larger and more accessible site from Pasadena Unified School District in the heart of Pasadena. Later that year, Kidspace Children's Museum was incorporated as a private, nonprofit children's museum with a mission of enriching the lives of children through an interactive learning environment that is fun for families. 1982-1990: Kidspace introduces participatory exhibits and educational programs that engaged and educated children in the arts, humanities and sciences. Quarterly themes, such as Homes and (more) www.kidspacemuseum.org

Kidspace Children’s Museum History Page 2 of 3 Habitats, Seasons and Celebrations and Children of the World at Play, provided focus during public programming and school tours. 1991-1995: Kidspace establishes its reputation as an innovative institution in the community. A new school programs coordinator met specific needs of teachers to coordinate curriculum with visits to the museum. In addition, campers enrolled in summer workshops and "Toddlers on the Move" provided popular and effective parenting classes and developmental play. With the energetic support of community volunteers and the Circle of Friends support group, the staff produced a range of annual events, including the Rosebud Parade (a child-sized Rose Parade), the "creatively creepy" Haunted House, Critter Expo and the Eco-Arts Festival. This period of growth was charted by Kidspace's first comprehensive strategic plan to broaden its reach into the community, fortify its volunteer base and respond to the critical needs of the community's schools, children and families. 1996: The Kidspace Board of Directors adopts a strategic plan to grow the Museum from a small local attraction to a major Southern California cultural and educational destination. 2002: Kidspace closes its former site at McKinley School in Pasadena and began renovation of the historic Fannie Morrison Horticultural Center buildings at Brookside Park in the Arroyo Seco. 2004: The new Kidspace facility features world-class exhibitry and 2.2 acres of outdoor learning environments designed to encourage children to discover the excitement of learning, while engaging in the creativity of play. With the new series of exhibits, children can unleash an earthquake, feed giant bugs, craft art through nature and climb raindrops 40 feet into the air. 2009: Kidspace Children’s Museum celebrates 30 years of enriching the lives of children. In June of 2009, the Museum welcomed its one millionth visitor since opening at Brookside Park. Kidspace continues to serve children and families in Los Angeles County through Museum programs, school group visits, parenting workshops, early learner classes, and community engagement.

Rev: October 2015

Kidspace Children’s Museum History Page 3 of 3 2010: Kidspace embarks to expand its facilities by creating an outdoor physics-related area on the east side of the Museum. This area, known as the Physics Forest, will encompass approximately ¾ of an acre and house 13 new exhibits, all under a canopy of shade trees. 2012: The Robert & Mary Galvin Physics Forest officially opened to the general public, July 12, 2012. The Galvin Physics Forest marked the first major addition to Kidspace since opening in Brookside Park in 2004. 2013: The Imagination Workshop opened to the public on November 9, 2013. The Imagination Workshop was built inside the Robert’s Pavilion in the Keck Gallery. Funding for this project, came from The Campaign for the Future of Kidspace and was planned along with several other exhibit and program concepts as a part of an exhibit master plan which details the next several projects to open at Kidspace over the next several years. 2014: The S. Mark Taper Early Childhood Learning Center opened to the public, May 2014. The next project established by the exhibit master plan and funded by The Campaign for the Future of Kidspace. The S. Mark Taper Foundation Early Childhood Learning Center is an environment that inspires wonder, encourages exploration, and promotes adult-child interactions. This unique space also serves a platform that supports natural learning and activity that takes place in children by creating a rich sensory environment with a number of open-ended experiences and multi-use objects. 2015: The Kidspace Greenhouse opened to the public, March 11, 2015 and the Pepper Tree Music Jam opened to the public on November 7, 2015.

Rev: October 2015