The Children’s Museum of Eau Claire 2015-2016

Hello! Thank you for choosing the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire as your Field Trip destination! We can’t wait to share the Museum with you and your group. Whether this is your first visit or you’ve been with us from the very beginning, we strive to spark every child’s love of learning through play, and work hard to make sure there’s always something new and memorable to experience. We consider you our guests and truly hope you enjoy your visit.

Table of Contents Here’s what you’ll find in this Field Trip Guide! General Information .............................................................................................................. 2 Everything you need to prepare for a visit to the Children’s Museum Chaperone Guide ................................................................................................................... 3 Print or pass along this handy one-pager for your teachers and chaperones! Directions to the Museum ..................................................................................................... 4 Bus Loading & Parking ........................................................................................................... 5 Frequently Asked Questions .................................................................................................. 6 Other Downtown Destinations & Lunch Spaces .................................................................... 8 Exhibit Descriptions ............................................................................................................. 10 Extension Kit List ................................................................................................ Coming Soon! Free extension kits available to help integrate your Museum visit into classroom curriculum

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General Information 

TIME: All Field Trips are allotted 2 hours in the Museum. If you’d like to eat lunch at the Museum, you are welcome to reserve time in our lunch space for an additional $25 fee (please notify us in advance).

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PAYMENT: Field Trip reservations are finalized when we receive the required $35 non-refundable deposit. Please complete, sign and return the Field Trip/Group Visit Agreement along with your $35 deposit as soon as possible. The deposit will be subtracted from your total amount due, with the balance to be paid on the day of your visit. Payment may be made by cash, debit or credit card, or one check. Please note that $35 is the minimum charge for field trip/group visits. In case of inclement weather or school closing, we are happy to reschedule your field trip.

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MEMBERSHIPS: CMEC memberships may not be used for field trips/group visits. Although our members do know this, it might be helpful to remind parents and prevent any confusion about payment.

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CHAPERONES: Because safety and quality play are our top priorities, CMEC requires one adult chaperone for every five students. There will be other families and visitors in the Museum at the same time your group is here, so a 1:5 ratio of chaperones to students is minimal to ensure adequate supervision and to promote safe and fair play for everyone. As a thank you, these chaperones (1 adult for every 5 students) will receive free admittance! We’ve found that it works best to assign these adults to their 5 children before you arrive at the Museum. There are three floors of exhibits for guests to enjoy, and we encourage groups to spread out and rotate through the floors. For chaperone-specific information, please refer to the Chaperone Guide.

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GROUPS 60+: If you have a group of 60 or more, we recommend using our group rotation schedule. This ensures that each student has the chance to enjoy all of our exhibit areas without overcrowding any one floor. With this schedule, your students and chaperones divide into 3 smaller groups. Each group visits each of the three Museum floors for approximately 35 minutes. Our staff will facilitate this rotation and make announcements through the PA system when it is time for your groups to rotate floors. We’ve found this to be an easy, efficient way to help bigger schools and groups make the most of their visit! If you’d like to utilize this schedule, simply inform our staff when you arrive and check-in.

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ARRIVAL: To ensure your group can take full advantage of your visit, it is important that you arrive at your scheduled start time. Early arrivals may conflict with the arrival or departure of other groups. A late arrival may make it difficult for your students to fully experience each exhibit in the 2 hours allotted. IF TRAVELING BY BUS: Buses may pull into the loading zone along the side of the museum (westbound lane of Grand Avenue). You will see orange cones marking the loading zone. For specific bus loading & parking information, please refer to the Bus Loading & Parking section of this guide. IF TRAVELING BY CAR: Free two-hour street parking is available downtown. To avoid being ticketed (our parking officials are exceptionally vigilant), we recommend parking in the Civic Center parking structure. Current rates are 50 cents per hour and they accept cash/credit card.

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CAMERAS AND VIDEO: Please feel free to take pictures and videos of the children in your group as they interact with the exhibits! However, for safety’s sake, be cautious of recording other museum guests.

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TODDLER PARK: Since we want to make sure that our littlest visitors have a safe place to play, Toddler Park is dedicated to families with kiddos 4 and under, only. Thanks for understanding!

Chaperone Guide So...you got roped into decided to chaperone a Field Trip to the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire! Now what? Here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind while you’re here. 

HAVE FUN! This is rule number one at the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire...and that goes for our grownups, too. You work hard all day, so don’t be afraid to PLAY alongside your students and interact with the exhibits. Go on. Deliver the mail to Bitty City, milk Oreo the cow, crawl through the giant exhibit of the digestive system or build a blue block fort worthy of the kids’ admiration. You know you want to. 

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STAY TOGETHER. The Children’s Museum requires at least 1 adult chaperone for every 5 students. Know who’s in your group and don’t let ‘em out of your sight. There are three floors full of exhibits, and it’s easy for kids to get excited and wander off. Please keep your group together at all times, as you go from floor to floor, and as you break for snacks or bathroom visits. If your students are a bit older, you could even create a team name and make up a special secret handshake.

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ASK QUESTIONS. Not sure what to do while the kids are playing? Ask them questions! Pretend play and social interaction are crucial for healthy child development, so don’t hesitate to be part of the world they’ve created! Ask questions along the way, like: 1. What are you doing? Why are you doing that? 2. How could you solve that problem in a different way? 3. What do you think: should we do ______________ or _______________ next?

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USE YOUR PHONE. But not for texting and Facebook. Instead, take pictures of your group playing. Can you take a photo of them solving a problem? Can you take a photo of them engaging in pretend play? Can you take a photo of them sharing or interacting with others? Show them the pictures after your visit is over!

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FOLLOW THE RULES. Please set a good example and remind the students in your group to follow the Museum rules. The Museum can get busy during field trip visits, so encouraging students to walk and clean up after themselves are especially important for safety! Here’s a complete list of the rules: Children’s Museum Rules 1. Children must supervise their grown-ups at all times. 2. There are lots of little friends playing so please use your walking feet at all times! 3. Shoes make climbing easier and safer so keep ‘em on. 4. Only imaginary food and drink are allowed in exhibit spaces! 5. Most importantly, have fun! 

BONUS POINTS! Want to be really prepared for your visit? Ask your head teacher/field trip coordinator for the list of exhibit descriptions. This way you’ll know what there is to see ahead of time. Less time figuring it out and more time playing! Or visit the CMEC website and find the exhibit descriptions yourself! www.cmec.cc

Enjoy your visit, and THANK YOU for being a chaperone!

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Directions The Children’s Museum of Eau Claire is located at 220 S. Barstow Street in Downtown Eau Claire, on the intersection of Barstow and Grand.

FROM THE WEST (Twin Cities)        

Follow eastbound I-94 Take Eau Claire exit #59 (Hwy 12 and 124) Take the ramp to the right on the Clairemont St./Hwy 12 exit Turn left onto Cameron St. Follow Cameron Street (it will turn into Madison Street) over the river Turn right onto S. Farwell Street Turn right onto Grand Ave. CMEC is located on your right at the corner of Grand Avenue & Barstow Street

FROM THE SOUTH (Madison or Milwaukee)       

Follow northbound I-94 Take the first Eau Claire exit (Hwy 53 North) Follow Business Hwy 53 (exit 86) north approximately 2.4 miles to Main Street Turn left onto Main Street Follow Main Street to South Barstow Street Turn right onto Barstow Street CMEC is located on your left at the corner of Barstow Street & Grand Avenue

FROM THE NORTH (Rice Lake)        

Follow southbound US Hwy 53 to the Highway 312 exit Take the right onto HWY 312 Take Hwy 312 west to Business Hwy 53 South Go south on Business Hwy 53 Turn right onto Main Street Follow Main Street to South Barstow Street Turn right onto Barstow Street CMEC is located on your left at the corner of Barstow Street & Grand Avenue

FROM THE EAST (Green Bay)         

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Follow US Hwy 29 East to Hwy 53 South Follow southbound US Hwy 53 to the Highway 312 exit Take the right onto HWY 312 Take Hwy 312 west to Business Highway 53 South Go south on Business Hwy 53 Turn right onto Main Street Follow Main Street to South Barstow Street Turn right onto Barstow Street CMEC is located on your right at the corner of Barstow Street and Grand Avenue

Bus Loading & Parking Teachers and Bus Drivers—We know maneuvering downtown can be tricky, so we’ve put together some information about our Bus loading zones and parking spaces during your Field Trip to the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire. DROP OFF & PICK UP The City of Eau Claire allows us to designate a small section of Grand Avenue as a Bus Loading Zone. You’ll see this Zone indicated by orange cones. For your reference, Grand Avenue is adjacent to the southwest side of the Museum, and your students will enter the Museum through the Grand Avenue side Museum entrance as well. This Loading Zone can accommodate 2 full-size buses at any given time. When you’re dropping off or picking up students for a Field Trip, you are welcome to pull right up to the Loading Zone! PARKING Once you arrive, a Museum staff member will check in with you. If there are no other Field Trips scheduled during your visit AND if you have 2 or fewer full-size buses, you may park your buses in the Loading zone for the duration of visit. If, however, there are multiple Field Trips scheduled during your visit, we ask that you park your buses in the Overflow Lot, located on the SE corner of Gray Street and Farwell Street. This lot typically has plenty of room for parking and is fairly close to the Museum. Directions are indicated on the map below.

Schlegelmilch-McDaniel Overflow Lot

THANK YOU! If you any further questions, please contact our Field Trip coordinator at 715.832.5437

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Frequently Asked Questions Can I bring my coffee / lunch / snack treats into the Museum? While we certainly understand the need for snacks and (lots of) caffeine, we kindly ask that you finish your food and beverages before visiting. We permit only imaginary food and drinks in our exhibits spaces. However, you are welcome to bring in water bottles with closable lids! Do you have Field Trip Programming available? At this time we do not offer exclusive field trip programming. However, you will find several new activities and programs that take place as part of our weekly programming schedule. Check our website (www.cmec.cc) or our Facebook page to see the activities that will be happening during your visit! And stay tuned for future field trip programs and extension kits. What do kids learn at the Children’s Museum? There’s no end to what a child can learn at the Children’s Museum! We have exhibits that cover topics from nanoscience and nature to building and business ownership, but the most important type of learning that happens here might not always look like school— instead it looks like play! According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, unstructured, child-driven play and exploration is crucial to healthy brain development, helping children solve their own problems, handle emotions like anger and fear, socialize with others, grow a love for learning and develop executive function—the (very important) ability to work independently, set goals and figure out how to reach them. And because play disguises all this development as “fun,” kids don’t even realizing they’re learning stuff. Unfortunately, kids today spend 8 hours less each week playing than their counterparts did two decades ago. Not only does this loss of imaginative play mean kids are less creative and independent, but it also puts them at greater risk for anxiety, depression, self-control and problems paying attention. In other words, although it may look like kids are “just playing,” under the surface they’re hard at work...er...play...becoming happy, healthy adults. As we like to say, play is very serious business! Why do adults pay Admission fees to get into the Museum? Great question! Adults often ask why they are charged admission, especially if the kids are doing most of the playing. Although we certainly understand that grown-ups need a break from the exhausting task of caring for kids, we also feel strongly about promoting caregiver-child interaction. As an adult, you are a child’s first play partner, and your involvement helps to scaffold a young child’s ability to play in ways that are more sustained and sophisticated through your comments, questions and prompting. While kids are often perfectly content playing on their own or with peers, they also need time to bond with their parents or caregivers. This is a critical building block necessary for child-development. Besides, research also shows that adults who spend time playing tend to be more creative, less stressed and better at solving problems. So don’t be afraid to let loose and play alongside your kids or students!

Have a question that you don’t see answered here? Contact our Field Trip coordinator at 715.832.5437

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Other Downtown Destinations & Lunch Spaces LIBRARY L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library 400 Eau Claire St. / 715-839-1648  3 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire  Has an area that may be reserved for eating sack lunches PARKS Wilson Park  3 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire  Open space, benches, shade, water fountain; no restrooms available Owen Park Directly across footbridge  5 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire  Playground and a limited number of picnic tables; restrooms available Phoenix Park On the riverfront  5 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire  Spacious open areas with limited number of picnic tables; restrooms available Carson Park  Playground and picnic tables; restrooms available  Pavilions may be reserved through Eau Claire Parks & Rec / 715-839-5032 CIVIC OFFICES Police Department and Courthouse 740 2nd Ave. / 715-839-5004  6 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire Post Office 225 E. Madison St. / 715-833-6785  9 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire City Hall 203 S. Farwell St.  2 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire RESTAURANTS Pizza Plus Eatery 208 S. Barstow St. / 715-832-8844  1 block from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire  Accepts large groups

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ARTS State Theatre 316 Eau Claire St. / 715-832-2787  4 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire  Art gallery exhibit Eau Claire Children’s Theatre 1814 N. Oxford Ave. / 715-839-8877 Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild, The Grand Little Theatre 102 W. Grand Ave. / 715-832-7529  2 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire Community Phoenix Gardens Forest Street / Andrew Werthmann, 715-495-2451  6 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire  Limited tables for eating sack lunches  Currently does not have bathrooms  Accepts large groups during season  Willing to create activities for group North Riverfront Park Nancy Coffee, 715-830-4712  7 blocks from the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire  Part of the UW-Extension program  Possibly willing to come on-site or offer other programs

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CMEC Exhibit Descriptions Lower Level WaterWorks Water Works is making a big splash! Enjoy exploring the power and properties of water through interactive play with pumps, wheels, pipes and other elements. This exhibit features: 

Ball Launch / Drop balls into a series of clear plastic tubes then turn the valves to increase or decrease pressure inside the tubes. Get it right and you can send your ball all the way up the trackway! Success.

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Pipe Play / Play with a series of connecting pipes that spray water out of nozzles that take aim at playful chimes and other contraptions.

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Falling Water / As balls feed out of the overhead trackway above the pipe play area, watch them travel down a maze of troughs that direct them into the water table below.

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Archimedes Screw / After balls feed down the watercourse trackway, turn a hand crank that moves the water and balls up an Archimedes screw and down into another water table.

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Buckets & Conveyers / Turn this large crank to start a series of buckets that scoop water and balls along a vertical conveyer, carrying them upwards to a trough which spills them down into a swirling vortex.

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Toddler Table / This stand-alone table for toddlers features a playful water flute that shoots water from its center, floatable boats, and other water toys.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For safety reasons, children must be supervised by an adult at all times. Also, kids will get wet! We will provide waterproof smocks and hand dryers have been installed, but packing some extra clothing isn't a bad idea!

Programming Rooms There’s always something new to discover in our interactive programming spaces with projects and tabletop activity centers that change every week! Try your hand at:

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Project of the Week / Like arts and crafts? Then you’ll love the project of the week! Keeping with the weekly theme, this project will let you glue, cut, craft, assemble and create!

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Sculpting Table / Museum guests LOVE our homemade scented playdough! Grab a big glob of this super sensory stuff and use the sculpting tools let your imagination run wild as you mold, shape and squish to your heart’s content.

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Paint Processes / Making a mess is the name of the game at the painting table! Grab a brush and experiment with colors, media and process as you create a beautiful masterpiece.

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Coloring Table / Good ol’ paper, crayons and markers let you color your world any way you like! Grab a coloring sheet and try to stay in the lines...or don’t! Grown-ups are also invited to color a more intricate design, as coloring helps to relieve stress, increases capacity to focus, stimulates your brain and lets you feel like a kid again!

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Exploration Centers / Visit the tabletop centers to find games, puzzles, manipulatives, musical instruments, sensory bins, trash-to-treasure hunt, ispy bottles and more!

Main Floor Bitty City A cluster of city buildings that surround a Town Hall, Bitty City includes a post office, credit union, grocery store, diner, magazine stand, corner market and an orthodontist office. Visitors to this community will find ample opportunities for role-playing. Perhaps you’ll find yourself working as a drive-through teller or as a bookseller in the street-style magazine stand. Or maybe you’ll be stocking supplies from the delivery truck located behind the diner, corner market and grocery store. The opportunities are endless in this creative community area: 

City Hall / In Bitty City, all bitty citizens vote on the question of the week!

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Orthodontist / You’re the dentist! Have your patient take a seat in the chair, examine their xrays and make a diagnosis.

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Post Office / Grab the mailbag and deliver the mail to Bitty City businesses.

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Half Moon Market / Run your own business, be a cashier, shop or stock the shelves!

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Deliver Truck / Use the crates to restock the Half Moon Market or the Good Grub Diner

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Good Grub Diner / Serve up some delicious food or be a hungry customer!

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Royal Credit Union / Use the vault to play a memory game or be a bank teller and help customers at the drive thru window.

Toddler Park An enclosed area where younger children and their grown-up companions will uncover a world of activities in an enchanting city park. The park is complete with ambient nature sounds, a pond, a garden and an eight-foot aquarium. Here imaginations will run wild with a suspension bridge, a waterfall slide that emerges from a two-dimensional stream, a boggy area surfaced with a cushy material suitable for bouncing and jumping and a hollowed out oak tree that spans three levels. This exhibit features: 

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Garden Pond / An enclosed, cushioned area with pond critters, just for infants and adults

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The Oak Tree / This giant oak reaches to the sky and serves as a hallmark of Toddler Park; climb the spiral staircase inside the trunk, or muster up your nerves to visit the tree house at the top!

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Underground Home / At the base of the tree are gnarly roots that hide a tiny woodland-home!

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Community Garden / Work together with pint-sized citizens to plant and harvest vegetables in these raised-bed garden plots.

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Waterfall Slide / Daintily dance across the stepping stones and over the bridge to slide down into the stream!

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Stream / Crawl through the log, take a ride in the boat and explore the bitty river!

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Aquarium / Marvel at the live, freshwater fish in our beautiful aquarium!

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Nursing Nook / A cozy spot for nursing moms and kids who need a bit of quiet.

Kidstruction Guests are welcomed to a multi-level house where they can crawl and climb through structures deep in the midst of construction. Here you will find and use building materials, solve electrical problems and work together with other guests to finish a variety of projects. 

Builder’s Trailer / Match building materials to sources where they’re found in our natural world!

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Outfitting Area/Tool Shed / Pick up your tools for the job, and of course, don’t forget to wear your hard hat!

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Let’s Build a House / Try your hand at a conveyer belt and drop chute to move tools and materials throughout your job site. Layer bricks to create your exterior!

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This House Needs Power / Your skills are needed to wire the house with electricity. Get the light and the fan working, then install plumbing pipes for running water!

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Scaffolding / Climb through all levels of the house through doorways, windows, and other fun structures.

Body Smarts Embark on an adventurous journey through the human body in Body Smarts! Body Smarts takes the mystery out of “what’s inside” by providing an immersive, scientific look into the anatomy, physiology, health and nutritional aspects of the human body. This area is a celebration of the way our bodies work. 

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Traveling the Tract / Crawl through a giant maze of the gastro-intestinal tract! Begin by climbing up the tongue, journey past the uvula and let yourself be “swallowed” down a giant esophageal slide until you land in the stomach. Look out! Crawl around in the small intestines and complete your journey by sliding into a giant toilet bowl!

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Pick a Food / Can you choose the healthiest lunch? Make your decisions and test it out on the lunch-o-meter!

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Book Nook / Kids can choose picture books on the human body. Caregivers can consult other medical references and pick up brochures.

Lights, Camera, Action! Well hello Hollywood! Here you’re the star, so choose a costume, take the stage and put on a show! 

Dressing Room / Take your pick from costumes and props, and use the mirrors to ready yourself for the performance. Don’t forget to do a few vocal drills and exercises to warm up, and review your script to calm your nerves!

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On the Set / Whether you’re an aspiring actor or you love to work behind-the-scenes, you’ll be equity ready in no time with this bitty city stage! Customize your stage by arranging scenery and choosing a backdrop. Monitors allow you to see yourself from different angles to get that perfect camera shot. Choose from music clips or audio sound effects to add drama or humor to your scene. Then start the show!

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Director’s Chair / Located close to the action, sit and watch the show from the director’s point of view! Use the giant megaphone to yell CUT! Prompt for sound effects like laughter and applause.

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Shadow Room / Step into the shadow room to FREEZE your shadow or use one of the props to make fun shapes on the wall! Now’s the time to practice making shadow puppets.

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Sound Room / Choose from a selection of objects to create sound effects for a film reel!

Top Floor Welcome to Our Family Farm! Learn what’s so great about the Dairy State with an interactive farming exhibit!

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Milk the Cow / Meet Oreo the cow! She loves to eat hay and will even let you milk her if you’re gentle. Yum, fresh cream.

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The Barn / Bale the hay and play inside of our beautiful red barn. Climb up the loft and let your imagination run wild!

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I Spy / Get up close and personal with wheat, oats, barley and corn with these fun ispy bottles! Can you guess what products are made from these ingredients?

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Plinko Board / What can YOU make from milk? Play the game and find out!

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Drive the Tractor / Get ready to plow the fields on this full-size John Deere tractor! Feel the wind in your face and the sun on your back as you live a farmer’s life.

Under the Wisconsin Skies Celebrate life in Wisconsin as you camp under the Northwoods! 

Pack the Jeep / What will you bring camping with you? And where will you go? Here, even the littlest of campers get a driver’s license to adventure.

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Gone Fishing / Put on a life jacket and take out the boat to see if you’ll get a bite.

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Go Camping / Pitch a tent, build a campfire and unroll your pack in the great outdoors. Camping equipment included!

Imagination Playground Play and build with our giant big blue blocks! A favorite of all Museum guests—kids and kids at heart. Imagination Playground encourages unstructured, child-directed free play through loose parts—a collection of moveable objects where you can build, make up stories and games, or simply enjoy the shapes, colors and textures. Either way, the sky (or the ceiling!) is your only limit as you bring your imaginary world to life.

Nano—Imagine and Discover a World You Can’t See! What happens when things get super small? Put on a lab coat and find out in this interactive, familyfriendly science exhibit about all things nano. Visit whatisnano.org for more information via digital media, video, podcasts and more!

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Small, Smaller, Nano! / Explore progressively smaller magnetic particles—magnetic sand, iron powder and ferrofluid. Use the magnets to discover how materials behave differently when they’re nano-sized.

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Build a Giant Carbon Nanotube / Work together to create a giant carbon nanotube, one of the building blocks of new nano technologies. How tall can you make yours?

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I Spy Nano / Try a series of interactive challenges and search a complex image to find examples of nano products and phenomena in real life! Can you spy nano?

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Balance our Nano Future / Can you balance the blocks on the tippy table? New technologies require scientists and society working together to build a stable future!

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Static vs. Gravity / Spin discs as fast as you can containing small and large plastic beads, then compare the difference between static electricity and gravity and experiment with forces of nature!

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Seating Area / Take a seat and enjoy some light (or should we say “nano”) reading! Get comfy and choose from a selection of info mats and informative books like Alice in Nanoland, Nanotechnology for Dummies and other fun titles! You might even discover a plush puppet or two on your shoulder!

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Super Small Science Lab / Join our educators for special nanoscience experiments, programs and demonstrations at scheduled times. Grab your lab coat and explore crazy new products like nano sand and stain-resistant pants, make nano art like stained-glass windows or thin films, and witness experiments about how things behave differently at the nanoscale!