FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Lynda LeVan, 423-648-6043, lhl@cdmfun.org
Director of External Affairs

The MAZE Returns to Creative Discovery Museum in the Winter Wonders Exhibit

Giving to Others is a Cool Tradition for Museum Guests
 (Chattanooga, TN – August 2, 2010)  Responding to the many requests made by Museum patrons, Creative Discovery Museum will unveil the anticipated return of the wintry maze as part of an invigorated cold weather themed exhibit, Winter Wonders.  The maze will be open to all who visit the exhibit in the upstairs gallery Saturday, November 20, 2010 through Sunday, January 17, 2011.  In conjunction with the seasonal themes, a special area of the Museum will house components from the Helping Hands exhibit for children to explore the concept of giving and how they can make a difference in their community. 

Winter Wonders will explore different cold-weather traditions in which children find delight.  Children may play dress up in a cozy cottage, “make” gingerbread cookies, and find their way through a winter maze complete with blizzard tubes.  After navigating the maze, visitors can explore a winter forest, learn about tracks in the snow, and “play” in the snow with a multi-media Playmotion game.  Also, very young children have a space to play with puppets and act out gingerbread and snow stories.  In a winter game area, guests can play Nok Hockey and use a full-body ski video game.
“It’s important for children to understand the changes of season where they live as well as seasonal changes in other locations,” states Dr. Jayne Griffin, the Museum’s Director of Education.  “Winter Wonders provides a fun and engaging way to foster an understanding of the winter weather found in colder climates and the adventurous outdoor and cozy indoor activities that accompany this festive season.”

Helping Hands
From Saturday, November 20, 2010 until Tuesday, January 4, 2011, the Museum will present popular components from the Helping Hands exhibit that has been featured during the winter season for the past two years.  For example, kids will be able to learn about the Chattanooga Salvation Army and pretend to be a bell ringer.  Children will also have an opportunity to post what philanthropy means to them and how they give back.  

Guests will have the opportunity to play the role of donor by selecting a cause from three case statements that they would like to support.  At the conclusion of the exhibit, a donation will be made to an organization that locally represents the cause that received the most votes.  Both the causes and designated local organization will be selected by teen volunteers at Creative Discovery Museum.

”Creative Discovery Museum has a strong commitment to teaching children about the joy and the breadth of giving,” states Shannon Johnson, Exhibit Development Manager for the Museum.  “That’s why during this traditional season of gift-giving, we feel it’s not only appropriate, but important for kids to understand that what they give – whether time, talent or treasure - is really meaningful to others in need.”

According to Ms. Johnson, the Hands on Helping Tables are one of the most popular areas in the exhibit.  This year, guests will be able to make two items that will be donated to local non-profits.  Possible projects include postcards to be put in food boxes at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, making bookmarks for United Way of Greater Chattanooga’s Project Ready for School, and a project to help the environment.  There will also be guest Helpers in Residence throughout the winter to work on special projects with kids that will then be donated locally, regionally, or globally. 

“The Holiday Shoppe” – For Kids Only
To further emphasize the idea of giving to others, kids can directly participate in the seasonal gift giving tradition by purchasing specially selected gifts.  In the Discovery Library, the Museum will host “The Holiday Shoppe” for children only, so that they may surprise mom, dad, siblings or grandparents with specially chosen gifts.  Museum volunteers and staff will be available to assist children 12 and under in selecting an item to purchase for a loved one plus wrap and tag the gifts, so that each child leaves the store with a present ready for giving. 
The special kids’ Holiday Shoppe will be open from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. on the following dates:
Saturday and Sunday, November 20 and 21
Friday (after Thanksgiving), November 26
Saturday and Sunday, November 27 and 28
Saturday and Sunday, December 4 and 5
Saturday and Sunday, December 11 and 12
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, December 18, 19, 20

About Creative Discovery Museum
Creative Discovery Museum is open Mon-Sat: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun: noon-5 p.m. 321 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. Creative Discovery Museum is recognized as one of the top children’s museums in the nation. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to educational enrichment for children age’s 4-months to 12-years-old through interactive, hands-on experiences that foster creative and critical thinking. Creative Discovery Museum focuses on a broad range of areas encompassed by Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Technology and the Sciences. In addition to its exhibits, Creative Discovery Museum provides local residents and visitors with special events, educational programming, teacher resources for the classroom, field trips, after school programming, early childhood education classes, artist residencies, camps, art lessons, science demonstrations, and a branch of the local library. Creative Discovery Museum is a funded agency of Allied Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

          
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