Summer Splash!, the Hands On Children’s Museum summer festival of fun presented by WSECU, will feature the master glassblowers from the Museum of Glass Mobile Hot Shop August 9-11. Thanks to sponsor FORMA Construction, Museum visitors can watch live glassmaking demonstrations and learn about molten glass. Kids can experiment with melted art as they make Shrinky-dink pendants at a nearby activity station thanks to Heritage Bank. Inside the Museum’s MakeSpace, visitors can create more elaborate Maker’s Melt sculptures sponsored by Cardinal Glass Industries.
The exciting Hot Shop event is the third major event of the Summer Splash! line-up which provides nearly three months of exciting interactive learning experiences designed to engage children and alleviate summer learning loss while children are out of school.
“One of the nice things about a summer-long festival is that families can visit over and over again, see something new each time, and take it at their own pace,” says Amy Brockman, HOCM Senior Development Manager.
The Summer Splash! Festival features traveling exhibits, activities, performers, and visiting animals each week. August will be the most action-packed month at the museum. Along with the Hot Shop, kids can test their skills on a 25-foot outdoor climbing wall August 1-4, sponsored by Twin Star Credit Union. Visitors can also meet live falcons and learn about bird tracking on August 4 and make new furry friends with Conservation Canines August 10.
Young visitors can meet a Mermaid Princess on August 11, thanks to Northwest Swim Spas, and participate in several under-the-sea themed activities including make a shell crown, create hanging sea jellyfish art, and enjoy a Mermaid’s Dream frozen lemonade from the Play Day Cafe.
The month-long Riveropolis Play River exhibit, sponsored by Small to Tall Pediatric Dentistry, runs through August. 17, kids can build bridges and boats at nearby tinkering stations and get their hands wet exploring the properties of water. Other activities include Bridge Building in the MakeSpace with HDR Engineering through August 17, Pet Works will be back with their popular live Reptile Show featuring snakes, a gecko, and a bearded dragon also on August. 17. Don’t miss Solar Days with South Sound Solar on August 18 and 19 with crowd favorites, the water slide duck dash, and solar powered air dancer. Visitors can climb inside a vintage T-28 airplane from the Olympic Flight Museum and build their own flying machine August 22-23. Kids can check out underwater creatures in the Observation Tank with Nisqually Reach Nature Center August 25.
The Festival culminates with the adults-only Summer Splash! Evening Gala on August 24, sponsored by Olympia Federal Savings. This signature event raises funds for the Museum’s extensive suite of Access Programs, and for a new major exhibit. This special event always sells out. Limited tickets are available online at hocm.org, or by calling 360-956-0818, or email smiles@hocm.org for tickets. For a complete listing of all Summer Splash activities and featured events, visit HOCM.ORG. To contact Museum staff, call 360-956-0818×0.
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