Membership Sale
May 5th – 17th
Family memberships to Great Explorations are on sale from May 5th – 17th! Basic Memberships are only $75 (regularly $100) and Great Memberships are $125 (regularly $150). Visit our membership page online to find all the details for each varying level as well as the incredible local and national reciprocals that come along with being members or our museum. Don’t forget that members also get perks including an extra hour of play every Saturday over the summer, special Tots programming during the school year and discounts in the gift shop and on various other programs offered.
Terrific Tots – Members Only
Wednesdays & Fridays
May 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 (Not on 5/31)
9:30 am
On Wednesday and Friday mornings while Pinellas County Schools are in, before we open to the public, members are invited to join us for songs, movement, art and story time in Great Beginnings at the museum! Terrific Tots is a unique bonding experience for children ages 1-3 and their caregivers. This is a great community time for tots and their adults! This program is FREE and is available for Members only. Explore art, music and language with your little one in this fun and safe environment. At the beginning of each class, we will join in sing-a-longs that encourage movement and caregiver involvement. Please note that on Fridays we tend to get MESSY with our activities so we encourage participants to dress accordingly! For questions, please visit greatex.org or call 727.821.8992 x 226.
First Annual Senior-Junior Charity Golf Tournament
May 4th
11 am
Only two team slots remain in our First Annual Senior-Junior Charity Golf Tournament on May 4th. The funds raised will support educational programming at the museum and out in our community. This 9–hole scramble, alternate ball, shotgun start tournament will be a perfect opportunity for the Junior (15 and under) to learn, have fun and help raise money for a great cause along with their Senior (16+) partner. The tournament will be held at Cypress Links Golf Course in St. Petersburg. For more information or to register to play or sponsor visit: Great Explorations Golf Tournament
Girls on the Run
May 4th
The Great Ex STEAM team is on the move out in the community and this weekend we will be at the Girls on the Run 5k starting in Poynter Park. Race village opens at 7 am with registration still available that morning and open to EVERYONE (girls, boys, walkers, runners, etc).
Memory Mondays
May 6th
10 am – 12 pm
Great Explorations will host a FREE program for adults with memory loss. Participants will take part in programs focusing on art, music, movement and stress reduction and will enjoy quality time with others. This monthly event is sponsored by AARP and presented in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association Florida Gulf Coast Chapter. Additional support is provided by Harmony Home Health.
May will feature our preschool graduation practice performance, Larry Lewis with a singalong, and Great Ex team members with movement and art. As always, the program will incorporate art, movement, humor, brain boosts and brain-healthy recipes along with socializing and light refreshments. The program will be held at Sunken Gardens upstairs in the Garden Room located at 1825 4th Street North. For more information, contact Lael Arango at larango@greatex.org.
Terrific Tots at Sundial
May 7, 14, 21, 28
9:45 to 10:30 am
Every Tuesday, join us at 9:45 am in the outdoor plaza at Sundial to participate in this iconic Great Ex program. Terrific Tots at Sundial is for children ages 1-4 along with their caregiver and includes songs, stories, creative expression opportunities through art and movement, and community time with fun and engaging toys. The program will encourage curiosity, communication, creativity, and critical thinking! This program is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Lael Arango at larango@greatex.org. Themes this month include:
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- 5/7: I Swam with a Seal – water explorations
- 5/14: Off We Go! – mice and friends
- 5/21: In the Tall, Tall Grass – creepy crawlers
- 5/28: Hello, Hello – animal sounds and movement
Parents’ Night Out
May 10th
6 – 10 pm
Drop off your children (ages 4 -10 and potty-trained) for a night of fun at the museum with our Exploration Team while you take some time for dinner, shopping or just a night for yourself! Children can play in the museum, watch exciting science shows and wind down the evening with a G or light PG-rated movie. Pizza, snacks, and juice are included. Advanced registration is required. https://greatex.org/programs/parents-night-out/ Please contact education@greatex.org or 727-821-8992 x 225 for more information.
Great Connections
May 12th
10 am to 12 pm
Great Connections is a monthly, sensory-friendly program for children with special needs and their families. In May, the Kids Create! program from the Junior League will be here with sensory-friendly and developmentally-appropriate activities to enjoy in addition to the usual fun that the museum gallery floor has to offer.
Great Explorations will modify lights and sounds and will provide a “cool down” room for families who need to take a break. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other families and community resources while the kids enjoy the power of PLAY! Cost: $5 per person and is free for Great Ex members! Contact Lael Arango at 727-821-8992 x 209 or larango@greatex.org for more information.
Out of This World
May 18th
10 am to 2 pm
Out of This World at Great Explorations Children’s Museum is part of a nationwide celebration of educational programs designed to engage audiences in the awe-inspiring fields of Earth and space science. This exciting event is an opportunity to connect with NASA science research and explore Earth and space phenomena.
Participants will have a chance to explore the ways our universe is expanding, build their own electroscope to detect static electricity, perform experiments with erosion, and much more! These fun activities introduce guest to the ongoing research happening at NASA in the fields of heliophysics, Earth Science, planetary science, and astrophysics, and allow hands-on interactions with Earth and space science concepts.
This project is led by Arizona State University, in collaboration with NASA. Explore Science: Earth & Space toolkits are developed and distributed nationwide by the National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Net). Throughout spring and summer 2019, events are taking place at 350 museums and institutions throughout the country.
Don’t Fry Day
May 24th
1 to 4 pm
Celebrate the start of summer and learn about sun and water safety. Community partners St. Pete Fire Rescue and St. Pete City Aquatics Department will be on-site with helpful information about water safety. Dana Callahan from Domino Effect Health will have age-appropriate summer activities and will raffle a SPF protective children’s swimsuit. The Great Ex Education team will facilitate summer activities including UV bracelets, sunscreen science, summer visor making and water play.
Join the Team at Great Ex
Our Education Department is growing and we are looking for talented individuals to help us stimulate learning through play, creativity and exploration! Visit our website to learn more about the specific positions available and for details on how to apply.
Donor Spotlight
Sarah’s Air is a local, female owned and operated HVAC company serving the Tri-County area that has been a generous supporter of the programs at Great Ex. Sarah’s Air addresses heating and air conditioning needs by understanding the customers and conveying a simple, comprehensive plan that will address the issues. Sarah and her husband started this business with the intention of providing a professional service built on honesty and quality. They do not believe in misleading sales tactics or gimmicks. Each customer is very important to them and they want to provide you with the best product for your individual needs whether it be for a commercial or residential project. Call them to speak with one of their highly trained technicians regarding your HVAC needs.
Toy of the Month
May the force be with you…Well, not exactly, but may the plasma be with you! To accompany the opening of our new exhibit Electric Avenue, the toy for this month is a miniature version of the exhibit that you can take home. This toy works through the use of an electrode at the center of a globe filled with noble gases. When you apply your finger to the glass it creates a line of plasma using the voltage or energy stored in your finger!
It may seem like magic to a child, but the plasma orb offers a great opportunity to learn in a fun, hands-on way. Thanks to a long history of research on how people learn, we know that children benefit from lessons and activities that keep them engaged and are relevant to their own lives. The plasma orb takes the abstract concept of energy and places it right at a child’s fingertips – literally!
Last month, Licensed Pediatric Psychologist and St. Pete resident Dr. Audra Walsh described how parents can use toys to teach their children relaxation techniques. This month, she shared with us the importance of creating special quality time for play with your child: “Our practice offers parent training to strengthen the parent-child relationship. We provide parents with evidence-based strategies for play, and toys like the plasma orb are great tools for combining education and fun with parent-child bonding.”
So, for those of you looking for new, exciting ways to spend quality time with your kids and learn more about science in the process, stop by the Exploration Station and pick up your plasma orb! To learn more about Dr. Walsh’s parental-child support services, visit her website at Audrawalsh.com
All Plasma Orbs are 25% off for the month of May!
