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Mission Moon: past,
present, future
On exhibit April 12 - September 29, 2008
Through lunar photographs from Ranger to
Apollo and data gathered from Clementine to Lunar Prospector, the
exhibition examines how the Moon was formed, how it evolved, and why it
remains a place of wonder 40 years after Apollo. Included in the exhibit
are 3D imagery acquired by the Apollo and Surveyor programs and a NASA
lunar sample (Moon rock) collected by Apollo 17 Astronaut, Harrison
Schmitt. Discover the Rhode Island researchers and students that are
involved in studying lunar materials, probing the interior through
geophysics, and participating in lunar missions including NASA’s LRO
(Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), M3 (Moon Mineralogy Mapper), LCROSS
(Lunar Crater Remote Sensing Satellite), and Japan’s Selene.
The exhibit was developed in collaboration
NASA RI Space
Grant Consortium, the
Brown/NASA Northeast Regional Planetary Data Center, and
Museum of Natural History.
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The Museum was the winner of
Nickelodeon's 2008 Parents' Pick Best Museum in two categories,
Best Museum for Big Kids and
Best Museum for Teens.
The Museum was named "Editor's Choice" in
the 2004 edition of the Yankee
Magazine Travel Guide to New England.
The Planetarium has received Editor's Choice
in the Providence Phoenix Best of RI.
The Museum of Natural History and Planetarium received Reader's Choice for
Best Underappreciated
Museum.
The Planetarium is open every
Saturday and Sunday (throughout the year) and RI public school vacations
with programs at 2:00 pm. Children under age 4 are
not admitted into the Planetarium.
Homeschool Adventures
The Museum offers a variety of programs for homeschool families.
Fern Fossil
Forays
Visit a
locality in the shadow of the old Portsmouth coal mines.
This beach outcrop yields such neat Pennsylvanian Age
plant fossils such as Pecopteris, Neuropteris, Lepidodendron, and
Annularia.
Museum
Explorers Club
Families explore scientific topics through observation,
experimentation, arts, and crats. Club meeting take place the first
Sunday of each month from 12:00pm-1:00pm.
Museum Make and Take Activity!
Drop in fun for the whole family!
Children of all ages are invited to discover the fun of science at the
family "make and take" activity table.
Daily.
Free with Museum admission.
Museum Membership Program
The Museum of
Natural History and Planetarium brings you the best family entertainment
value for your money through its new membership program. For more
information about the membership program or to become a member please
contact the Museum.
Birthday Parties
Make your child’s birthday a memorable day by celebrating at the Museum
of Natural History and Planetarium, Roger Williams Park. Birthday
parties are available from September through June. Parties are available
for children turning ages 5-12 and are offered on Saturdays and Sundays.
Monday Discovery Fun
Zone
Children ages 5-8 will become young scientists as they Explore,
Experiment and Discover during these all new monthly programs!
Each month is filled with new and exciting activities. Topics include:
marine life, geology, insects, birds, mammals and so much more!!
Tuesday Discovery Fun Zone
Children
in grades K-2 will become young scientists as they Explore, Experiment and Discover
during these all new monthly programs!
Each month is filled with new and exciting activities. Topics include:
marine life, geology, insects, birds, mammals and so much more!!
Discovery Tykes
Children, ages 2-4 with parent, will investigate the world around them
as they Sing, Dance and Discover
in the Museum of Natural History’s new monthly series!
FREE with museum admission!
Cosmic Cadets
Prepare for Liftoff! Discover what it would be like to take a ride on the space shuttle or what astronauts eat in space, learn about how rockets fly or how satellites stay in orbit, and see moon rocks and meteorites. Cosmic Cadet Camp is a two-day program filled with “astronaut training” hands-on activities for campers
ages 5-6. Camp
offered during school
vacations. Session is being offered during February school vacation.
MNH Space Camp
Prepare for liftoff! Launch into space exploration! Blast Off to
MNH Space Camp, a three day experience that includes challenging
hands-on projects and experiments for children ages 7-9.
Campers train to become junior astronauts and explore outer space
through exciting science experiments, NASA activities, planetarium
shows, and space and explorer games.
Camp offered
during school vacations.
Session is being offered
during February school vacation.
Astronaut Academy
Get ready to blast off to Astronaut Academy! Venture into the vast reaches of the universe while exploring our solar system and fascinating deep sky objects. Campers,
ages 10-12, discover astronomy, construct and launch rockets, and find out what it is like to live and work in space. Hands-on projects, science experiments, planetarium shows, and NASA activities show campers various ways to explore the universe.
Camp offered during school
vacations.
Space Tech
for Teens
Discover the science and technology behind space
exploration. Experiment with rovers, rockets, and robotics. Explore
other worlds in our Mission Moon exhibit. Campers train to become
the next generation of space explorers through science experiments,
robotics programming, engineering projects, and a special planetarium
show. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind experience for teens! For teens
ages 13-15.
MNH Bird Walks
Join us as we explore Roger Williams Park for colorful spring
migrants as they arrive from their wintering grounds. It's probable that
we will see and hear wood ducks, orioles, gnatcatchers, and warblers. We
may also encounter some of the other residents of the park such as deer
and fisher.
Drawing from
the Collections: A Course in Observational Sketching
Adults of all skill levels are welcome to participate. Classes take place
in four week sessions on Saturday mornings from 10:00am to 12:00pm.
Explore fundamental drawing techniques in a unique setting, utilizing
objects from the Museum’s vast collections. This focus of this drawing
class is on learning to look.
Life Long Learners Programs
Adults will discover the prominent role that nature played in people's
lives a century ago, and how it shaped this museum's founding in these
new programs.
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The Museum of Natural History is Rhode Island's
only natural history museum and is home to the state's only public
planetarium. For more than a century the Museum has served as a
unique educational, scientific and cultural resource by offering exciting
exhibitions, workshops and presentations that provide ways for children
and families to learn about our world and its people.
The Museum houses collections containing over one
quarter million objects pertaining to natural and cultural history
assembled from sites around the world. The natural history collections
include fossils, mollusks, minerals, rocks, mounted flora and fauna.
The cultural collections contain over 24,000 archaeological and
ethnographic specimens primarily of Native American and Pacific origin.
Visit the Museum and see our current
exhibitions:
Circle of the
Sea
The rich tapestry of Oceanic cultures - their
varied traditions, arts and skills - echoes the natural diversity found in
the Pacific islands. This new exhibit features objects from the museum's
collection from Oceania and focuses on the use of natural materials by
skilled craftspeople in the creation of objects of beauty and
prestige.
All Things
Connected:
Native American Creations
A showcase of Native American material culture.
Objects presented from the museum's collection of beadwork, baskets,
clothing, textiles, and other handmade objects. An interpretive component
of the exhibit focuses on how Native Americans interrelated with the
natural world.
Learn
more about All Things Connected.
Natural
Selections:
Treasures from the Museum's Collections
At the turn of the century, natural history
collecting became an international movement. This Victorian styled exhibit
showcases treasures donated by private collectors which inspired the
founding of the Museum of Natural History in 1896.
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