40 Days of Fun!

To honor its 40-year history of play and experimental learning, Kidspace Children’s Museum continues its 40th Celebration with 40 Days of Fun! From July 6–August 16, 2019, the celebration invites guests to learn, explore, and enjoy added fun each week of the summer. Based around festive themes such as SLIME TIME and BUBBLES as well as a Birthday Bash, 40 Days of Fun! allows guests to embrace the spontaneity of childhood with random acts of fun, self-guided activities, and birthday-themed events, as well as larger weekend events and a Birthday Bash on July 13 and 14, 2019.

Kidspace’s 40 Days of Fun! offers different ways to explore the museum each week with a range of enhanced daily activities that culminate with larger weekend events. 40 Days of Fun! includes a self-guided Scavenger Hunt; random acts of fun that surprise guests with spontaneous sing-alongs, story times, and dance parties throughout the day; and a celebration-themed daily Exploration program every day at 11:45 AM in Stone Hollow Amphitheater, which includes, dramatic play and music, and culminates in a celebratory dance party. Each week of fun will be centered around a new theme:

• July 6–12: GET OUTDOORS invites guests to get ready for summer by exploring nature, getting messy, and playing outdoors. Guests can dig in the sand, play in the mud, and enjoy the wonderment and fun of getting to be outside. Throughout the week there will be special activities including bug hunts, fort building, and a Flower Shower garden program.

• July 13 & 14: BIRTHDAY BASH invites YOU to celebrate Kidspace’s 40th Celebration with birthday-themed activities that include: birthday hat making and classic birthday party games around the museum. DJ Bree will host an interactive dance party in Stone Hollow Amphitheater, which will include a confetti blast and more!

• July 15–21: SLIME TIME brings out the ooey goopy fun with slime-related activities all week, culminating in the “Slime the Staff Quiz Show.” Throughout the week, random acts of fun will include some slimy surprises like exploring different types of slimes and using water to make slimy “snail trails.”

• July 22–August 2: WATER PLAY keeps guests cool with water games and water play, culminating in a water exhibit. WATER PLAY week includes fun pop-up water events like sponge tosses and splash games. Guests may see random acts of fun activities like outdoor evaporation painting, sensory water bins, and surprise boat races.

• August 3–16: BUBBLES invites guests to pop on over for a good time and enjoy spontaneous encounters like bubble shows, bubble dance parties, bubble challenges, and bubble races!

40 Days of Fun! themes are designed to evoke adults’ favorite childhood memories of summer, giving adults a chance to relive their childhoods alongside children. The surprise nature of random acts of fun invites guests of all ages to live in the moment and enjoy and experience the spontaneity and freedom of childhood while delighting children with new takes on classic summer activities. Themes highlight the landscape of Kidspace and incorporate 21st century learning skills like creativity, flexibility, and collaboration alongside experiential learning, all while making learning fun.

“40 Days of Fun! is a way to highlight Kidspace Children’s Museum’s 40 years in a unique, memorable way for our guests visiting over summer,” says JJ Leissing, Chief Programs Officer at Kidspace. “The six weeks of added fun and surprise elements incorporate hands-on and interactive learning into fun experiences for children and adults. We hope guests will return multiple times to experience the range of fun and experiential learning that have become a signature of Kidspace over its 40-year history.”

In addition to the 40 Days of Fun!, Kidspace’s 40th Celebration also includes Blast from the Past Spirit Days on June 29 and 30, PLAYDATE “grown-ups only” party on September 19, 2019, special 40-themed sales and promotions throughout the year, as well as a campaign to raise $40,000 in 40 Days, which the museum completed in March.

40 YEARS OF KIDSPACE:

Kidspace Children’s Museum was founded in 1979 by members of the Caltech community and Junior League of Pasadena as a space for families to explore tactile, interdisciplinary experiences that bridge the arts, humanities, and sciences. Kidspace first launched at Caltech with a pilot exhibit called “Making Senses,” then graduated to Rosemont Pavilion with additional elements provided by ArtCenter and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Finally, Kidspace found a home at McKinley School from 1981 to 2002. The location was only 13,500-square-feet, but was packed with innovative exhibits and programs that helped form the building blocks of lifelong learning. Several years and 1.8 million guests later, Kidspace embarked on a new adventure, expanding to Brookside Park in the heart of the Arroyo Seco. With a significantly larger campus and beautiful facility with existing structures, the Fannie E. Morrison Horticultural Center, and a pergola wrapped in 150-year-old wisteria vines, the museum was poised to have outdoor and natural learning environments unlike any other children’s museum. Kidspace’s current location in Brookside Park opened in 2004 with exhibits that inspire kid-driven learning and family experiences that create lasting memories. The museum has continued to grow with the opening of Galvin Physics Forest in 2012, Imagination Workshop in 2014, and Arroyo Adventure in 2016. Kidspace has now welcomed over 5 million guests and is proud to have over 6,000 member families.