Welcome back!

Please note our revised hours of operation beginning when we reopen on Wednesday, July 8th 2020:

Wednesday-Saturday,

Open 10am-12:30pm

Closed for cleaning 12:30pm-2pm

Open 2pm-5pm

Closed Sunday-Tuesday

Prior to reopening, the Muncie Children’s Museum board and staff have agreed to the following enhanced protocols to protect our staff and visitors during their time at the Muncie Children’s Museum:

· Wellness screenings of all employees prior to the start of their shift

· Increased handwashing of staff members during their shift

· Staff required to wear masks in public spaces

· In keeping with current requirements for Indiana schools, we will continue to require masks for visitors age 8 and over for the safety of our visitors and staff. We will evaluate our mask requirement on a monthly basis. (Updated 04/07/2021)

· Increased cleaning protocol throughout the day of high touch, high traffic areas, including a dedicated staff cleaning person, and use of a disinfectant spray mist prior to opening and during the day

· Encourage social distancing while visiting and following exhibit capacity signage recommendations

While the Muncie Children’s Museum is taking the above steps to protect the safety of our visitors, please know that we can’t guarantee that you will experience a germ free visit. We ask for your patience as we are all adjusting to the new operational procedures.

In 1977, when the Muncie Children’s Museum opened for the first time, it was at the hands of a small group of women determined to bring a child-oriented learning facility to Muncie. One of those women is Liz Marshall. Liz is still very involved with the Muncie Children’s Museum to this day and continues to guide us in ways that positively impact our community. Liz was recently highlighted by her alma mater, Miami University. This article describes Liz and her passion for educating children in innovative ways when the museum opened. Take a look!

https://www.miamioh.edu/ehs/news/2020/06/childrens-museum.html 

¡ Holy Guacamole, Spring Break is almost here!

Celebrate your spring break fiesta style at the Muncie Children’s Museum!

For two weeks, we’ll be reading “Dragons Love Tacos,” making salsa, making miniature piñatas, learning about Frida Kahlo, and making Frida inspired artwork, along with several other crafts! Harmony Dance Studio will also be joining us to give Salsa and Latin dance lessons!

Watch our Facebook for more information on specific dates and times for a calendar of daily crafts.

Special thanks to Navient for sponsoring our Spring Break activities!

The Muncie Children’s Museum is pleased to announce that Ashlee Anderson has accepted the position of Director of Development effective January 27, 2020.

Ashlee will be responsible for all areas of development including the execution of our fundraising campaigns, coordination of grant opportunities, promotion of the Muncie Children’s Museum in the community, and special event coordination.

Ashlee is a Muncie native and graduated from Wapahani High School. She and her husband, Jon, have been active for years in the Muncie community. Between them, they have 4 children and 1 child arriving in March. She is active in Altrusa Club of Muncie and the Altrusa Foundation board, Muncie Civic Theatre board, and is an assistant coach for the Ball State Code Red Dance Team. She has been recognized as one of Muncie’s 20 Under 40, received the YMCA Organizational Leader Certification, and is a former Indianapolis Colts cheerleader.

Ashlee graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Exercise Science and has a Master’s Degree in Wellness Management with a Business Minor, from Ball State University Fisher’s Institute of Wellness & Gerontology. Prior to accepting this position, she served as the Executive Director of the Northwest YMCA and the Executive Director of Sustainable Muncie Corporation. She is also the owner of Ashlee Anderson Fitness. Ashlee brings experience in fundraising and a passion for the community. She looks forward to getting to know the museum’s friends and supporters. During the interview process, she expressed her desire “to be in the Muncie community, build relationships and to be part of something bigger!” We are confident that Ashlee will be an excellent match for this position and a strong asset to the Muncie Children’s Museum. If you would like to meet Ashlee or find out more about the Muncie Children’s Museum, she can be reached at 765-286-1660, ext 207 or aanderson@munciemuseum.com.

It’s time again for Amazing Elf Adventure, one of the Muncie Children’s Museum’s biggest events of the year! Have you ever dreamed of becoming an elf? Do you want to learn what it takes to become one of Santa’s helpers?

Amazing Elf Adventure (AEA) invites young vistors and families to enter the EEB (Elf Employment Bureau) and begin their elf training. Training includes a scavenger hunt through various holiday rooms including the Snowglobe Room, the Elf Obstacle Course, and Santa’s Workshop. Amazing Elf Adventure 2019 has lots of new presents in store for your whole family.

Admission to Amazing Elf Adventure is $4 for non-members and $3 for MCM members. For non-member families visiting both Amazing Elf Adventure and the museum, admission is $8.

Hours:

Friday & Saturday: 10 am – 4 pm

Sunday: 1 pm – 4 pm

The Muncie Children’s Museum Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement

Our goal this year is to raise $3,000. Gifts of any amount are welcome. You can make your pledge now at: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/MuncieChildrensMuseum/donate-1.html

#GivingTuesday, is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.  Occurring this year on November 28, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the US) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.

On Nov. 28, the Muncie Children’s Museum will be participating in Giving Tuesday. As consumers we engage in Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and now we are asking you to participatein Giving Tuesday. We invite you to join the global movement
and take action to help our museum animals.

We are pleased to announce that First Merchants Bank will again partner with us for this year’s campaign. For every $5 raised, First Merchants will donate an additional $1. Last year we raised over $2,400!

Funds raised by MCM during Giving Tuesday will provide support for the care of MCM’s many animals. At the museum, we shelter and care for a group of animals from all over the world that were either pets, born in captivity, or were injured. These animals are not releasable into the wild. They remain with us acting as ambassadors for their wild counterparts.

Our goal this year is to raise $3,000. Gifts of any amount are welcome. You can make your pledge now at: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/MuncieChildrensMuseum/donate-1.html

Holiday Happenings at MCM!

If you are interested in becoming a Free Saturday sponsor contact Susan Land at sland@munciemuseum.com.