Parents & Kids
Mickey Mouse's 90th anniversary Stepping Stones Museum

Stepping Stones Museum Celebrates Mickey Mouse with Activities (Almost) All Week

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Stepping Stones Museum for Children commemorates the 90th anniversary of Mickey Mouse with a week full of animated activities from Nov. 17 to 25, including stories, games, and dance. The highlight of the mouse-travaganza will be when Mickey Mouse or other special guests from the Disney On Ice show drop by Stepping Stones on Wednesday, Nov. 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. The visit is a sneak peek before you can see the characters in action when Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Enchantment at Webster Bank Arena in January. In the museum’s new Family and Teacher Resource Center (the FTRC), children will make VIP badges celebrating a positive influence in their lives like a friend or caregiver.

Charity Events and Opportunities
Sandra Miklave and Kris Granetz Stepping Stones FriendsGiving Open Accessibility Initiative

Stepping Stones Museum Fundraiser Nov 8 Supports Free Admission for Families in Need

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Stepping Stones Museum for Children will be hosting its 3rd annual FriendsGiving fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 8 at its iconic facility in Norwalk’s historic Mathews Park. Proceeds from the event will support the museum’s Open Arms initiative. The festive fundraising fete brings together friends old and new for an enjoyable evening featuring a special signature cocktail, hors d’oeuvres and networking hour beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by an intimate harvest dinner, based on a Thanksgiving-inspired menu from Marcia Selden Catering and Events at 7:30 p.m.
“This exquisite fine dining experience will leave your heart warmed and a great number of local children and families deeply thankful for your role in making sure that the best educational opportunities are available to all children,” said Rhonda Kiest, CEO and president of Stepping Stones Museum for Children. “Now, more than ever, as many families face greater challenges, it is vitally important we continue to receive financial support for Open Arms.”

About the Open Arms Accessibility Initiative
At the heart of Stepping Stones Museum for Children is an unwavering commitment to inclusion. Open Arms Accessibility Initiative, which provides thousands of children, caregivers and teachers each year the opportunity to enjoy the museum regardless of financial, language, cultural or special needs barriers. Stepping Stones is an inviting, welcoming and diverse learning community which values and celebrates all children and families for their similarities and uniqueness, broad-ranging abilities, experiences, interests, needs and perspectives. Many children and their families would not have access to the museum without Open Arms.
In 2018, Open Arms will serve more than 75,000 children, caregivers and teachers throughout the region.

Holidays

Week of Halloween Events Coming at Stepping Stones Museum: Oct 23 to 31

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It will be a week of tricks and treats as Stepping Stones BOO-seum for Children welcomes all into its cauldron of play. During Halloween Tricks and Treat Week from Tuesday, Oct. 23 to Wednesday, Oct. 31, enjoy daily costume catwalks, creature features, face painting, hat sorting, magic tricks, make-believe monsters, mask making, pumpkin decorating, silly sensory science lab experiments and BooZoo’s Great Pumpkin parades. Highlights of Tricks and Treats Week include Frankenstein Friday on Oct.

Stepping Stones Museum 2018

Sabor Together as Stepping Stones Celebrates Latin American Culture

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The colorful festival will celebrate the traditions of our local Latin American communities through food, music, and the arts. A variety of food trucks and vendors serving tastings of authentic Latin American fare will spice things up in the museum’s outdoor Celebration Courtyard. Chefs will be on hand to demonstrate how to prepare some traditional Latin dishes with healthier ingredients and cooking methods. Live entertainment, fashion shows, demonstrations, storytelling and other activities will all feature a Latin flare.

Parents & Kids
Stepping Stones Museum children playing

What’s Happening at Stepping Stones Museum for Children in June

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Stepping Stones Museum for Children LOVES Planet Earth and that love for “the third rock from the Sun” will be on display at the museum all spring and summer long with a daily series of play-based learning experiences that will educate and delight. Through August, the museum has been transformed into an immersive, engaging, hands-on exploration of Planet Earth. Each day offers a variety of imaginative STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) gallery investigations, interactive stories, games or guides that celebrate our amazing planet from the inside out. In June, Stepping Stones offers an undersea odyssey as the museum embarks on a month-long investigation into the watery wonders of aquatic ecosystems.  This expedition takes you on an epic exploration of ecosystems as far away as the Great Barrier Reef or as close as the Long Island Sound watershed. As most of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, there are plenty of mind-boggling discoveries to be made about our oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams and creatures that lurk in the deep!

Community Organizations
Stepping Stones Museum for Children

Families of Active-Duty Military Personnel Get Free Admission All Year at Stepping Stones Museum

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This Memorial Day, Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk kicks off their summer of free admission for active duty military personnel and their families as a proud participant in the Blue Star Museums program. And they’ve extended the program year-round. Since 2012 when they joined the nationwide program, Stepping Stones has not only offered free admission from Memorial Day through Labor Day, thanks to tremendous local support they extend the offer all year long. — an announcement from the Stepping Stones Museum for Children
“Active-duty military families sacrifice so much in the name of protecting us and our way of life.” explained Rhonda Kiest, CEO and President of Stepping Stones Museum. “We jumped at the chance to participate in this tremendous program as a way to give back to these deserving families.

Stepping Stones Museum 2018

Stepping Stones Hosts “An Evening with Rebecca Lobo” Fundraiser

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Hoop fans have the rare chance to meet the UConn women’s basketball icon while helping to support the museum’s summer learning programs.

Proceeds from this memorable evening will fund literacy and language-rich programs such as Camp ELLI for underserved preschoolers. VIP tickets include a pre-event reception with photo ops and autographed mini-basketballs. Everyone will hear her inspiring keynote address and Q&A session featuring anecdotes from her life and career and the importance of balancing academics and sports. Space is limited.

Community Organizations
Rebecca Lobo Fundraiser Stepping Stones Museum 2018

‘An Evening with Rebecca Lobo’ on May 17 Benefits Stepping Stones Museum for Children

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Stepping Stones Museum for Children shoots a game-changing shot for local children by getting an assist from a legendary UConn basketball player. During “An Evening with Rebecca Lobo” on May 17, local hoops fans have the rare chance to meet the women’s basketball icon while helping to support the museum’s summer learning programs.

— an announcement from Stepping Stones Museum

This memorable evening with Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo will fund programs such as Camp ELLI, which provides children from underserved backgrounds with little to no formal preschool learning a literacy and language-rich summer filled with fun learning experiences that will prepare them for kindergarten in the fall. “These children often face greater challenges and require more resources to support their development,” said Rhonda Kiest, president of Stepping Stones. “Therefore, Stepping Stones aims to fully fund 200 scholarships so children in need can attend this program.”

Lobo’s inspiring message will include:

• The importance of teamwork – anecdotes from her life and career

• The importance of balancing academics and sports

• Academics – the importance of preschool education

• Summer programs – the impact of summer learning to prevent “summer slide”

Rebecca Lobo is currently a women’s basketball analyst for ESPN. She has met presidents, flown on Air Force One, played Sesame Street’s Big Bird, acted on network sitcoms, and chatted on the famed couches of David Letterman and Conan O’Brien.

Parents & Kids
closeup Stepping Stones Irish theme

Fun of the Irish for Kids at Stepping Stones Through March 31

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Everyone has the luck of the Irish at Stepping Stones Museum for Children as we turn green for spring starting on St. Patrick’s Day. The whole family can be transported to our mythical, magical wonderland full of shamrock surprises, scavenger hunts and savings from now until March 31. — an announcement from Stepping Stones Museum for Children
Green dragons, leprechauns and fairies will be popping up in our daily green activities. Fresh green specials are sprouting in the café, and eggs can be decorated at our annual Egg-straordinary Egg-stravaganza.

Education

Coding and Robotics Camp For Ages 5 to 8 During April 9-13 School Vacation

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Smartphone apps, robots, and video games — the world runs on code. Now kids can learn how to control technology creatively. Children, ages 5 to 8 will design, play with and learn from robots from April 9-13 at Stepping Stones Coding and Robotics Camp to be held during April school vacation. _________

— an announcement from Stepping Stones Museum

_________

Day campers at the Norwalk musuem will discover the basics of computer coding through interactive activities and games, plus have the opportunity to explore the museum’s many thrilling exhibits. The week of electronic excitement for children ages 5 to 8 will run from 8:30 a.m. to  3:30 p.m. every day during April vacation week from April 9 through April 13.

Stepping Stones Museum 2018

Winter Wonderland Children’s Ball and Bubble Show

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Your royal invitation has arrived! Stepping Stones is calling all little princes and princesses for an unforgettable, magical evening filled with entertainment for the entire family. The museum will be transformed into a snow-kissed wonderland for the annual Winter Wonderland Children’s Ball and Bubble Show. Guests can pose for the paparazzi, enjoy “cool” winter-themed activities and dance the night away. Be dazzled by Bubbleology: The Secret World of Bubbles. Reservations are required. Performance times are 5:00, 6:00 or 7:00 pm. Get your tickets early as this event traditionally sells out. Early bird tickets for Members are $8/person, Non-members $13/person. After Friday, Feb.

Norwalk Foodshed

Whole Foods Market to Donate 5% of Thursday, Jan 11 Net Sales to Stepping Stones Museum

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On Thursday, Jan. 11, shoppers at Whole Foods Market stores in Darien and elsewhere in Fairfield County will contribute to Stepping Stones Museum for Children. Five percent of the net sales at each the stores will go directly to support the Norwalk-based Stepping Stones’s educational programs, exhibits and experiences. In particular, this year’s donation will help Stepping Stones with the launch of the Norwalk Foodshed Initiative, which will help support equal access to fresh, healthy foods for all members of our community while also providing important wellness and nutritional messaging. The participating Whole Foods Market stores are located in Danbury, Darien, Greenwich, Fairfield, Westport and Milford.