This week, Monday Feb. 27-Sunday March 4 is free admission at Jepson Center, 207 W York St., Savannah, 31401!

The art museum is offering free admission everyday, all day to the public Feb. 27 through March 4.

Enjoy the downtown Savannah museum at no cost & explore the Jepson’s ArtZeum, a two-level children’s museum.

For more information call 912.790.8800 or click here

With a three-day Presidents Day holiday weekend approaching, we are sharing some of our favorite daytrips to kid-friendly places you can visit in a daytrip or over the weekend. Here are our 10 favorite picks for nearby spots outside of Savannah that are well worth the trip:

1. Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Is., Ga (closed Mondays including Presidents Day Feb. 20). Hours, admission rates, directions and more details here.

2. South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston Harbor , S.C. Open on Presidents Day Feb. 20. Hours, daily events, admission rates & specials here.

3. Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry, Charleston, S.C. Open on Presidents Day Feb. 20. Hours, exhibits, admission rates & more details here.

4. Museum of Science & History (MOSH) & The Bryan-Gooding Planetarium, Jacksonville, Fla. Open on Presidents Day Feb. 20. Hours, daily Planetarium shows, upcoming special events, admission specials & more details here. .

5. Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Jacksonville, Fla. Open on Presidents Day Feb. 20. Hours, Black History Month Discount, admission rates & more details here.

6. The Center for Wildlife Education & the Lamar Q. Ball Raptor Center at Georgia Southern University Campus, Statesboro, GA. A reptile program is held on each Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Lecture Hall & a flighted raptor program is held at 3 p.m. in the Amphitheater. Admission rates, show details, directions here.  OPEN ON Presidents Day Feb. 20.

7. The Sandbox Interactive Children’s Museum, Hilton Head Is., S.C. Open on Presidents Day Feb. 20 Day. Hours, admission rates & more details here.

8. Lawton Stables, Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head. Is. S.C. OPEN on Presidents Day Feb. 20 (open everyday except Christmas) Lawton’s free animal farm includes goats, sheep, pot-bellied pigs, ponies, rabbits, a deer named Callie and a Clydesdale named Harley (who loves visitors bearing carrots and apples). Pony rides and horseback riding available for a fee. Details here.

9. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Columbia, S.C.. Check out the new bald eagle exhibit & safari ropes challenge course. Details here.

10. EdVenture Children’s Museum, Columbia, S.C. OPEN on Presidents Day Feb. 20. Eight exhibits including EDDIE® the World’s Largest Child, plus a library, learning laboratories, resource centers & more. Two additional outdoor gallery spaces are located just outside the museum’s front doors. Within the total 92,000 square feet that is EdVenture Children’s Museum, there are more than 350 individual hands-on exhibits. Details here.

We love Super Museum Sunday when museums & other organizations are FREE. This year, Super Museum Sunday is 12-4 PM Sunday Feb 5. The new SCAD Museum of Art will be among those local museums offering free admission this Sunday! 

From Statesboro to Darien, over 40 cultural institutions throughout coastal Georgia participate in this popular annual family event. Free and open to the public.

Click here for a list of some participating local museums, so you can plan your day and take advantage of free admissions.

Next time you head to Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens in Columbia, S.C. check out EdVenture Children’s Museum, the South’s largest children’s museum.

We haven’t gone yet but a savvy Savannah mom recommended it.

EdVenture’s mission is to create new generations of lifelong learners. Eight exhibits including EDDIE® the World’s Largest Child, plus a library, learning laboratories, resource centers & more. Two additional outdoor gallery spaces are located just outside the museum’s front doors. Within the total 92,000 square feet that is EdVenture Children’s Museum, there are more than 350 individual hands-on exhibits.

Kids can climb inside EDDIE® (Forty-feet tall sitting down) inside his brain, heart, stomach and other body structures. EDDIE® allows children to use their gross motor skills to discover what’s inside their bodies.

EdVenture Children’s Museum, 211 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201, (803) 779-3100, http://www.edventure.org, Hours, Tue – Sat: 9 AM – 5 PM, Sun Noon-5 PM, info@edventure.org On Facebook here.

SouthernMamas.com checked out Tellus Science Museum for the first time over the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend & we highly recommend visiting this northwest Georgia science museum the next time you are in Atlanta.

Tellus is a 120,000-square foot museum in Cartersville just off I-75 at exit 293. (about a 45 minute drive north of Atlanta) Tellus features four main galleries: The Weinman Mineral Gallery, The Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and The Collins Family My Big Backyard. There’s also a 120-seat digital planetarium and an observatory.

My 5-year old son particularly liked the 80 foot-long Apatosaurus; 9-foot wide jaw of a Megaladon – a shark found in the oceans that was larger than a school bus; the T-rex; and the always alluring dinosaur poop. Kids can also see a replica Wright flyer, conduct hands-on experiments with light, sound, magnets; pan for gems and minerals; dig for fossils; and more.

The museum is open seven days a week, Monday-Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM. Call 770-606-5700 or click here for more information.

Admission (Includes Fossil Dig & Gem Panning)

Members – Free
Adults – $12
Children (3 – 17) – $8
Student with ID – $8
Active Military with ID – Free
Seniors (65+) – $10

Planetarium
Must include paid admission to museum
$3 – Must include paid admission, free member admission, or complimentary admission pass
$2 – second planetarium show for an individual during one visit
Basic Members – $2 planetarium show (free museum admission)
Leadership Members – no charge

Tellus Science Museum is on Facebook here.

Telfair’s Jepson Center for the Arts at 207 W.York Street in Historic Savannah is a great place to visit when you’re looking for creative indoor kids’ activities. Check these out:

What Can We Make? Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10-2pm

wcwm? focuses on developing problem-solving and critical thinking skills through imagination. Explore your creative side with inspiring activities utilizing up-cycled materials, found objects, and traditional art supplies. In addition to the wcwm? project kits, the studios provide water color and collage opportunities. Call 790.8823.

New to the program is monthly thematic Family Make: participants are assigned a theme and encouraged to make art from the most unexpected materials. January’s Make: Camera Obscura In conjunction with “Fresh Focus: Contemporary Photography from the Permanent Collection”

Camera obscura, a camera without film, a precursor to the invention of photography, in use since the Victorian era. Easy to build and fun to personalize, it can function in most any form. The camera obscura will demystify the functions of a camera, while providing a fun artistic investigation of composition and light in the world around us.

Always free to members and to visitors with paid admission. Open to adults and children accompanied by an adult caregiver

Winter 2012 Toddler Thursday

Designed especially for pre-schoolers and their adult companions, Toddler 3rd Thursday allows toddlers to explore artwork from Telfair exhibits and complete a tour-related art project.

▪ 10—11:30am
▪ Ages 3-5 & parent or guardian
▪ $5 per child /
Adults free with child admission

2012 Themes for Toddler Thursday
January 19 Take’n Pictures
February 16 Moving Dots Flip Book
March 15 Painting Savannah
April 19 Paper Dolls

FOR CHILDREN & ADULT ART CLASSES OFFERED AT TELFAIR MUSEUMS, CLICK HERE.

Looking for something to do with the kids this holiday break?

Check out the SCAD Museum of Art, from its glowing outdoor chairs to the interactive one-of-a-kind touch table, the museum is sure to inspire.

Free admission for children under 14.

For more information visit, www.scadmoa.org  or call 912.525.7191. SCAD MOA is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

SCAD Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd. Savannah, 31401

We often get questions about the status of building a Savannah Children’s Museum. Work is under way on such a museum near the Georgia State Railroad Museum in downtown Savannah and organized by the Coastal Heritage Society. Here’s a snippet from the Coastal Heritage Society Web site:

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

The Coastal Heritage Society is working towards creating Savannah’s first, and only children’s museum! This project is specifically targeted to educate children ages 0-10 in a non-school environment, to address the need for young children to learn about their community, and to support families and educators in developing fundamental skills.

What Will the Savannah Children’s Museum Be?

Building Size
SCM will have 38,000 sq. feet of interior space and a 15,000 square foot courtyard with 20,000 sq. feet of exhibits, located on a National Historic Landmark site.
Learning Standards
SCM is dedicated to the education of young children, covering 9 educational goals that incorporate a variety of learning strategies and Georgia Learning Standards.
Audience
SCM will serve 84,379 children, ages 0-10 locally within an hour’s drive and an undetermined tourism audience. We anticipate 50,000 – 75,000 visitors per year.
Use
SCM will be a resource serving parents, children, teachers, childcare centers, elementary schools and tourists seven days a week.
Perfect Location
SCM is located in a tourism based, educational, and recreational complex of 25 acres, which will contain 5 public venues and provide a locomotive-powered rail shuttle. All of these attractions can occupy a family for many, many hours of enjoyment.

How you can help

For further information on the Savannah Children’s Museum, or for volunteer opportunities with this project, contact Samantha Pogorelsky, Campaign Director at 912.651.2438 or spogorelsky@chsgeorgia.org .

Weekend Train Rides Are Back On Track!

Take the Savannah Central No. 119 Diesel Locomotive for a quick nostalgic trip down the Museum track. Come every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for scheduled train rides and a walk around Georgia State Railroad Museum. Did you know it’s the largest pre-Civil War era railroad complex in the world? Then walk across the street for a tasty bite to eat at the WhistleStop Cafe!
Train Ride Times:
Friday & Saturday
11 AM, 1 & 2 PM
Sunday
1 & 2 PM

The Interpretive Center ( i.e. Nature Center) at Skidaway Island State Park  in Savannah is a kid-friendly educational spot that’s often overlooked.

It’s surrounded by easy hiking trails including the 1-mile Avian Loop Trail, 1-mile Sandpiper Trail Loop, and the 3-mile Big Ferry Trail Loop. The Big Ferry Loop is also open to bicycles for those kids who don’t mind bumping over tree roots.

Cool off after your hike in the air-conditioned Interpretive Center which includes a display of the Giant Ground Sloth replica (pictured here); wildlife exhibits; live reptiles including a terrapin turtle; and birding station where right now you have a good chance of seeing Painted Buntings, which are currently nesting there.

Free kid-friendly structured activities are regularly held at the park. We’ve heard great things about the evening hikes and really want to check those out.  For a complete listing of August 2011 Free Skidaway Island State Park Kid-Friendly Events, visit our new Skidaway State Park children’s activities page by clicking here.  

Interpretive Center hours: Wednesday-Sunday 10 AM-5 PM at Skidaway Island State Park. Cost: $5 for parking.
52 Diamond Causeway, Savannah, 31411, 912-598-2300, http://www.gastateparks.org/SkidawayIsland

Join Coastal Heritage Society for a night of excitement as Savannah History Museum exhibits come to life! Have a private showing of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian then stay the night with your family after touring the history museum after dark!

Savannah Night at the Museum II
Saturday, July 23 6pm – Sunday, July 24 8:30am
For ages 4 and up. Parents must accompany children. Bring sleeping gear.

Event Price Per Person (kids & adults)
CHS members: $22
non-members: $25
Price includes dinner, movie, museum tour, activities, and breakfast.

Advanced ticket purchase required by Wednesday, July 20 at 5pm.

For more info or to make your reservation, call 912.651.6823 x3 or email info@chsgeorgia.org .

Join Coastal Heritage Society for a night of excitement as Savannah History Museum exhibits come to life! Have a private showing of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian then stay the night with your family after touring the history museum after dark!

Savannah Night at the Museum II
Saturday, July 23 6pm – Sunday, July 24 8:30am
For ages 4 and up. Parents must accompany children. Bring sleeping gear.

Event Price Per Person (kids & adults)
CHS members: $22
non-members: $25
Price includes dinner, movie, museum tour, activities, and breakfast.

Advanced ticket purchase required by Wednesday, July 20 at 5pm.

For more info or to make your reservation, call 912.651.6823 x3 or email info@chsgeorgia.org .

Deerskins, Rice, and Cotton: Life in Early Savannah History Camp for Rising 1st-5th Graders @ Georgia State Railroad Museum
July 25-29, 9am-1pm
$150 per child for the week
lunch can be purchased for $20

Based at Georgia State Railroad Museum, but with mini-trips to Savannah History Museum, Battlefield Park, and Old Fort Jackson- this camp is a step back in time to the days of old Savannah.

Made just for 1st-5th graders, historic games will be played, children will get a chance to wear clothing and uniforms of the period and will explore on-site buildings that were constructed during the 1800s. On Friday, July 29, a special field trip will be taken to Old Fort Jackson to learn about life as a soldier!

Campers will learn what it’s like to be an Indian trader and will create their own Native American stories. They will learn about Colonial jobs and will pretend to be merchants, making goods, and purchasing from a “marketplace.” Each day will be fun-filled and hands-on as campers step back into the history of Savannah!

For more info, call 912.651.6823 x3 or email info@chsgeorgia.org . Registration form can be found by clicking here:

Spend the night at the museum and sleep amongst the creatures of Savage Ancient Seas: Dinosaurs of the Deep, MOSH’s summer exhibit in Jacksonville, Fla. More info here.

Includes:
Sea Monsters Planetarium Show
Pizza Snack
Museum Exhibit Time
Science Show
Rooftop Telescopic Stargazing (weather permitting)
Morning Donuts

REGISTER NOW The last day to register is August 1, 2011; the last day to cancel and receive a refund is July 25, 2011.Cost is $30 per child (must be 4 years or older to attend) and $20 for required parent or adult chaperone. Members receive a $5 discount per person.

Questions? Call 904.396.6674 ext. 226.

We here at SouthernMamas.com have long contended that Hilton Head Is. is one of the most kid-friendly vacation spots around.

The island is teeming with children’s activities such as those being offered this summer at The Sandbox, An Interactive Children’s Museum. The Sandbox celebrates summer with a Summer Fun Series of special programs and activities held each day at the Sandbox. The program calendar is as follows: Mondays, Pottery Program at 9:30 a.m. and Cupcake Decorating at 1:30 p.m.; Terrific Tuesdays: special art activity at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Wednesdays: Morning Music Program at 10:30 a.m.; Thursdays: Imagination Hour at 10:30 a.m.; and Fridays: Coastal Critters hosted by the Coastal Discovery Museum 10:30 a.m.

For Terrific Tuesdays, this Tuesday, June 28th is Yosti’s Puppet Show, and the Coastal Critters Program on Friday July 1st is All About Sea Turtles.

The Sandbox is an interactive children’s museum with region related exhibits, activities, and programs for children’s ages toddler through 8 years. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Sandbox, 18-A Pope Avenue, next to St. Andrew’s by the Sea United Methodist Church, 843.842.7645 or afinn@thesandbox.org, www.thesandbox.org

Join Georgia State Railroad Museum (Roundhouse Railroad Museum) for Summer Toddler Art!

Is your child 3 years old or younger and enjoys being creative? What toddler doesn’t? Enjoy this eight-week-long adventure for your young artist! Led by Miss Rebecca, Coastal Heritage Society’s Director of Young Children’s Programming, toddler art class at the Georgia State Railroad Museum is a fun time for socialization between parents and their little ones. It’s incredible to see the creative juices flowing as toddlers work on early writing skills.

The next toddler art 8-week session begins July 15, and is held in the Georgia State Railroad Museum kids’ car on Friday mornings at 10am (with the exception of July 29, which will be held at 2pm).

Join Georgia State Railroad with your wee one in this creative discovery time.
Call or email to register now for summer classes—space is limited!
$100 for all eight classes or $12.50 per class.

Advanced registration required:
Call 912-651-6823 x3 or email info@chsgeorgia.org

Free admission for up to two children when accompanied by one paying adult. (912) 232-1511 www.shipsofthesea.org .

ArtZeum at Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center for the Arts –  the two-level, hands-on children’s section – has some new and interesting additions to the small collection of children’s books on art in the back corner of the second level.

The books are certain to spark children’s excitement about creating their own artwork as well as learning about the styles of the great masters. Here are a few that we checked out from our local library and liked. Thanks, Jepson, for the suggestions!

“A Child’s Book of Play in Art” by Lucy Micklethwait – This book encourages children to look at paintings, explore them and find in them familiar and unfamiliar things. The collection of pictures aims to inspire a range of activities.

“Children’s Book of Art: An introduction to the world’s most amazing paintings and sculptures”

“Discovering Great Artists” by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Kim Solga – This book offers fun hands-on art projects to teach children about the styles of the great masters. Example: to teach kids how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, a lie-down painting project involves taping paper to the underside of a table and having your child lie on their back and paint the “ceiling.”

“I Spy Shapes in Art,” by Lucy Micklethwait
“I Spy A Lion, Animals in Art,” by Lucy Micklethwait
“I Spy Colors in Art,” by Lucy Micklethwait

“Me and Uncle Romie” by Claire Hartfield (inspired by the art of Romare Bearden)
“Emily’s Art” by Peter Catalanotto
“Lily Brown’s Paintings” by Angela Johnson
“Willow” by Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan

Other art books (that aren’t in the ArtZeum collection that we know of) which teach even toddlers to recognize the masterpieces are those in the Touch the Art series by Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo including:
Brush Mona Lisa’s Hair
Make Van Gogh’s Bed
Feed Matisse’s Fish
Catch Picasso’s Rooster
Pop Warhol’s Top
Tickle Tut’s Toes
Count Monet’s Lilies

ArtZeum at Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 W. York St. Savannah, 912.790.8800, www.telfair.org

Enjoy the modern-day classic movie, “Night at the Museum” and come discover what happens with the Savannah History Museum exhibits after-hours! Dinner and breakfast will be served.

6 PM Sat. Jan. 22 to 8:30 AM Sun. Jan. 23 at Savannah History Museum, 303 MLK, Jr. Blvd.

Ages 4 and older. A parent must be present. Reservations Required. Call or email for details.
(912) 651-6823 ext. 3 or email childrensevents@chsgeorgia.org

Cost: $25 per person; $22 per Coastal Heritage Society member

MOSH (Museum of Science and History) in Jacksonville opens a dinosaur exhibit Sat. Sept. 25.

Prehistoric Predators – Sept. 25-Jan. 9 – will feature life-sized animatronic dinosaur models sure to inspire visitors of all ages.

On Oct. 23, the museum’s new Bryan Gooding Planetarium opens.

The new Bryan Gooding Planetarium will offer visitors an experience like no other in our region. Come experience total-immersion entertainment in a 360-degree theater at super-resolution four times better than the best HDTV.

MOSH offers $5 admission every Friday, Saturday and Sunday now through Oct. 17 . Click here for more info.

Looking for a way to introduce your preschooler to Savannah’s downtown historic architecture?

Check out  “Savannah Safari,”  a $6 booklet that takes kids on a quick and easy walking adventure through Historic Savannah. Today, I took my 20-month-old daughter and 3-year-old son on the tour. Although my daughter may be a little young to “get it”, my 3-year-old son really enjoyed the search for architectural animals in gardens and squares (horse hitching posts, lion statues, frog fountain, dolphin downspouts, gargoyles)  

You can order a copy on the Savannah Safari Web site. The illustrated booklet complete with a map is also available at  Girl Scout First Headquarters, 330 Drayton Street, or the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace (10 E. Oglethorpe Ave).

For more info on another kid-friendly self-guided downtown Savannah walking tour/scavenger hunt, click here

The Museum Mile Weekend in Charleston looks interesting and includes The Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry.

The 2nd Annual Museum Mile Weekend is Sept. 25-26, 2010. Here’s the deal: you buy a Museum Mile weekend pass ($20 for adults, $10 for kids 12 and under). Put on your walking shoes and hit the streets. Your pass allows you to visit 13 sites in the Meeting Street area in historic downtown Charleston during this special weekend.

The one-mile section of Meeting Street includes six museums, five historic houses, four scenic parks and a Revolutionary War powder magazine, as well as numerous historic houses of worship and public buildings including the Market and City Hall. For more information call 843-722-2996. Fore more info or to buy tickets, click here. Tickets also available at all Charleston Visitor Center locations including the downtown location at 375 Meeting St. Online purchasers will receive their passes in the mail.

Participating Sites include The Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry, located at 25 Ann St., which offers eight hands-on interactive learning environments for children 3 months to 10 years.

Other kid-friendly highlights of The Museum Mile weekend include:
Aiken-Rhett House – 48 Elizabeth St.
Built in 1820 and greatly expanded by Gov. and Mrs. William Aiken, Jr. in the 1830s, this house and its outbuildings have survived as a time capsule virtually unaltered since 1858. Children are invited to enjoy a scavenger hunt throughout the weekend as they explore the house, grounds and outbuildings and learn more about the people who lived and worked on the property.

The Charleston Museum – 360 Meeting S.
America’s first museum showcases the cultural and natural history of South Carolina’s Lowcountry. On Saturday, The Charleston Museum will feature children’s crafts from 10 AM-noon.

Powder Magazine – 79 Cumberland St.
South Carolina’s oldest public building, The Powder Magazine (circa 1713) served as an arsenal within the old walled city of Charleston. Living history programs will be offered all weekend. A special performance of the original production The Gentleman Pirate will be offered on Saturday at 3:30pm. Call ahead for ticket information (843-722-9350) or visit www.PowderMag.org

Attention teachers and home-schooling parents: archaeology workshops are available to come to elementary schools or homeschool groups to teach Georgia Performance Standards in a variety of subjects, using archaeology as the hook.

ArchaeoFest is an educational program sponsored by the Coastal Heritage Society in Savannah that uses hands on-activities and the excitement of archaeology to teach a range of Georgia Performance Standards in 4th and 5th grade Language Arts, Science, Math, and Social Studies.

Participants practice critical thinking, observations and inferences, identification, classification, matching, measuring, logic, and inductive & deductive reasoning.

Choose (Each program accommodates 25-30 students):
•2 hour program, given three times in a day at same location ($500 Flat Rate for all three programs) [averages $5.50-$6.70 per student depending on number of students]
•3 hour program, given twice in a day at same location ($450 flat rate for both programs) [averages $7.50-$9.00 depending on number of students]

Programs available for Chatham County area Sept. 13-Oct. 8, 2010.

Reservations required and can be made beginning Aug. 12. For more info, contact: Rita Elliott, relliott@chsgeorgia.org; 912.651.6850.

Brought to you by Coastal Heritage Society, Savannah. www.chsgeorgia.org

Kids and their parents are invited to a Family Sleepover Educational Program this month @ UGA’s Marine Education Center and Aquarium, 30 Ocean Science Circle, Skidaway Island.

Time 6 PM – 8 AM Sat-Sun. Jan. 23-24. Cost: $25/person all children must be accompanied by an adult.

The sleepover’s activities will focus on coastal development. All activities will be hands-on and exciting. There will also be a mini fishing clinic. Program includes snack and continental breakfast.

Please bring the following items: sleeping bag, pillow, hand towel, pajamas, bug spray, toothbrush and paste, flashlight, fishing pole, camera, and change of clothes.

Maximum of 25 participants. Advanced registration required. 912-598-2496 or email fish@uga.edu