Creative Play and Drop-In activities are temporarily cancelled until further notice.
Creative Play
Saturdays, 10-11 am
Included with Museum admisison.
RSVP required. Sign up here or contact Fran Garrido 973.596.6672
Explore the Museum's art and science collections through storytelling, song, playful activities and an art-making project (for children three- to five-year-olds and their caregivers).
FEBRUARY: Community
Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud. -- Maya Angelou
Come and discover the different facets of our community! From community helpers to our neighbors and families and to the beauty that surrounds us as we grow.
MARCH: Storytelling: Once upon a time...
You'll never be bored when you try something new. There's really no limit to what you can do. -- Dr. Seuss
Explore storytelling through words and pictures. Children will be encouraged to create stories based on the works of art in the Museum's comprehensive collection. Join us as we learn new ways to interpret artwork!
APRIL: Earth
One Sunday morning the warm sun came up and -- pop! -- out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar. -- Eric Carle
Earth, where would we be without it? Join us as we explore our amazing planet and its elements as we trek around the Museum.
MAY: Warm/Cool & Hot/Cold
I got ... Steam Heat!
Let's explore temperature and color, and how one affects the other! Join us as we explore art and creativity.
JUNE: Animals: Safari Time!
Grrrrr...
And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws. -- Maurice Sendak
What animals are in your neighborhood and around the world? Let's explore the Museum and find some creatures that we are familiar with or not! It's a safari!
Family Drop-Ins
Saturdays & Sundays, 11 am - 2 pm
Included with Museum admission.
Create art inspired by artists from the Museum collection.
FEBRUARY - Black History: A Modern Narrative
The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows. -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Let's explore the rich history of African Americans who have contributed to the advancement of the art, history and the humanities, both in and outside of our communities. Explore identity as you roam around the Museum's rich collection of African American art and artists.
MARCH - Women's History Month
The kinds of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within--strength, courage and dignity. -- Ruby Dee
Explore the undeniable history of women's contributions to art and society, from Henet-Mer to Yayoi Kusama to Carmen Herrera!
APRIL - Earth
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. -- Khalil Gibran, The Prophet
Honoring our connection to the earth, the cosmos and our environment in meaningful ways, reduce/recycle/reuse. Let's create artworks that reflect our reverence for the world we live in.
MAY - Human Form
If anything is sacred, the human body is sacred. -- Walt Whitman
Let's explore the human form in its realistic and abstract nature, using the Museum's vast collection of works of art, past and present.
JUNE - Pride Month: Identity
When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free. -- Barack Obama
We each have a unique identity that evolves over time and through personal experiences. Come and explore that transformation through art making.
Imagination Station
Saturdays & Sundays, 11 am -2 pm
Included with Museum admission.
Spark your creativity while thinking outside the box. Have fun while achieving the challenge.
MakerSPACE Drop-in
Saturdays, 1-4 pm
Included with Museum admission.
Full STEAM Ahead! Children will be introduced to the different elements of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics through activities that push their creativity and critical thinking (recommended for children ages 6-12).
FEBRUARY- Black History Month
Help us celebrate the legacy of Newark's own Jerry Gant! Make a piece of wearable art by bringing a single line contour drawing to life and turning it into a wire sculpture.
MARCH - Women's History Month
Get inspired by Mikalene Thomas and use innovative technology to tell your story. Turn a selfie into a laser-cut portrait and make a collage that embodies you.
APRIL - Earth
Unleash your inner scientist and dissect an owl pellet. Learn about ornithology and compare how we eat to our feathery neighbors.
MAY - Human Form
Appreciate the mechanics of the human body and make a cast of your hand using plaster or packing tape.
Family gallery programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
MakerSPACE drop-in programs supported by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation.
Celebrate your own uniqueness! Learn how to express yourself and share with your community!
