No two watermelons grow the same, and neither do you! You’re one in a MELON.
This weekend take the kids to the Watermelon Festival at the Florida Children's Museum and Bonnet Springs Park's Great Lawn.
Celebrate the unique and colorful ways children grow and develop at this watermelon-themed event taking place on Saturday, May 6, from 10 am and 5 pm. It’s gonna be SWEET.
Enjoy DJ Faboloso, free watermelon slices, inflatables, face painting, a book giveaway, watermelon-themed crafts and activities, plus community resource vendors.
This event is a pay what you can day- meaning participation is free.
Every dollar donated supports museum operation and programming.
Florida Children’s Museum is located in the new Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland, there’s something for the whole family spread across 47,800 square feet of hands-on exploration.
This state-of-the-art facility which opened in November 2022, offers two floors of interactive exhibits, your child can spend hours delving into fun learning opportunities.
The Museum has something to offer for babies up to children aged 12.
Museum Exhibits
Watermelon Seeds
The Watermelon Seeds gallery focuses on the youngest of children, ages 0-6.
Here, explorers move through the various lifecycle stages of a watermelon, just as your sprout changes and develops, so do the areas of play.
Gallery Learning Outcomes:
Sensory Motor Intelligence
Executive Function Skills Practice
Process and Multi-Step Functions
Gross Motor Play
Language Development
Language Building
Design Park
Inspired by honeybees, Design Park is a gallery focused on the value of collaboration, communication, and the pursuit of new ideas.
This circular process has no real ending or beginning, as solutions are always being improved and re-designed.
Here, explorers are challenged to create their own vehicles to the best of their ability.
Gallery Learning Outcomes:
Design Thinking Model
Evaluation Skills
Engineering Skills
Collaboration & Teamwork
Language Building
St. Christopher’s Project City Play
A child-sized version of a real city, children are encouraged to explore a wide range of careers in whatever way they see fit.
Transform into a firefighter, create your own newscast as a weather specialist, or take a shift as a cashier at the grocery store.
Gallery Learning Outcomes:
Social Dramatic Play
Collaboration
Creativity & Imagination
Sense of Self
Community Roles
Language Building
TBD Gallery
Inspired by the generation of Tik Tok, TBD Gallery focuses on virtual creation.
Explorers can utilize the Stop Motion Lab, Lunz Group Green Screen Landscape, and Tom and Alison Anderson Found Sound Booth to develop videos and sounds of the future.
Gallery Learning Outcomes:
Collaboration
Technology
Creativity
Imagination
Advanced Multi-Step Planning
Language Building
Harrell Family Charities Front Yard
Coming Soon! Harrell Family Charities Front Yard is an enclosed space featuring a 100-ft climbable alligator, Blinky.
Children are invited to invade Blinky’s “watery” home—filled with shady lily pads, the Mosaic Dig Pit, and the museum’s display of fossils.
Gallery Learning Outcomes:
Environmental Science
Cause and Effect
Gross Motor Play
Creativity & Imagination
Language Building
In addition to all the hands on fun at the Museums exhibits, they also offer daily activities, all included with the price of admission.
Design Challenge – 10:30 am, 3 pm Love to build? Interested in how things work? Visit our Design Park Gallery on the first floor and check out the project of the day. Can you beat the challenge?
Design Challenge is designed for children ages 6 and up. Program available in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Story Sprouts – 10:45 am Step into the world of reading with a daily story and fun corresponding activity! Join us in the Watermelon Seeds Gallery, in our Fruit Bowl programming area.
Program designed for children 12 months to 5 years old. Focus on early literacy and communication skills.
Art in Action – 11 am MON, WED, FRI ONLY. Learn how art and math work together to create beautiful designs! Join us in the SPLAT rooms on the second floor.
This program is designed for children ages 5 and up.
Mini Makers – 11 am TUES, THURS, SAT ONLY. Broad art prompts leave room for creativity to bloom! Make something uniquely yours.
Program designed for children ages 4 and up.
Moving To the Story – 3:45 pm Enjoy story time with a twist–get up and move! This interactive program supports gross motor skills along with language. Join us in the Watermelon Seeds Gallery, in our Fruit Bowl programming area.
Program designed for babies through children aged 6.
Animate With An Educator – 1:30 pm SUNDAY ONLY. Take the stop motion animation studio to new heights! Visit our TBD Gallery and join an educator in creating a stop motion project.
Celebrate Today Parade – 4:45 pm When the day is almost over, it’s time to celebrate! Join the parade through the Museum and out the door. It’s been a great day!
This program is designed for children of all ages. Parents too!
Sensory Inclusion
Florida Children’s Museum wants your children feel safe and secure, so they have created a space that is sensory-friendly. Shades to control sunlight, predictive floor patterns to show pathways to public spaces, sound dampening wall treatments and wheelchair access are just a few things to take comfort in.
Sensory Inclusion Kit
Prepare your child for their visit with a sensory inclusion kit.
Florida Children’s Museum works in partnership with the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (C.A.R.D.) at the University of South Florida to be Autism Friendly.
In an effort to ensure everyone feels comfortable playing and learning, families can check out a Sensory Kit during their visit.
Kits include: Noise-reducing headphones Sunglasses Handheld fidget toy
The Museum is open Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm, and Sunday: 10 am – 3 pm.
For current ticket prices, and detail on how to book, click through to the Museum's website.
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