Though the MHF has participated in the Expo for 10 years, this is the first time the Foundation will host the event.
“The reason that we decided to take it on after we were approached last year was because this is a winter event that focuses on family, togetherness and community connection,” said Jessica Jones, Communications Director for MHF. “Those are all aspects of our organization that we promote within families.
The Expo will focus on overall family wellness (Courtesy, MHF)
“We’re really trying to tap into the community and promote good mental health.”
The Expo will look similar to previous years with additional enhancements and a focus on overall family wellness. Community resources information, hourly wellness presenters, and fun interactive and educational experiences for the entire family will be available during the event.
“The Expo helps provide that little bit of escape from the winter,” said Jones. “Families are trapped inside together if the weather hasn’t been great. Changing the scenery in the winter can be more empowering than we realize.
“This gives the family an opportunity to get out, be together and have some fun.”
What to expect: new and original features
A new aspect to the Kids & Family Expo will be that all attractions and rides are included in the ticket price.
All attractions and rides are included in the ticket price (Courtesy, MHF)
“There’s no extra nickel and diming once you’re in, which was really important to us,” said Jones.
New attractions will include the Pirate’s Revenge swinging boat and Turbo Tubs, which can accommodate both kids and adults.
“The Empowerment Stage is something new this year, and we have a rotation of fun things that are happening there,” said Jones.
Included in that rotation is WOOD TV8 Chief Meteorologist Ellen Bacca presenting the popular Weather Experience. There will also be several story times for children.
John Ball Zoo will be providing animals for patrons to enjoy (Courtesy, MHF)
“We’re going to be pushing out the be nice.action plan: notice, invite, challenge, and empower,” said MHF Founder Christy Buck in an interview with eightWest. “We’re going to be reading books to kids, and they can sit and listen to a book being read and how N.I.C.E. is implemented in this book.”
Additional activities include: a petting zoo, ponies, jumbo activities, a fire engine and police car, a photo booth, archery, face painting, snake petting and more.
Various information from community organizations will be available at the Expo in addition to activities and rides. Each resource distribution station will also feature an activity.
“We’ve got all this good information, all these great resources packaged, and a whole lot of rides and fun and games for the whole family,” said Buck on eightWest.
Expo = Positive Impact
Activity and FUN can help improve mental health (Courtesy, MHF)
Everything that we do in our lives, Buck said, has to do with our overall health and mental health.
Weather, nutrition and finances are also factors that play into mental health. The Expo will have presentations and information about each of these factors.
Jones said that events like the Expo can help improve mental health for some people.
“Being active, having things to look forward to, feeling empowered following some kind of activity or event, anything that makes you feel good,” said Jones.
“For kids, these are memories that they’re going to make as they have fun with the rides. Parents are going to make memories by being with the kids and providing this experience for them.”
Families can find a multitude of resources at the Expo (Courtesy, MHF)
Resources and links
Tickets for the Kids & Family Expo can be purchased at the door or online here or here.
West Michigan abounds with kid-friendly activities to stave off cabin fever and boredom — there are plenty of things to enjoy from resorts and parks worthy of a ‘staycation’ (or vacation) to area museums and arts centers.
Kids Activities in Central West Michigan
The Grand Rapids Treetop Adventure Park has seven courses that are broken into four different skill levels. Each course takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete, but you have three hours to do as much or as little as you please! They have activities for kids of all ages with a mini zipline course designed for kids ages 4 to 6, and a main deck which starts with kids that are 7 years old. You may have a hard time getting your kids to come back to the car when you visit this outdoor adventure park!
A visit to Catch Air in Grand Rapids is sure to have your kids jumping for joy! Their indoor adventure park has inflatable slides, jungle gym, bounce castle, and more. Catch Air is also the perfect place for a birthday party! Throw the most memorable and enjoyable party ever without lifting a finger. Whether you’re stopping by for an afternoon of fun, or celebrating a birthday, Catch Air is always a hopping place to be!
The Tri-Cities Historical Museum in Grand Haven is the perfect place for young learners who don’t want to be limited to just reading. Instead, step in, see, touch, and even smell all things history. Each exhibit is housed in a structure that is appropriate for the era. For example, the Woodland Era of Native American history is found inside an authentic birch bark wigwam. While The Tri-Cities Historical Museum is open to all ages, parents and guardians typically find 1st grade and above to be the most invested in the exhibits, though highly engaged parents will find something teachable in each exhibit!
The Critter Barn in Zeeland is a nonprofit educational farm spanning three acres. Their curriculum focuses on promoting an understanding of agriculture, food sources, animal care, animal science, volunteer initiatives, and the farmer’s role in feeding the world. They have an authentic learning environment with many friendly animals! Working on a farm, even visiting a farm, develops character and deepens an appreciation for the world around us.
Marshall Museum of Magic
Beat the winter blues with a family fun trip to the Holland Museum! Here, you can grab a special hands-on “Meet Me at the Museum” backpack, filled with activities designed to get kids moving through the galleries while completing kid-friendly challenges and activities. The backpack is free to check out with paid museum admission, and is appropriate for children ages 3 to 8 years old.
Families with children love Muskegon County for its wide variety of kid friendly attractions and events! Michigan’s Adventure is Michigan’s only major theme park! From the heart-pounding rush of Thunderhawk and Shivering Timbers roller coasters to the family fun of Lakeside Gliders and the Swan Boats, the amusement side of this 250 acre complex offers thrills of all sizes and fun for all ages. Wildwater Adventure features towering slides, refreshing wave pools and splash pads and your admission ticket covers both parks!
The Muskegon Winter Sports Complex offers exciting annual events and outdoor sports facilities for families. This beautiful venue inside Muskegon State Park has one of only four publicly accessible luge tracks in the country for kids eight and up! You can also cross-country ski, snowshoe, snowboard or sled on five miles of groomed track day or night!
Michigan’s Heritage Park at Hilt’s Landing is a perfect family activity, promising an outdoor adventure for all ages. Your tour will take you through 10,000 years of Michigan History in a natural woodland setting “Make and Take” vintage crafts such as candle dipping are part of the experience, or become a paleontologist and help unearth a mastodon at the dig site. Kids and adults alike will cherish their time in Muskegon!
Bring the kids to Ludington to learn all about the area’s maritime history. The newest jewel in Ludington’s museum-tourist attraction crown is the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum. Visitors can experience piloting the car ferry Pere Marquette 22 into Ludington’s harbor via a virtual reality experience, learn the unique light signals of Lake Michigan’s many lighthouses, and experience many authentic artifacts used in the story of the Ludington’s celebrated harbor and by many of its famous Coast Guardsmen and car ferry sailors.
The Mt. Pleasant area is home to fun for kids of all ages. The indoor waterpark at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort is sure to be a hit with the whole family. The waterpark features a lazy river, indoor surfing pool, climbing wall, and more. There’s more to see in Mt. Pleasant, including museums and indoor play areas, where your kids will love to learn and burn off some energy!
Take a lap or two around the ice rink at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids
Kids Activities in Southern West Michigan
The Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings is part of the Hastings Public Library’s Creative Science Night on February 21st. Join the institute and other local organizations in hands-on science demonstrations and activities geared towards preschool through 5th grade students.
The Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven is a great place to bring the whole family! Kids will enjoy the hands-on exhibits, all while learning about maritime history. Step aboard on the museum’s tall ship, Friends Good Will, for a Pirate Chaser Sail, where your family is part of the crew as you chase down pirates on Lake Michigan and recapture treasure. Make history come alive for your family at the Michigan Maritime Museum!
Coldwater Country is home to an abundance of things to see and do. Ride the rails of an authentic 100-year-old steam engine train, or have a family fun day driving go karts, or playing paintball and laser tag.
Timber Ridge Ski Area in Gobles has activities and events all winter long, including an array of programs for kids to learn to ski or snowboard. They also have tubing open on the weekends for those looking for an easygoing ride down the hills. Stop by from February 23rd to 25th for their Winterfest Family Fun event, which includes activities for the whole family. If you’re looking for winter fun, look no further than Timber Ridge!
Tri-Cities Historical Museum
The February First Adventures with Nature events at Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek are perfect for children ages 2 to 5 years old. First Adventures with Nature can help you engage in your child’s learning, while increasing their understanding of the natural world around them. The zoo’s experienced leaders are dedicated to connecting and inspiring the next generation of wildlife enthusiasts!
Looking for a fun and educational way to get outside with your family this winter? Visit the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary in Augusta to see and learn about a variety of bird species, including Trumpeter Swans, a native species that the Sanctuary helped to reintroduce to the Midwest. Walk one of the trails around beautiful Wintergreen Lake to see waterfowl, birds of prey, game birds, and songbirds. The sanctuary also offers educational programs for children and adults year-round, with a full calendar of events available on their website.
Hastings’ Playing at the Spray Plaza program offers free music, entertainment, and educational programs for children between preschool and 12 years old. The program is hosted every Thursday and lasts for nine weeks, from June 14th to August 9th. Don’t forget to bring the kids’ swimsuits, so that they can enjoy playing in the spray plaza before and after the show!
The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts offers free admission for kids through age 12, and admission for adults is only $5 (students are $2). Ten galleries filled with art include a “Please Touch” Kids Corner, recently updated with a black light alcove, music making stations, art books, and more. Their Art Detectives programs for kids 4 to 8 with an adult introduce the youngest among us to the art museum, with a story, gallery stroll, and art-making.
The Air Zoo in Kalamazoo is a highly charged, multi-sensory atmosphere that goes beyond anything you’ve ever seen. It’s like no place else on Earth! Voted the “Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners” and “Best Place to Spend a Day with Your Family” three years in a row, the Air Zoo features more than 50 rare and historic aircraft, amusement park-style rides, Full-Motion Flight Simulators, and RealD 3D/4D Missions Theater, as well as historical exhibits and educational activities.
The Marshall area is filled with fun for your kids. From hands-on museums and farms to the great outdoors and conservation, your whole family will learn something new when they visit. Plan your next trip using the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance’s trip planning resources.
This summer, have your child explore his or her creative side. The Holland Area Arts Counciloffers Fine Arts Camps for all ages, grades 3 through 12.
The classic 8th Street Fine Arts Camp for grades 3-6 will explore the artwork of Yayoi Kusama, the Polka Dot Queen, and draw inspiration from her vibrant colors, polka dots and infinity rooms. Another quilting camp for grades 5-8 will explore the quilts of modern master Nancy Crow, and each student will again bring home pieced and tied quilt!
The newest addition to the Fine Arts Camps this summer is The Joy of Painting, a teen workshop intensive that will give students grades 9-12 a taste of art school. They’ll learn how to prepare a canvas or board, plan a painting, learn new techniques, gain an understanding of brushes, tools and mediums and finish the week with a peer critiques and a mini exhibition of their work.
The Arts Council offers a Clay Camp every year and have grown the program this summer with five camps, including all-new clay, colors and processes and an awesome new teacher. Grades 3-6 can join Mary Wolter, the Arts Council’s ceramics instructor, to make whistles, games, clay self-portraits, wind chimes — and also learn to use the wheel. The Arts Council is also offering a clay workshop for grades K-2 so the little ones get a chance to play in the mud.
Eat with Your Eyes Cooking Camps are back, too. This summer, grades 3-6 can choose between two culinary camps learning to cook a full day’s worth of food or exploring cuisine from Mexico, Italy and Asia. Kids learn to cook from scratch in these camps and leave with a folder of recipes and the skills to try them at home.
Students will meet at the Holland Area Arts Council each day at 150 East 8th Street in Downtown Holland. Call 616.396.3278 or go here for more information and to register.
Register early! Space is limited and camps fill up fast.
Before the advent of humankind, whales roamed the oceans unfettered by humans and dangerous, man-made noises. It is said that back then, a whale in the Pacific Ocean could hear a whale singing in the Atlantic Ocean. What a world that must have been.
Sadly, those days are long gone and we have become far removed from our huge mammal friends. But the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) wants to change that. The GRPM’s Whales: Giants of the Deep exhibition’s unique blend of science, storytelling, and innovative interactivity gives visitors the opportunity to discover more about the world of whales.
Featuring two fully-articulated sperm whale skeletons, including an impressive 58-foot male, Whales showcases amazing and rare specimens from New Zealand’s Te Papa Museum’s whale collection, one of the largest in the world. Visitors will see life-size and scale models of whales common to the South Pacific as well as contemporary whalebone treasures such as weapons and chiefly adornments.
They’ll also learn about whale biology, the extraordinary evolutionary journey of whales from land to sea, and the history of whaling in New Zealand.
Children can even crawl through a life-size replica of the heart of a blue whale, the Earth’s largest living creature.
Interactive, immersive, and featuring the latest in international cetacean research, Whales: Giants of the Deep is an experience that brings adults and children eye to eye with some of the world’s most elusive creatures.
Here are some of the exhibition highlights:
See life-size and scale models of whales common to the South Pacific, including a beaked whale skull and a massive 58-foot, fully-articulated sperm whale skeleton.
Learn about the intricacies of whale biology, the history of whaling in New Zealand, and efforts being made by scientists and others to protect whales from threats of entanglement, shipping and sonar use, and the continuation of whaling practices in some parts of the world.
View casts of fossil whale ancestors, which show the evolutionary journey of whales from land to sea, as well as contemporary whalebone treasures such as weapons and chiefly adornments.
Encounter whales through video portholes, be transported into their underwaterworld via two immersive projections, and enjoy a moving film experience that tells the stories of three whale-riding traditions in New Zealand, including the famous story of Paikea featured in Whale Rider.
See ancient and contemporary works of art and hear stories from people of the South Pacific illustrating the powerful influence these creatures have had on human culture.
Tune in to a range of whale sounds and discover how scientists and amateur trackers identify individual whales on their migration through the Pacific Ocean.
Gain a true appreciation of the physical and behavioral traits that enable whales to make a living in the challenging and dynamic marine environment.
Walk among the giant—and not-so-giant—articulated skeletons of an astoundingly diverse collection of whale specimens, and then explore the evolutionary paths that gave rise to this unique group of mammals.
Beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 22, Whales: Giants of the Deep tickets will be $2 for member adults and children, and $13 for non-member adults and $8 for non-member children. Admission to Whales: Giants of the Deep includes general admission to the Museum. Get tickets here.
Come to the Special Opening Party, Saturday, Oct. 22 from 9 am to 2 pm.
Visitors of all ages will have first access to the exhibit at this party coming eye to eye with some of the world’s most elusive creatures. Featuring two fully-articulated sperm whale skeletons, visitors are able to see life-size and scale models of whales common to the South Pacific, discover how scientists identify whales on their migration process and interact with a life-size replica of a blue whale, the world’s largest living creature.
Tickets to this event will include admission to the exhibit, as well as hands-on activities and performances including live animals from the John Ball Zoo, performances by traditional Maori dancers, admission to Dynamic Earth in the Museum’s Chaffee Planetarium and lunch.
Use your ticket for lunch between 11 am and 1:30 pm to eat lunch at the Museum. Lunch will include hot dogs, chips, fruit with a drink and dessert.
Non-members: Receive incredible savings for the Opening Party! Purchase a one year family membership plus 4 tickets to the event for only $80 (saving $57). To purchase a membership package call 616.456.3977.
Members are $10 for adults and FREE for member children. Non-member event-only tickets are $18 for adults and $13 for children. Limited tickets available.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will open its doors free of charge to families affected by autism and other sensory-processing challenges on Tuesday, October 4th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Visitors will receive free general admission on this night to explore the Museum’s three floors of core exhibits at no cost.
Visitors will enjoy a sensory-friendly museum environment, special ArtPrize-themed activities and a free planetarium show. The Museum and the Chaffee Planetarium will adapt sounds, lighting and activities within the current exhibits to create a low-sensory experience for all.
“We are excited to be able to offer a night at the Museum to those with autism and family members to experience our exhibits in an environment comfortable for them. This allows more community members that wouldn’t usually be able to visit the Museum an experience to create lifetime memories from our sensory-friendly exhibits and artifacts,” said Dale Robertson, President & CEO of the GRPM.
The Museum is able to host this Sensory Friendly Museum Night thanks to a sponsorship from Behavioral Health.
The GRPM offers fun, hands-on learning opportunities for all ages through a variety of core and traveling exhibits. Visitor favorites include the Streets of Old Grand Rapids, an immersive exhibit that transports visitors back to 19th century of downtown Grand Rapids; and West Michigan Habitats that showcase the vast wildlife found in West Michigan.
The self-styled ‘advocate for the value of play’ celebrates its 19th year with a Birthday Party Celebration on July 31st. Festivities will include carnival games, bubbles, face painting and more as GRCM shows its appreciation to hundreds of faithful supporters.
The event dovetails with GRCM’s newest exhibit, BOXES, which opened May 24.
Paying tribute to the first traveling exhibit the GRCM ever hosted, BOXES lets kids and their adults build anything they can think of out of cardboard. There are boxes of all shapes and sizes — some that can be stuffed and weighted to use as a base for a bigger structure, some that can be cut and ripped, and some remnant cardboard pieces that can be colored, cut, torn and added on to any special creation.
It’s a dragon!
“BOXES embodies the infinite open-ended play style that The Grand Rapids Children’s Museum Mission advocates,” said Jack Woller, Associate Director of the GRCM.
“Guests can build cardboard armor, cities, games and anything that their imagination can come up with.”
As with all exhibits and programs at the museum, this new exhibit is designed to let kids (and their adults) learn through play and stretch their creative muscles.
“Creativity is important to child development, and kids need to be empowered to explore and develop their creativity,” said Woller. “The exploration and experimentation in exhibits like BOXES supports a foundation for learning, invention and scientific discovery throughout life.”
BOXES runs through August, kicking off a year of special events celebrating the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum’s 20th anniversary.
For more information, contact Adrienne Brown at 616.235.4726 ext 204 or visit the website here.
