The New York Times Q&A with Big Bird, to celebrate Sesame Street's 40th anniversary, made me smile all day.

Find out if Big Bird is a natural blonde, the truth about Snuffleupagus and more here.

All you need for Halloween fun right here: a craft, a book and even a quiz!

"Summer is over, now it's fall; just the nicest time of all."  Check out award winning author and illustrator Lois Lenski's "Now It's Fall" from your local library.
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Children get ready to read years before they start school. Grown ups can prepare children for reading by helping them have fun with words and stories.

Talking to children, asking them to share their stories in words or pictures, playing with books and singing rhyming songs creates the foundation for strong literacy skills. Read more →

Our visitors have created metal sculptures, used metallic fibers and danced the robot! Now will you help us with our final Metal Urge inspired project?

We'd love the Metal Man standing guard over Becka's Studio to have a name! Read more →

Did you happen to catch the monthly installment of Learning for Life on King 5 on Sunday? I don't watch a lot of tv on the weekends so I missed it however the resources are still available.

Learning for Life is a partnership between Thrive by Five and King 5 that offers great resources for parents. This month's focus was all about getting your child ready for kindergarten. It's not just about holding your pencil and writing your name!
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One of the best parts of my job is working with Mark Gaimster from Il Fiasco on an awesome menu for the Museum's annual Playing Under the Stars.

This year Mark and executive chef Dan Hutchinson are totally outdoing themselves.
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Did you know there are awesome activations happening in the Museum weekly? Or that we run promotions and deals in the Museum store and on Museum memberships, birthday parties and group visits?

Make sure you're up to date with everything going on at the Museum by becoming a fan on Facebook or following us on Twitter!

People all around me are getting married or having babies. This means I'm constantly on the look out for gifts. Sure I could just consult one of the many registries and be done with it but it just doesn't seem right to buy something from Target to celebrate a close friend's first born!

In my search for something more personal and original I found reasonably priced artwork that would look great in any little one's bedroom. This print reminds me of one of my favorite books by Maurice Sendak, "Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue" (maybe I'll buy it for myself!).


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Last week, while getting ready for work I was distracted by the radio; Sandra Cisneros was reading from her novel "House on Mango Street". It was a treat to hear an excerpt of this timeless book read in the author's voice.

Cisneros is one of my favorite writers. I've devoured everything she's written and have reread "House on Mango Street" more times than I can count. Years ago I discovered there was a children's book, "Hairs/Pelitos", created from the novel.
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My son's birthday is fast approaching and it's a big one; he'll be 10 years old and is excited to be "double digits".

Planning his birthday celebration made me a bit melancholy.  I decided to look through old photos to remember when he was small enough to curl up in my lap. What I also found were the interviews I've conducted with him every year on his birthday since he was two.
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It's March and the Spring Equinox is just 11 days away yet we woke this morning to snow on the ground. While I'm completely ready to move past the cold and wet of winter, the snow was a delight to my little one.
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Today we celebrate Dr. Seuss' 105th birthday. It was March 2nd, 1904 that Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

While most commonly known for the more than 60 children's books he wrote, "Dr." Seuss also drew more than 400 political cartoons for a New York daily newspaper during World War II.  Eventually he designed and illustrated posters to support the war effort, and joined the U.S. Army where he was the leader of the animation department.

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One of the most comprehensive sites on children's books, Planet Esme Book A Day, is authored by elementary teacher Esme Raji Cordell.

Cordell calls herself a "readiologist", is very passionate about children's books and offers wonderful reviews. Her suggestions will suit a variety of interests and ages. Check out her Planet Esme Book A Day blog for more book reviews than most of us could ever hope to gather!

Playing Under the Stars is the Museum's signature summer soiree and should be on everyone's calendar!

This year's event is planned for Saturday, June 20th from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm in Theatre Square park across from the Museum. You'll want to join us for a lavish summer supper, to peek inside the one of a kind playhouses and playful surprises.

Did you attend the Children's Museum of Tacoma's Gingerbread Jamboree?

We'd love to see a picture of your creation! Email us your Gingerbread pictures or post them in the comments.

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The stick along with skateboard and baby doll were chosen for this year's entries into the Strong National Toy Hall of Fame.

"It's very open ended, all natural, the perfect price -- there aren't any rules or instructions for it's use" said Christopher Bensch, the museum's curator of collections. The stick joins 2005 inductee, the cardboard box, as an open ended and accessible play thing.

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