Mini moments with Bronx Children’s Museum
for children, caregivers and educators everywhere.
Join us for bite-size moments of educational fun with the Bronx Children's Museum.
Art and STEAM activities, how-to videos, inspirational stories, sneak peaks at future museum exhibits, and fun facts about what we know best: Bronx-centric art, nature and culture.
Follow us on your favorite social media platform, or check back for new activities.
Follow along for a bit of fun.
Musical Mondays
Monday
This Is How We Do It
Here's "This Is How We Do It", another Luss Nigaglioni and Bronx Children's Museum original. This song is sung by 3rd graders in our Dream Big AfterSchool Program at the BronxWorks Betances Community Center.
Monday
LIfe is Beautiful Song
Here's a sweet reminder that life is still beautiful! This Bronx Children's Museum original was created and sung by P.S. 49 students in our Dream Big Afterschool Program.
Monday
Don't You Wanna Play
Listen to the voices of our P.S.49 students in our Dream Big After School Program. They just want to go play! Who else can relate? Culture from Home also includes play, so don't forget to do a little everyday!
Monday
All the Time Song with P.S. 49
Here's "All the Time" another Luss Nigaglioni and Bronx Children's Museum original sung by P.S. 49 students in our Dream Big After School Program.
Monday
Here's a Lil' Thing Song
The future of the Bronx are the kids who dream big, and for this Music Monday we have past students from the BronxWorks Betances Community Center in our DreamBig Summer Program singing "Here's A Lil' Thing!" Another Luss Nigaglioni & BxCM original reminding us that in order to dream big we have to work hard!
Monday
Green Arts Dance Moves
Let's start off the week with some culture from home! Check out these moves from our P.S. 5 students in our GreenArts After School Program.They don't call us the Boogie Down Bronx for nothing!
Monday
Spread Love
Start your day with "Spread Love" sung by students at P.S. 5 from our GreenArts After School Program. A Luss Nigaglioni and BxCM original featuring Dr.Valerie Capers! Everyone needs love right now and spread it safely with this song!
Monday
Make and play an instrument
Today we are going on an adventure! We are exploring sound and rhythm by experimenting with everyday materials. We are using things you might find in your kitchen like pots, pans, and shakers to make your own band! Once you have your instruments, create a song and share it with us.
Monday
Get Healthy
Get down with another original with @lussnigaglioni and Bronx Chidlren's Museum. “Get Healthy” features 2nd grade students from our #GreenArtsAfterSchool Program. It reminds us to get and stay healthy, something we need to remember all the time! Filmed by Teaching Artist Estefania Chavez.
Monday
Grit
Start the day with "Grit," an original song composed by fourth graders in the Museum's Dream Big Summer Program, with help from Teaching Artist Luss Nigliglioni.
Dream Big Tuesdays
Tuesday
Breathing and Movement with Yvette
Today we're bringing you some mindfulness! Follow along with BxCM teaching artist Yvette Martinez for some breathingand movement exercises you can do whenever or wherever you want!
Tuesday
ArtSpot Tuesday: Fiddler Crab Cubist Art
Check out this cool cubist art project of Bronx native animal, the Fiddler Crab! Museum Educator Derek Cereola shows you how! Share your cubist art with us on social media!
Tuesday
Fingerpainting Plants with Ms. Woods
Plants are all around us and are very important for our environment. They provide shelter, food and oxygen for all living things. Show your appreciation for plants by fingerpainting your favorite one! Ms. Natalie Wood, our Director of Arts and Programming, shows you how with this video!
Tuesday
Rita Moreno Sings Dream
For this Dream Big Tuesday we're spotlighting Rita Moreno, the extremely talented actress and PEGOT award winner who means so much to the Bronx. Enjoy the treat of her singing "Dream" by the Pied Pippers at our 2019 Gala, and her experience of dreaming big in the Bronx.
Tuesday
Meet Sonia Manzano
Let's explore the life of Bronx-born actress, author, and Lifetime Emmy Award recipient Sonia Manzano. Learn about her journey to becoming the role model she needed when she was younger, and hear her advice on how to dreambig!
Tuesday
Bobby Sanabria
Today we honor the extremely talented Latin Jazz icon Bobby Sanabria, a Bronx Native who followed the beat of his own drum. Check out his life story and be inspired!
Tuesday
Valerie Capers
Today we honor Bronx luminary Valerie Capers! A Bronx native, award winning, talented jazz musician. She was the first blind woman to graduate from the Julliard School of Music with degrees in Classical Composition! Learn about her journey to greatness and how she dreamed big!
Tuesday
Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Check out this video about Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Bronx native and friend to the Museum, whose story of resilience is especially relevant today.
Animal Encounter Wednesday
Wednesday
Wriggly Worms
Things are getting a little wriggly! Join Elanor the animal expert on an exploration of these slimy, wriggly creatures that live in the dirt!
Wednesday
Animal Encounter with Elanor
Elanor, the Animal Expert made an exciting discovery while out with her family walking by a pond. Can you guess what it is? Hint: It's TOAD-ally awesome!
Wednesday
Radical Reptiles I
Join Elanor the Animal Expert and guest explorers Hailey and Bella to discuss the museum's radical reptiles! Explore their diets, where they live, and more.
Wednesday
Turtle Talk II - with Nicole and Elanor
Pelham, our Chinese Box Turtle, gets the book "Turtle Splash! Countdown at the Pond" by Cathryn Edwell, read to her by Elanor the Animal Expert for this Animal Encounter Thursday.
Wednesday
Tremont's First Birthday
Help Elanor, the Animal Expert and her family wish Tremont, our favorite Hognose snake, a Happy First Birthday! Keep on slithering on, Tremont!
Wednesday
Slithering Snakes III with Elanor
Elanor, the Animal Expert is back with exciting news to share about our favorite Hognose snake Tremont! Can you guess what it is? Find out!
Wednesday
Paper Sculpture
This Animal Encounter Wednesday is all about nature because it’s Earth Day! Natalie Collette Wood, our Director of Arts & Programming shows us how to create paper sculptures using materials we have at home! We hope this will inspire you to make Earth Day everyday!
Wednesday
Slithering Snakes II with Nicole and Elanor
Our resident animal expert, Elanor, is back with another exciting update about our favorite Hognose snake. Check out what she has to say about snakes and how they grow!
Wednesday
Slithering Snakes I with Nicole and Elanor
Director of Education, Nicole Wallace, and daughter Elanor feature one of our living, wriggly friends in our collection— a Hognose snake. These snakes are native to New York state, and are known for burrowing! It's that time of the year again when our Hognose snake is about to start shedding! How cool is that?
Wednesday
Turtle Talk
Check in with Nicole Wallace, our Director of Education, and her daughter Elanor, as they show you some cool creature features about our new turtle.
Bronx Times Thursdays
Thursday
What Sinks? What Floats? - Read Aloud
Here's "What Sinks? What Floats?" by Rozanne Lanczak Williams, illustrations by Robin Boyer read aloud by STEAM Program Manager, Dejá Santiago, with permission from Creative Teaching Press. What sinks or floats in your home?
Thursday
What's Missing? Game
Join Director of Education, Nicole Wallace, and daughter, Lorien in a quick game of "What's Missing?" Can you and your child(ren) figure it out? You can also try this game at home too!
Thursday
A Tree is Nice - Read-Aloud with Elanor
Enjoy Elanor, the Animal Expert reading "A Tree is Nice" written by Janice May Udry, illustrations by Marc Simont, with permission from Harper Collins Children's Books. Elanor's favorite tree is a Japanese Maple, and wants to know what's yours!
Thursday
Lowdown on the Highbridge - Read-Aloud
Join us as Director of Education, Nicole Wallace, reads "The Lowdown of the High Bridge" written by Sonia Manzano and published by Bronx Children's Museum about how the High Bridge came to be.
Thursday
The Earth and I Read-Aloud
It's important to take care of the planet we call home because it certainly takes care of us. Be inspired to become stewards of the earth with the book "The Earth and I" by Frank Asch, read by our Director of Education, Nicole Wallace, with permission from HMH Publishing.
Thursday
Planting A Rainbow Read-Aloud
Enjoy our Director of Education, Nicole Wallace, reading "Planting a Rainbow" by Lois Ehlert with permission from HMH Publishing. Do you have a favorite Bronx plant or flower?
Thursday
Waters on the Go! Go Fish!
Here's a fun twist on a classic: Waters on the Go! "Go Fish!" Children will learn how to identify Bronx animals, their habitats & what they eat. Fun for all ages, and free! This video shows you how to create your deck and play.
It's a great way to bring the outdoors in. And it's in English AND Spanish!
Here are the links to instructions and cards:
English: https://bit.ly/2wIR0d9
Spanish: https://bit.ly/3ckoayQ
Thursday
Weird Words
Use this activity sheet to inspire some creative writing with your young poets and have a family poetry reading to share what you come up with!
Thursday
Scavenger Hunt: Nature Patterns
The next time you head out for your daily walk (maintaining the appropriate social distance, of course), be sure to keep an eye out for patterns that can be found in nature. Use our Nature Pattern Scavenger Hunt sheet to help guide your observations, and appreciate nature on a different level!
Fun Fact Fridays
Friday
Harbor Seal - Fun Facts
Learn about harbor seals, one of the most adorable marine mammals that can be found at Orchard Beach! Download the Fun Fact Card here.
Friday
White Oak - Fun Facts
You might not know it, but you probably have seen this tree a lot, the White Oak tree! Did you know that White Oaks only produce acorns when they are 20 years old? Learn more about this wonderful Bronx part of nature! Download the Fun Fact Card here.
Friday
Skunk - Fun Facts
This Fun Fact Friday kind of stinks, literally! Explore one of the smelliest Bronx animals, the skunk! Their notorious bad smell is what actually helps it protect itself from predators! What a way to say, "Go Away!" Download the Fun Fact card here.
Friday
Monarch Butterfly - Fun Facts
This Fun Fact Friday is all about Monarch Butterflies. These beautiful creatures are making their yearly migration from Mexico to us in the North-East Coast! They are seen in the Spring and Summer around the Bronx River. Explore these beauties with this Fun Fact Card!
Friday
Sassafras - Fun Facts
We are ending Earth Week with some sass, Sassafras to be exact! For Fun Fact Friday explore fun facts about Sassafras, a native plant of the Bronx. Not only a tongue twister, but did you know it was used for medicine, tea, root beer, and even gumbo?
Friday
Horseshoe Crabs - Fun Facts
This Fun Fact Friday is all about Horseshoe crabs! Often called the "living fossil" because they have been around for 450 million years! They are also extra special because of their blueblood which is used in testing vaccines, detecting toxins, and even fertilizer!
Friday
Rain Cloud & Rain Storm
Can’t get outside? Gather some household items and explore the #watercycle in our Raincloud in a Jar science experiment, the first in our “Fun Fact Fridays” series.
Friday
Beaver Fun Fact Card
Today’s #FunFacts are about a Bronx animal, the beaver! Beavers are native to the Bronx, and are famous for their large, paddle-like tail and their huge rat-like teeth! #DidYouKnow that the beaver is the official New York State animal? Learn more about beavers using our Fun Fact Cards, and by watching a short clip from #PBS! http://ow.ly/UhzT30quSPy