The Skin You Live In

 Monday Jan 19 at 10:30 and 1:00pm - Ages 6 and up - Take a close look at our wonderful hues -from marshmallow cream to cocoa supreme.Hands on activities include using a globe to locate our ancestors’ homelands, cooking potato skins - to eat, of course, and trying to match skin tones with powders from the kitchen. Ages 6 + $8 per child. No charge for accompanying adults. 10:30 am - 12 noon or 1 - 2:30 pm. Pre-register.

National Kazoo Days

 Sunday, Jan.25-Wednesday, January 28:Get ready for a celebration of minuscule proportions. That’s right. We’re honoring the invention of the kazoo. Also known as a hummophone or merliton, this simple instrument has been used since ancient times in Africa. Traditionally it was made from a cow horn with the shell of a spider egg as the vibrating membrane. The American history of kazoos picks up in the 1840’s when, legend has it, an African-American man by the name of Alabama Vest shared his hand crafted version with a German-American clock maker named Thaddeus von Glegg. By 1914 the tin kazoo was in mass production. The Original American Kazoo Factory, Museum and Gift Shop is still in operation in Eden, New York. Kazoo-making materials and instruction will be on hand at CCM for 4 days, 10 am - 4 pm. Free with admission.

Music All Day Long

Wednesday, Jan. 28 - Hands-on workshop for parents, teachers, and professional child care providers to bring rhythm and melody into everyday activities for young children. Held at CCM 6:30 - 9:30pm. Register through the Arundel Child Care Connection: 410-222-1719 or online at www.arundelccc.org. $33.

Meet the Author: Friday, December 5

Barbara Collins, a child care teacher from Columbia, MD, will read her recently published book, The Cat in the Tub, a rhyming adventure about a pet cat named GG. Like the real GG herself, the book is both entertaining and engaging. The story reading will be followed by art and craft activities suitable for children ages two to five years.
10:30 am. Free with museum admission.

Gift Making Workshop: Sunday, Dec.7

Make a special something for that special someone: candles, bath salts, rag dolls, sock puppets, drawer sachets, pot holders, jewelry, and more.
 All ages. 10 am, - 1 pm. Unlimited craft-making for $10 otherwise $2 per craft.

It’s Kwanzaa! December 26th - January 1st

Traditions serve many purposes. They can link your ancestors from the past to your present family, and can be carried to future generations through your children.Traditions reinforce family and cultural values - whether these traditions emphasize spending time with loved ones, making gifts for others, decorating your home, cooking up seasonal foods, dressing in special clothes, or other cherished activities. A new tradition was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach. As a scholar-activist , he saw the indispensable need to preserve, continually revitalize, and promote African American culture. Not a religious holiday, Kwanzaa welcomes all to participate. Kwanzaa draws from the cultures of many ethnic groups across Africa providing a chance to learn about unique traditions as well as universal themes. At CCM, our week-long Kwanzaa celebration will include music, food, storytelling, craft –making, and some fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

KWANZAA WEEK at Chesapeake Children’s Museum
Friday, December 26, 10:30 am: Ananse Tales and Drum Making
Saturday, December 27, 11 am - 1 pm: Kwanzaa 101 with Mrs. Spears
Sunday, December 28, 4:30 - 5:30 pm: A Musical Journey to Africa
Monday, December 29, 10:30 am: Ananse Tales and Mask Making
Tuesday, December 30, 10 - 11 am: Around the World
Wednesday, December 31, 3-7 pm: New Year’s Eve at City Dock
Thursday, January 1, 10 am: New Year’s Day Nature Walk

Congrats to the CCM

The 2014 Heritage Partnership Award of the Four Rivers Heritage Areas goes to the Kunta Kinte Children’s Festival which was organized by and held at Chesapeake Children’s Museum with the partnership of: The City of Annapolis, Colonial Nursery School, and Cadette Girl Scout Troop 4149. The event featured alligators and other African animals brought by EcoAdventures, a dance performance by Expressions Dance Company, and our special guest Kwame Ansah-Brew. The public is invited to attend the Awards Ceremony: Thursday, November 6, 5 - 7 pm in the Blue Heron Room at Quiet Waters Park. $10 per person is appreciated. RSVP by November 3^rd to Dr. Carol Benson at the Four Rivers HeritageAreas office at 410-222-1805 or by email at

heritage_area@aacounty.org.