April 2, 2010
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will present its “Second Saturday” program of museum activities on April 10, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, in Charleston. The free program is geared for children of all ages. It is recommended that children under the age of 13 be accompanied by an adult.
On Saturday, kids can enjoy participating in a scavenger hunt while using the Museum Bingo Sheet all day long. They also can visit the “hands-on history cart” in a museum gallery, which will have various rocks and minerals from across the state. From 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., they can participate in the “make ‘n take” craft activities in the North Connection Room of the museum. Kids can create a bouquet of tissue paper flowers and color pages with pictures of the spring season.
At 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and noon, participants can gather in the North Connection Room to hear the story, Outside the Window, which was written by West Virginia author Anna Egan Smucker. The richly illustrated tale tells the story of a mother bird, who is tucking her babies safely into their nest and answering their many questions about the little boy who lives in the house nearby. Following the story, children can make a bookmark.
At 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m., kids can hear about artifacts in the museum that deal with the history of the West Virginia State Capitol during the “museum walk ‘n talk” session. They will hear about how West Virginia has had two capital cities, Wheeling and Charleston, and six State Capitol buildings in its history, necessitating the movement of officials, records and property on steamers and/or barges on the Ohio/Kanawha river journey between the two cities. The children can see objects such as a desk which survived one of the fires which destroyed the State Capitol Building, once it was finally determined by vote that Charleston would be the capital city.
For more information about “Second Saturdays,” contact museum guest services, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 111.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
-30-
