Families Can Have Fun with Science Again and Again at Natural History Museum of Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – Are you looking for something memorable and worthwhile to do with your family during UEA Break and holiday vacation? The Natural History Museum of Utah at the Rio Tinto Center on the University of Utah campus offers many educational and hands-on activities to engage children of all ages each time they visit.

“The Natural History Museum of Utah’s ongoing programs, exhibits and galleries provide many fun and interesting opportunities for children from tots to teens to explore different avenues of the natural sciences and discover passions they never knew they had,” said Lisa Thompson, Museum public programs manager. “We invite Utah’s families to take advantage of our centralized location, easy parking and wide variety of year-round offerings that will create wonderful memories with every visit.”

Some of the Museums’ most popular ongoing programs for families that are covered in the price of admission include:

• Bug Brigade – Observe and handle live bugs, and learn about their anatomy and ecological roles. Held every second and fourth Saturday, 2-4 p.m.
• Science Movie Night in partnership with the Utah Film Center – Free film viewing the second Tuesday of each month.
• Scientist in the Spotlight – Learn about what local scientists are doing and ask questions about their work. Held first and third Friday of each month from 2 - 4 p.m.
• Spring Break Day Camps –The Museum will host interactive day camps for children K-5^th grade, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., April 1 – 5, 2013.
• The Chickadee Society – An interactive program for pre-school children held the fourth Thursday of every month 10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.  Includes read-aloud stories, hands-on and movement activities.
• Utah’s Animals – Children are introduced to local animals and their ecosystems. Held the first and third Saturday of every month from 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. 

Thompson cited some additional upcoming special events and opportunities: 

• Family Sleep overs - Spend the night in a sleeping bag beneath a case of sparkling butterflies or under the watchful eyes of an elk at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Registration is now open for the Museum’s first Family Sleepover event at the Rio Tinto Center, to be held from 6:30 p.m. Friday, November 9, to 8:30 a.m. Saturday, November 10. Sleepovers are for children from five to 13 years old and their parents.
• Birthday parties – Science-themed birthday parties for children ages four to 10 years old are available for reservation in the Museum’s private party room. Children also get a chance to explore the museum’s galleries. Party themes include Creepy Crawlers, Mad Lab and Dinosaurs.

For more information visit http://www.nhmu.utah.edu/events/programs/family

About The Natural History Museum of Utah

The Natural History Museum of Utah, the University of Utah, is one of the leading scientific research and cultural institutions in the Intermountain West. Established in 1963, the Museum cares for over 1.2 million objects and offers innovative exhibitions and educational programs to thousands of residents and visitors each year, including traveling and permanent exhibits, special events and other programs.  The Museum also offers a variety of outreach programs to communities and schools throughout Utah, reaching every school district in the state annually. The Museum has an active research program with more than 30 scientists and 10 field expeditions each year. A variety of images with captions are available on the Museum’s News Desk at http://newsdesk.nhmu.utah.edu/