Connecticut Travel

KidsPlay Children’s Museum located on 61 Main Street in Torrington is excited to power up the play with Spring Break Unplugged. The Museum will be open daily from 10 am to 4 pm until April 20. Families will explore, create and have fun with old and new friends in KidsPlay’s 11,000+ square feet of interactive exhibits. Each day families will find fun alternatives to screen time, the museum will host programs that build skills and spike the imagination.

Monday, April 15 – Cookin’ @ KP

Feed the body, soul, and mind. Cooking together connects math with literacy skills. Make yummy Chop and Simmer Applesauce at 11 am and Little Red Riding Hood’s Healthy Cookies at 3 pm. Learn the exciting science behind ice cream and make your own at 1 pm.

Tuesday, April 16 – Imagination Creation

Imagination is a building block of childhood development. Make magic wands and hats at 11 am, build fairy houses at 1 pm and become a superhero on stage at 3 pm.

61 Main Street • Torrington, CT 06790 http://www.kidsplaymuseum.org Tel: 860-618-7700
KidsPlay Children’s Museum, Inc. is a 501(C) (3) not-for-profit organization. Contributions made to the museum are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

Wednesday, April 17: Extended Hours 10 am – 6 pm – Ooey Gooey Day

Getting messy is a FUNdamental part of growing up. Let’s bring it back to the basics! Experiment with Sharpie tie dye at 11 am, finger paint a masterpiece at 1 pm, mix up an awesome bouncy ball at 3 pm and at 4 pm, build LEGO Brick boats and bridges.

Thursday, April 18 – Building Big

Let’s encourage our children to take risks and build big. Test your limits and help build a giant box castle at 11 am and test your creativity with LEGO Brick building challenges at 1 pm.

Friday, April 19 – Let’s Get Movin’

CNN reports in the last 1.5 years children have spent 59% more time in front of screens. Take a break from the screens and get active. Run through an obstacle course at 11 am, test your balancing skills in a spoon egg race at 1 pm and show off your moves in an exciting dance party at 3 pm.

The Museum will post up-to-date activity schedules and announcements on the museum’s website, http://www.kidsplaymuseum.org, and on the museum’s Facebook page. All programs are included in the daily museum admission of $8.00 per person. Members and children under one are free. For more information on Spring Break activities, contact the Museum at 860-618-7700.

About KidsPlay Children’s Museum:

Founded in 2012, KidsPlay Children’s Museum is a not-for-profit organization that operates over 11,000 square feet of interactive exhibits that spark curiosity and creativity. The Museum currently targets the developmental needs of children ages 1 to 10. KidsPlay provides opportunities for children and their caregivers to share intrinsically memorable, whole family learning experiences and build skills that extend beyond the museum. The Museum enriches the educational landscape for families from across the socio-economic, cultural, and educational spectrum. The

Museum is open to the public Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, please visit http://www.kidsplaymuseum.org.

Vision:
A sustainable anchor institution, preparing a diverse community of children to thrive intellectually, socially and emotionally.

Mission:
Provide children with an environment that fosters imagination and creativity through interactive exhibits and play that will deepen their appreciation and understanding of the sciences, the arts and the world around them.

Beliefs:

Hands-On multi-sensory play is a natural mechanism for learning.

Curiosity motivates learning across all fields of study, including, but not limited to: all aspects of science; the visual and performing arts; history and culture; mathematics and health and wellness.

• Pre-academic skills such as perspective taking, sharing, communicating, motor control, and self-control are crucial to lifelong success.
• A safe and stimulating environment should be accessible to children and families across the socio-economic and educational spectrum.

Multicultural literacy informs creative work.

Child/caregiver engagement promotes the exploration of learning concepts and guides discovery.

• A children’s museum is an important part of a strong and vibrant community.

The Sharon Historical Society & Museum located on 18 Main Street in Sharon has announced the opening of the new exhibit in Gallery SHS, works by the Kent artist TOMAS SAVRDA. This show is being held at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum Art Gallery March 16 through May 10. The public is invited to attend the artists’ opening reception on Saturday, March 16, from 5-7PM.

Tomas is known for creations that are somehow charming and whimsical, but also distinctly edgy and thought-provoking. Constructed from wood, tin, stone, and found objects, his masks, mini stage scenes, and free-standing kinetic sculptures look like they have tumbled from some nineteenth-century cabinet of forgotten toys. Some are meditations on memory, innocence, and isolation; others are traditional folk stories filtered through dreams. They are also beautiful. A portion of all purchase proceeds will support the Sharon Historical Society & Museum’s mission.

Gallery SHS is located in the Sharon Historical Society & Museum at 18 Main Street in Sharon, CT. Museum hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from noon to 4:00 PM, Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and by appointment. For more information and directions to Gallery SHS, call (860) 364-5688. For additional information about the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, visit http://www.sharonhist.org.

The White Silo Farm and Winery located on 32 Rte. 37 in Sherman is opening for their 19th season on April 7. They have added additional seating, new lighting and an 11 ft solid red oak farm table. It all looks amazing (but the same vibe). They will be serving complimentary finger food and desserts both Saturday and Sunday 11 – 6 PM. On Sunday, April 7th they will have live music with Al Rivoli from 1 -4 PM. In addition sample a few of their new wines including our their natural sparkling apple cider that will be released in May.

Construction on their new wine production building has begun. The foundation is in, framing starts this week. Hopefully, it will be done by the end of April or early May. Don’t worry, they bottled plenty of wine over the winter.

The 2019 schedule is now posted on their website – a few more events will be added once they are finalized. New this year will be live music every Friday evening July and August 6 – 8 PM. Each Friday night Gina will prepare a few special tapas to enjoy with the wine and music.

Excitement is building for the return of the popular Meet.Play.Flow event established by RT Facts Gallery, Kent Barns, Kent, CT., one of Kent’s premier galleries. After three successful years, RT Facts’ Meet.Play.Flow. wellness event has taken wing by forming a partnership with the Kent Chamber of Commerce extending the feel-good vibe for a full week.

Visitors and residents alike can enjoy “Meet.Play.Flow & 7 Days of Wellness” beginning Thursday, April 4th and running through Wednesday, April 10th. During this unique wellness event, residents and visitors are welcome to enjoy week-long promotions, as well a weekend full of body, soul, and uplifting events. Throughout the week, several of Kent’s charming restaurants, cozy inns, unique shops, and caring service providers, will be offering healthy menus, yummy tastings, special room rates, as well as discounts on wellness-related products and services.

On Sat., April 6th, RT Facts Gallery will kick-off the weekend roster of special events. That day, RT Facts Gallery will host a series of seminars, workshops, and discussions guaranteed to jump-start healthy ambitions. Here, attendees will literally Meet. Play… and Flow onto a path of well-being.

Saturday’s all-day wellness event will see the return of many local instructors offering classes every half-hour in practices such as, hula-hoop dancing, yoga, Barre, tai chi, foam rolling, playful improv, drawing as meditation, etc. Attendees are welcome to explore aerial yoga, massage therapy, as well as making your own flower essences and smoothie/kimchi-tastings. With a $25 donation, attendees will have complete access to the many wellness practices and classes being offered. All proceeds will be matched by RT Facts Gallery and donated to the Connecticut ambulance squads of Kent and Cornwall. For further information on RT Facts Meet.Play.Flow Sat., April 6th event, visit www.meetplayflow.com.

The high-energy continues on Sunday, April 7th when the Kent Chamber of Commerce will be staging free sessions comprised of lectures, demonstrations and workshops. Experts in their chosen fields are on tap to conduct a healthy lineup of weekend events. Participants include: Chestnut Woodworking, Davis IGA, Fair Skies Acupuncture, Fife ‘n Drum Restaurant and Inn, J. P. Gifford Market, Kent Land Trust, Kent Yoga & Bodyworks, Movement Learning Resources, Prism Health Advocates, Starbuck Inn, Strong Core Team Training, Terston, Kent Victorian Inn, Villager Restaurant, W Rhythm Fitness & Wellness, among others. These free Chamber events will be held in various commercial locations throughout town. Attendees will nourish mind and body by listening to and partaking in sessions ranging from Chinese medicine, Pilates, and Essential Oils to understanding health care and successfully navigating an illness.

Meet.Play.Flow & 7 Days of Wellness is an inspiring event that affords attendees an opportunity to experience a variety of wellness practices while having fun and meeting friends both old and new. It’s also an event that serves as a novel introduction to the various shops, restaurants, and services that make up Kent, one of Connecticut’s most charming New England towns. For details on Meet.Play.Flow & 7 Days of Wellness, visit www.kentct.com or email info@kentct.com.

Enjoy a night of edge-of-your-seat storytelling through a series of inspiring short films all focusing on the big blue, as The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk welcomes “International Ocean Film Tour 6” on Thurs., April 4.  This one-night film fest features inspiring personalities in six short films from around the world. The stories celebrate sailors, surfers, scientists, artists and cinematographers who are doing extraordinary things in and on the oceans.

The films start at 7 p.m., but the entire Aquarium will open at 6 p.m. In addition, the evening concludes with a Q&A about the marine world with panelists from The Maritime Aquarium and Sacred Heart University, whose Department of Biology is a sponsor.  The films will be shown on the giant video wall in Newman’s Own Hall. Expected titles include:

“Julie” – 15 minutes. Free -diving and spearfishing became second nature to islander Julie Gautier. But her passion lies in the creative process. Fusing free diving and dance, “Julie” is Gautier’s powerful story of finding her creative voice beneath the surface.
“700 Sharks” – 20 minutes. Marine biologist and renowned wildlife photographer Laurent Ballesta takes audiences to the Pacific atoll Fakarava, where he has been studying the hunting behavior of reef sharks. With cutting-edge technology and a team of experts, Ballesta encounters more than 700 sharks and documents their strategies as they hunt groupers at night in a narrow ravine on the coral belt.
“Chasing the Thunder” – 45 minutes. Poaching at sea has flourished in remote places like the Ross Sea in the Southern Ocean, unchecked and uninhibited by law enforcement … but not without defense from activists like Sea Shepherd. “Chasing the Thunder” is a real-life thriller in rough seas; an epic 110-day sea chase across three oceans and two seas, where the fearless captains of two Sea Shepherd vessels pursue the illegal fishing trawler Thunder. See how conviction and resilience can make a difference where governments fail.
“Andy Irons – Kissed by God” – 30 minutes. Meet one of surfing’s all-time greats, a man who would change the sport forever but never managed to escape his own worst enemy: himself. In the 1990s, Andy Irons made a name for himself as the enfant terrible on and off the board. What appeared to be eccentricities was actually bipolar disorder. “Kissed by God” is the heart-rending story of an athlete who pushed the limits of his sport and transcended the boundaries of his condition against all odds up and until his untimely death.
“Surfer Dan” – 7 minutes. The winter waves on Lake Superior are just right for Dan Schetter. Dodging sheets of ice, he launches in the water with abandon to do what saved his life: surf. Nothing clears the head like a plunge into cold water—precisely what’s needed when you want to leave your drinking habits behind. A sober “Surfer Dan” introduces us to his drug and remedy, proving that a real surfer needs no palm trees, no tan lines and—most importantly—no excuses.
“Blown Away” – 7 minutes. Follow sound engineers Hannes Koch and Ben Schaschek on a 4.5-year life-changing journey, calling on ports in 31 countries, from Sydney to Berlin. Their goal: to record as many local musicians as they can and connect them all through music. On the tape, the “sailing conductors” introduce people from across the globe, who have never met one another in real life. This sailing adventure has not only a unique soundtrack, and it also will kindle everyone’s wanderlust.

Stay after the films for an “oceans Q&A” with Barrett Christie and Dr. David Hudson of The Maritime Aquarium, as well as Sacred Heart University Professors Jennifer Mattei, Barbara Pierce, and Deirdre Yeater.  Tickets are $20, or $18 for Aquarium members. (Note that regular adult Aquarium admission is $24.95. So, with doors opening at 6 p.m. for the April 4 event, you can tour The Maritime Aquarium for an hour and then enjoy this special film fest for less than normal admission.)  Learn more and reserve your tickets at www.maritimeaquarium.org.

The Aquarium event is the New England premiere of this newest, sixth version of the “International Ocean Film Tour.” Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itNAVRJdSS8