Random Act of Kid-ness: There’s a Monkey in My Chair
This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Cincinnati, OH, where a group of kids from Piner Elementary School started a program to raise money for children with cancer. Since many of the kids know people who have cancer or who have lost their lives to cancer, they wanted to help out. They started with a program called Change Wars, where the students brought in change to raise money, and then they started selling hair bows. That fundraiser earned over $300 for children living with cancer.
There’s a Monkey in My Chair is a program that the students developed. Stuffed monkeys sit in their classrooms to represent kids who are in the hospital. “It reminds you that friend with cancer needs support, in school or outside it. ‘Having the monkey there, the kids can interact with the monkey, they can write letters to the monkey, and take pictures of the monkey doing silly stuff, in the room or where the children normally would be in. It makes the children think they are still there and that they care about them.’”
Some of the students at Piner Elementary have said:
“I feel really proud. I love helping people and I couldn’t find a way to until Koryn did, and that’s why I really wanted to do it.”
”I think if they pictured themselves and they wouldn’t want someone to not help them.”
”I feel proud that we helped them.” The teachers and staff here do too.
What a thoughtful program! We love this idea. To read more about There’s a Monkey in My Chair, click here.
Random Act of Kid-ness: Helping Homeless on Way to Chemotherapy
This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Philadelphia, PA where first grader Ella Wilson brings food and blankets to the homeless people in her city every Thursday on her way to chemotherapy. Ella is getting treatment for neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on the nerves. But to take her mind off her year-long treatment, she has decided to focus on making other people happy.
You can watch an inspiring video about Ella’s story and learn how you can help her raise money for neurofibromatosis research on her Facebook page here.
As always, we ask for your suggestions for our next RAK. Do you know someone who is doing random acts of kindness? Let us know!
Random Act of Kid-ness: Giving the Gift of Play to Children with Special Needs
This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Fairfield, OH where 10 year old Ashton Isler decided to forego birthday presents this year. Instead, he asked his party guests to donate money to the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League, which is a baseball league for children and adults with special needs. Baseball is Ashton’s favorite sport, and when he heard about the Miracle League project while watching a Reds game last summer, he wanted more people to be able to enjoy it as much as he does. He said:
“I didn’t really need anything else. I want to do it again (this year) [...] I am so happy that other children with challenges can play this game too.”
In response to Ashton’s efforts, Fairfield Mayor Ron D’Epifanio proclaimed Tuesday Ashton Isler Day and made him honorary mayor for the day. Kim Nuxhall of the Miracle League presented Ashton with a character education poster signed by former Reds Sean Casey and a certificate from the Reds good for tickets for an April game.
What a wonderful way to give back! To read more about this great story, click here.
Open Door Days at the Zimmer
While all children and families are always welcome at the Zimmer, the museum opens on special days exclusively for families with children with special needs. At the Zimmer, we are committed to making quality play and learning experiences available to all children. While the Zimmer works diligently to provide inclusive programs every day, our Open Door Days combine special considerations regarding cost and ‘busy-ness’ of the museum with an understanding community. Our hope is that visiting the museum is enjoyable for all families, and Open Door Days serves as another option so that all families in the city may play and learn together at the Zimmer.
To learn more about our Open Door Days and make your free reservation for the next one on February 18, click here.
Open Door Days are generously sponsored by CVS Caremark.
Random Act of Kid-ness: We Care Bears Project
This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Irvine, where 10 year old Jessica Carscadden came up with the We Care Bears Project that gives stuffed animals to first responders to hand out to scared or hurt children who they meet on the job. Jessica was abandoned in China when she was little because of a facial defect. She was adopted by a US couple, and she now wants to give back to children in need.
This week, Jessica delivered 75 bags of stuffed animals to the Orange County Fire District!
To watch a video about this story, click here.
Random Act of Kid-ness: Archimedes Alliance
What if you could change the world with just 2 bucks?
Photo courtesy Leitner family via Portland Monthly
This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Portland, OR, where 14 year old Julien Leitner created a website called the Archimedes Alliance. Through this website, Julien’s goal was to ask 1 million people for just $2 each, with a goal of raising $2 million for different charities. Since he started over a year ago, every six months the Alliance has reached (and will, for 3 years) out to 1 million different people asking for the $2 donation. At the end of each six month period, all the money raised is donated to an organization selected by the contributors, and then the cycle begins again.
Julien has raised over $20,000 so far! You can read more about Julien and his idea here.
As always, we ask for your suggestions for our next RAK highlight. If you or someone you know is doing great things to change the world, we want to know!
Random Act of Kid-ness: #26acts
This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness highlights 26 acts of kindness from children and adults across the world. This week, we love that in honor of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims, the hashtags #26acts and #26actsofkindness are trending on Twitter. In the wake of the tragedy one week ago today, Ann Curry called on people to do 26 random acts of kindness- one for each of the people killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Buzzfeed compiled some of the responses she got here, like the one below, and we know there are so many more out there.
We hope you, too, will be inspired to act and spread the word!
Staff Spotlight: Sasha Karlova, Visitor Experience Manager/Arts Educator
It’s time again to meet another Zimmer staff member. Say hello to Sasha, our Visitor Experience Manager/Arts Educator!
Name: Sasha Karlova
Position: Visitor Experience Manager/ Arts Educator
A little bit about her: Sasha received a BA in fine art from the University of California, Santa Barbara. However, she started her art education at the age of eight and continued taking art classes at Pasadena Art Center while
attending Fairfax High School Visual Arts Magnet. During her stay at UCSB she participated in several group art shows and was head curator of the 2009 Undergraduate Art Show in which she also exhibited her work. She has been a yearly muralist at the Pasadena Calk Festival since 2005 and interned with the Light Bringer Project, a non-profit arts organization. She continues to make art and exhibits her work whenever she gets a chance. An alumni of the Zimmer’s arts education outreach program, youTHink, Sasha loves sharing her enthusiasm for art with children and families here at the Zimmer.
Childhood hero: Darkwing Duck
Take me through a day in the life of Sasha at the Zimmer.
Each day at the Zimmer is different. That is something that I love about my job! I usually come in between 9/9:30 or 8:30 on Wednesdays for VIB hour! Then I walk through the museum turning on exhibits and lights and make my way to the kitchen. I feel like I’m waking the museum up as I turn everything on. Then it’s back upstairs to turn on the music, check my email and help at the front desk. On Thursdays I skip my usual morning routine and head straight to the art room to teach Messy Masterpieces (I wear my artist clothes that day). The class is so much fun! It’s so amazing to see each child experience art in their own way! The rest of the day can be a mix of working at my desk, helping at the front desk, facilitating Open Art, walking around the museum to restore exhibits and make sure everything is safe and fun , or teaching crEATe – one of our baby classes that uses edible materials to introduce babies to art! At the end of the day I can usually be found resetting our exhibits or at the front desk waving goodbye to our visitors.
What’s your favorite exhibit at the Zimmer?
It’s so hard to pick a favorite exhibit! I have so much fun in all of them! But… if I HAVE to choose I think I’d pick the Mann Theater. Since I spend a lot of time near that exhibit I always get to see fun plays and performances put on by our visitors. I am always amazed by how creative kids can be with just a costume, a stage and their imagination. I also love to see how children and parents play together here. This exhibit is also my favorite because that is where Friday Sing Along and Freeze Dance happens!
What is the most memorable thing you have been involved in at the Zimmer?
It’s difficult to pick just one most memorable thing since we do so many great things here at the Zimmer. If I look back at this year something that really stands out is participating in the LA Marathon 5K to raise money for the museum and our programs including youTHink. This event stands out because I had a chance to talk to so many people and tell them why the Zimmer and youTHink were important to me personally. It gave me a chance to bond with my coworkers, get to know our visitors better, and I had a great time running in the rain with so many dedicated people! I’m looking forward to fund raising and running again this year in March. If you want to donate to my cause you can do so here. You can make my first donation for this upcoming year!! 
Thanks, Sasha! Stay tuned for our next spotlight!
Random Act of Kid-ness: Adventure generationOn Kids Care Club
Continuing with our support of Hasbro’s “Be a Joy Maker” campaign, this week’s Random Act of Kid-ness is one submitted to the campaign and comes to us from St. Louis, MO. 4th and 5th grade students in the Adventure generationOn Kids Care Club operated and facilitated a penny drive that raised $230.00. With the money, the students bought toys to donate to the Toys for Tots Foundation. Not only is this an incredible act of kindness, but it also taught the students about the value of a dollar.
We encourage you to read more of the entries on the Joy Makers Wall and even submit your own act of kindness!
Again, please share with the Zimmer what you’ve done! While we encourage selfless acts, we also think that we can inspire each other! Any story we hear just might be featured in our next Random Act of Kid-ness post!
Random Act of Kid-ness: Joy Maker of the Week- Gotta Have Sole
Photo courtesy http://www.streetsights.org/2011/you-gotta-have-sole/
Earlier this week, our Museum Director Julee Brooks wrote a blog post about the power of spreading joy this holiday season and throughout the year. In her post, Julee highlighted Hasbro’s “Be a Joy Maker” campaign, in which the company invites children to share how they are giving back this holiday season; for every young person caring, sharing and giving back to their community, Hasbro will donate a toy to Toys for Tots.
This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Rhode Island and is Hasbro’s Joy Maker of the week, Nicholas Lowinger. In 2010 as part of his Bar Mitzvah community service project, Nicholas started the Gotta Have Sole Foundation (watch this video!), an organization that donates new shoes to homeless children living in shelters. Since he started, Nicholas has donated new footwear to over 5,200 children in homeless shelters in 12 states throughout the United States. He says:
“It has always been my hope that the children will feel more confident about themselves because they have new shoes to call their own and that they will have the same opportunities afforded to them as their peers.”
What a wonderful and selfless act! You can find out more about the foundation and how you, too, can donate shoes here.
Again, please share with the Zimmer what you’ve done! While we encourage selfless acts, we also think that we can inspire each other! Any story we hear just might be featured in our next Random Act of Kid-ness post!
Spread Light. Give Love. Make Joy. : A Special Blog Post from Our Museum Director
Whether you and your family celebrated Diwali last week or are now making preparations for Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa, this is a time of year where people around the world seek ways to bring light to the darkness of winter. While many of us will be lighting candles, exchanging gifts and enjoying sweet treats, we at the Zimmer Children’s Museum encourage families to carve out some time (and a bit of your budget) to be Joy Makers outside the walls of our own houses.
As parents, you have the brightest source of light there is. Kids! So as we approach the shortest day of the year, here’s our challenge to you: use your children. To spread light, give love and make joy, that is. 
On Thanksgiving morning, I was out with my own 2 year-old son on a neighborhood walk. He was so excited that the day had arrived that he wished (okay, nearly accosted) every person we passed with “Happy Thanksgiving!” Without fail, he got responses. Delighted, grateful responses. I didn’t know any of those people we met that day. I don’t know if any of them were really moved by his sweet smiling face, but I also don’t know that they weren’t. Maybe someone was spending the holiday alone and needed that excited reception that so many of us look forward to on holidays. Maybe he helped someone to just stop, put down their phone and have a real-life human connection. Maybe. Or maybe not. But what I do know is he only made their days better even if in the smallest way. And that it made him so happy! Win win.
Our friends at Hasbro have a great catalog of ideas for you and your family to be Joy Makers this season. Whether the recipient is a neighbor, a stranger, a soldier or even a furry friend, what’s important is that our children know that being a Joy Maker need neither be expensive nor difficult. And that the return is always great for the giver. And thanks to Hasbro, this year the return is even greater because for every act of giving entered on their website, Hasbro will donate a toy this holiday season to a deserving child. Win win win.
So maybe this year, instead of a gift exchange, have each person/family bring $10. When they arrive tell them they have 30 minutes to spend that on a good deed for someone who isn’t expecting it. No limits. No rules. Just make someone’s day brighter. Then reconvene for those sweet treats and share your stories.
Or pick a project and ask families you know to participate. Collect gently used clothing or canned goods to donate. Send small stuffed animals to deployed soldiers to give to children as peace offerings. Play games at a senior center. On just stand on the corner and give compliments. The possibilities are endless.
And like anything, kindness takes practice but can develop into a habit. There’s no better time to start than today.
With Joy,
Julee Brooks
Museum Director
Zimmer Children’s Museum
PS — Please share with the Zimmer what you’ve done! While we encourage selfless acts, we also think that we can inspire each other!
