Paintfest is next Saturday, November 13th from 10am to 2pm at 63 Lower River St, Oneonta, NY. Lower River St, which is not to be confused with River St, can be accessed by turning onto Cepperly Ave from Chestnut St, and then turning right at Lutz's Feed.
The most fun you can have with paint in one day, Paintfest features a wide variety of fun and unique painting activities for the whole family as well as workshops for children with their grownups. This year's theme features painting three dimensional objects.
Open activities (recommended for ages 2 and up, no pre-registration required) will include ornament painting, stained glass, cookie painting, homemade puff paint, face painting and more. Additionally, the children will be painting a car, courtesy of Five Star Subaru. Workshops include Unexpected Still Life (age 5+), Treasure Box (age 5+), and Tie-Dye (all ages). A $5 donation is suggested, but all of the activities are offered for free except for the Tie-Dye workshop. There is a $10 charge to cover the cost of materials for the Tie-Dye workshop, which includes a new shirt which you get to keep. Registration is recommended for the workshops.
To register for Unexpected Still Life, Treasure Box, and Tie-Dye, email Amy at WorldOfLearning@live.com or call 607-431-8543. Please note the names and number of your children. There is room for up to ten children in each workshop.
Here are the workshop times:
Unexpected Still Life: Using bubble wrap to paint a still life! The result will be suitable for framing.
10:30am (This timeslot has been filled)
11:45am
1:00pm (only four spots remaining in this timeslot)
Tie Dye: Make your own tie-dye shirt and take it home with you! Materials fee of $10 applies.
10:10am (only three spots remaining in this timeslot)
10:30am (This timeslot has been filled)
10:50am
11:10am
11:30am
11:50am
12:10pm
12:30pm
12:50pm
1:10pm
1:30pm
Treasure Box: Decorate gift box in an unusual way.
10:10am (only three spots remaining in this timeslot)
10:30am
10:50am
11:10am
11:30am (only four spots remaining in this timeslot)
12:30pm
12:50pm
1:10pm
1:30pm
Paintfest T-Shirts will be given to the children, thanks to our generous sponsors, NYCM Insurance, www.JoeRuffinos.com, Amazable Science Adventures, Brooks BBQ, and Tri-County Glass, while supplies last. OWL would also like to thank Emily and Jerry Dudek, Five Star Subaru, A&D Transportation Services, Elm Park Methodist Church, Long Island Pizzeria, Directive, Central New York Radio Group, The Daily Star, Rent-A-Wreck, and Hometown Oneonta for their continued support. Lastly, we cannot thank The Arc Otsego enough for once again co-sponsoring this fantastic event with us.
Oneonta World of Learning (OWL) is a children's museum without walls, in Oneonta, NY. Chartered by the Regents Board of Education and a 501c3 non-profit organization, OWL has been formed by a coalition of volunteer parents, artists, educators and other local professionals dedicated to building our community. Learn more at OneontaWorldOfLearning.org, call 607-431-8543, or email WorldOfLearning@live.com.
Paintfest is Saturday November 13th! Paintfest is going 3D -- donate your old wooden (or mostly wooden) chairs and small tables! We can make minor repairs if needed. Or help fund this event by sponsoring a child for $10 or adding your name to the back of 150 t-shirts to be given away to kids at this fun annual event ($100).
To sponsor the t-shirts, download and mail the attached sponsorship form to OWL by Nov 1st. Alternatively, you can email WorldOfLearning@live.com or call Amy at 607-431-8543.
Drop into the Science Discovery Center next Saturday for Professor Snapes Potions Class, presented by Oneonta World of Learning (OWL) from 12:30 - 4pm! Or register online at oneonta.edu/academics/sdc for an Advanced Potions Class, lead by SUNY Oneonta faculty. The open activities are appropriate for children with their grownups, aged 2-13. There are two Advanced Potions workshops, one for age 5-9 at 1pm, and another for ages 10 and up at 2:30pm.
Congratulations runners, walkers and all who volunteered to make the Pit Run a premier Oneonta event again this year. Oneonta World of Learning's bosun's chair was a big hit. Children were actually lined up to take a turn buckling into the seat and pulling on the ropes to lift themselves into the air and ring the bell at the top. Thanks to the power of pulleys, even little children were able to 'pull their own weight.'
Here's a sample of one of the activities Oneonta World of Learning (OWL) will be offering during the Pit Run, in Oneonta's Neahwa Park the morning of Sunday, Oct 3rd. It's a bosun's chair. A line through a series of pulleys allows a child to lift themselves off the ground effortlessly! Additional activities and crafts will explore the theme of healthy muscles and bones.
The details of this event are in our events pages.
Join OWL for three fun filled activities this October!
OWL will present hands-on, interactive children's activities the morning of the Pit Run in Neahwa Park, Sunday October 3rd.
Then on Saturday October 16th, OWL will present Science Saturday: Professor Snape's Postions Class for children aged 2-13. SUNY faculty will feature Advanced Potions workshops as well: Be an alchemist for a day: watch as colors appear, disappear, and re-appear, create potions and take home your own glowing creation.
Then on Saturday October 30th, don your Harry Potter attire and join the fun at Hogwarts and Hartwick, a feast and fundraiser sponsored by the Hartwick Music Department and First United Methodist Church at 66 Chestnut, Oneonta.
Details about all of these events are located on our events page.
It's another Science Saturday!
OWL will be presenting "Professor Snape's Potions Class," featuring open hands-on chemistry activities for children with their grownups from 12:30 - 4:00pm on Saturday, October 16th at the Science Discovery Center. These activities will be geared toward children aged 2 - 13, and no registration is necessary for the open activities.
Additionally, SUNY faculty will be offering "Advanced Potions Class." Be an alchemist for a day: watch as colors appear, disappear, and re-appear, create potions and take home your own glowing creation. The first advanced workshop will be for ages 5-9 at 1:00pm. The second will be for ages 10 and up at 2:30 pm. Both classes will be about one hour long. Pre-registration through the Science Discovery Center is required for the advanced potions workshops. Call Hugh (607) 436-2011 or email scdisc@oneonta.edu.
Oneonta World of Learning (OWL) is pleased to partner once again with The Science Discovery Center at SUNY Oneonta.
Harry Potter in the Muggle World presents:
Hogwarts and Hartwick
For youth and the young at heart, Saturday October 30th, First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut St
Sorting Hat Seating begins at 4:00pm
Feast at 4:30pm
Dinner includes chicken tenders, drumsticks, veggies, dinner rolls, pumpkin bars with whipped cream, and apple cider or water.
Magical Music featured throughout, by Hartwick College Chamber Music Ensembles
Costume and door prizes!
Make your reservations now: $8 youth (16 and under), $10 (over 16), call Jeff at FUMC office 607-432-4102
Proceeds benefit Oneonta World of Learning (OWL)
Generously sponsored by Hartwick College and First United Methodist Church of Oneonta
Children ask many questions in their attempt to understand their world. Helping them to understand the world through words alone can be very difficult as the language of adults is often lost on children and their limited point of reference. Hands on activities are very beneficial in helping children understand. The following activities are designed to help children understand how difficult it will be to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil Spill: What does that mean?
Materials:
Why do we need oil?
Oil is used to make fuel for our cars, trucks and airplanes, heat our homes, make plastic and even to make medicines.
Where does oil come from?
Oil was created from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. When these things died, they were covered by sand and dirt and over time they changed into what is called crude oil. The oil is found underground. Holes are drilled into the ground and pipes placed in the hole bring the oil to the surface to be collected.
What is an oil spill?
When oil is being collected, sometimes parts break and the oil leaks into the ground or water. These leaks are called oil spills. When oil is spilled in water, it rises to the surface of the water and quickly spreads out into a very thin layer called a slick.
Try this:
How can we stop an oil slick from getting bigger?
Oil containment booms are long structures that float on top of the water are used to prevent oil slicks from spreading. View photos of oil containment booms by following this link: http://mpccontainment.com/oil-booms.shtml?gclid=CNCnp8iLsqMCFR9UgwodCwRW3w
Try this:
Step 1: Place a drinking straw in the water at the edge of the oil slick. If you have a large container, you may want to hook several straws together by pinching the end of one straw and inserting it into the end of another. What happens to the oil slick?
Step 2: Gently tip the container to create waves. Now what happens to the oil slick?
Why are oil spills a problem?
Spilled oil is very difficult to clean up and is very harmful to plants and animals.
Try this:
Step 1: Think of some types of water birds, for example, ducks and seagulls.
Step 2: Think about what feathers do for birds. Feathers keep birds warm, make them waterproof and help them fly.
How can an oil spill be cleaned up?
Try this:
Step 1: Select clean-up materials to test such as paper towels, cotton balls, grass, kitty litter, spoons, cornstarch and sand.
Step 2: Try to clean up the oil with each of the test materials. Does anything change? How well does each material work? How do you know how well it worked?
How much oil spilled in the recent BP oil spill?
It is hard to know exactly how much oil spilled and there are many different guesses as to how much spilled. What is certain is that that it is a lot. To see what it would look like if the spill happened by your home, go to the link www.paulrademacher.com/oilspill and enter your zip code. How long would it take to drive from end to end of the spill? How many times could you watch your favorite video in that amount of time?
Description: This painting activity trades the traditional paintbrush for things found in nature.
Begin this activity with a nature walk. Your walk can be as simple as spending a few minutes in your backyard or you might take a longer walk around your neighborhood. If you want to expand this project into a lesson over several days, you might want to plan a destination for your nature walk and pack a picnic.
Now it is time to set up your painting area. Protect your work area with newspaper, plastic tablecloths or old sheets. Smocks and old paint clothes are recommended especially for younger children. Plastic lids like those found on raisin, yogurt and sour cream containers make great paint palettes.
Younger children will be done at this point. For older children, once they have experimented with "paintbrushes," they may wish to create a representational picture using a variety of tools. Expand the activity even farther by experimenting with making your own natural paints (www.bl.uk/learning/artimages/sacredbook/object/paint/makingpaint.html).
Julia thought her picture looked like animal tracks.
* Note: The rolling pebble technique is a good choice for children with developmental delays. It requires little technical skill and due to the abstract nature of the project, the result is successful every time.
October promises to be an exciting month for OWL! We've been invited once again to provide fun and interactive children's activities during the Pit Run, scheduled for Sunday October 3rd in Oneonta's Neahwa Park. Our theme will be the human musculoskeletal system.
Science Saturday also returns in October. On the 16th of October, Oneonta World of Learning (OWL) will once again team up with the Science Discovery Center on the SUNY Oneonta campus, this time presenting chemistry with 'Professor Snape's potions class.' The Science Discovery Center will be open throughout the presentation and OWL will be offering open ended learning activities for children aged two and up, with their grown ups! The SUNY Oneonta science faculty will also be offering workshops for older children. Stay tuned for details on these workshops and how to register.
There is an exciting fundraiser in the works for October: Hogwarts and Hartwick is a fanciful, sit down dinner with Hartwick faculty dressed as Hogwarts staff. More details will be posted here, as the event nears.
Mark your calendars in November for Paintfest 2010 - Now in 3D! Paintfest will be on Saturday November 13th. This event features washable fun for the whole family, through inventive painting activities at multiple paint stations. Workshops with area professionals will also be offered. See last year's paintfest pictures on Flickr.
If you haven't already signed up for our e-newsletter, check out the first edition here.
Oneonta World of Learning (OWL) representatives will available be at Goodyear Lake Day on the morning of Saturday, August 21st. This all day event is sponsored by The Goodyear Lake Association, Inc. and The Polar Bear Jump, and takes place at Krol Field, with parking on Lakeshore Drive So, Maryland, NY. The morning will feature crafts, food, games and exhibits, followed by historical presentations and cloggers in the afternoon. The Country Express, a country and western band, will perform at 2pm. The evening will bring chicken BBQ, a boat parade, and lastly, fireworks. Visit goodyearlake.org for details.
Don't miss Science Saturday, on October 16th at The Science Discovery Center at SUNY Oneonta. The theme will be Professor Snape's Potions. Details will be posted here as the details of this fun event become finalized.
Then mark your calendars for Paintfest - Now In 3D! Paintfest will be on Saturday, November 13th, and will feature open painting/playful painting activities as well as art workshops with area professionals. Details on workshop registration and all the fun will be posted here, as soon as they become available. Set aside your old wooden chairs and small wooden tables to donate for this event! Call 607-431-8543 to donate.
On Sunday June 6th, 2010, the volunteers of Oneonta World of Learning presented the second annual ice cream social. Originally planned as a community event for Oneonta's Wilber Park, the event was moved to the large tent outside of the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center. As rain continued to pour down, Foothills generously opened their doors and the entire event moved once again, this time into the Foothills' atrium and theater. It was, perhaps, the best thing that could have happened.
The atrium was the perfect place to premier our newest exhibits, all involving magnets and how they are used to make things work. Children and grownups alike were able to demonstrate hands on how devices such as magentic accelerators and magnetically levitated trains work. At the same time, child advocacy groups, childcare centers and schools provided parents with an oportunity to learn about local resources.
Many thanks to the volunteers who set up the event not once, but twice, in the pouring rain. And let's not forget the Oneonta Fire Department, the Oneonta High School Senior Class, and Oneonta Job Corps for scooping all of that delicious ice cream.
Oneonta World of Learning would like to thank The Daily Star for generously sponsoring this event, as well as The Arc Otsego, The City of Oneonta and The Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center for sponsorship & support.
Additional support donated by WSKG, Exit Realty, Hartwick College, SUNY College at Oneonta, Central New York Radio Group, Green Toad Bookstore, Latte Lounge, OfficeMax, DTi, and First United Methodist Church. Ice cream supplied at cost or gratis by Schwan’s, Huff’s Ice Cream, Pie in the Sky, Friendly’s Ice Cream, the Golden Guernsey, and Stewarts Shops.
Sweet Home TV has posted a video clip of the event at http://www.sweethometv.com/#videonews.
WBNG - Binghamton Channel 12, aired a brief clip covering the ice cream social a few weeks back. Here's a link to it for those of you who are interested! http://vimeo.com/12513944.