Exciting things are happening at the Maine Discovery Museum, including its reopening to the general public next week.

The Maine Discovery Museum, on Main Street in Downtown Bangor, takes learning S.T.E.A.M. topics to a whole new level, with kids learning through play. A child will never hear, "Don't touch that!" in the museum because it's all about hands-on learning. I asked Niles Parker, Executive Director of the museum, about that acronym and he said it's Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

It's a really great link between teaching some of the traditional STEM activities and the arts. It's just a different way of expressing what you're learning and for some people, learning in that dimension is easier or more fulfilling for them.

He went on to say that it's important that the arts not get lost in our children's education.

So Get to it ... What's the Exciting News?

The first bit of great news is that the Maine Discovery Museum is opening its doors to the general public on Thursday, February 10. While the museum was open in January, that was only for members. Now, everyone is welcome to have fun, with one small change. You have to reserve a time to visit, rather than just stopping in, and masks will be required of all visitors and staff. Find more information about guidelines in the Maine Discovery Museum's Code of Conduct.

Exciting News Number 2 is a Good-News-Bad News Situation...

The Maine Discovery Museum is returning to in-person vacation camps for kids. Bad news? The February Vacation Camp is full already. Good news? They'll be holding more camps during vacations for the rest of the school year. Find more information about when you can sign up on the Maine Discovery Museum's website. 

And Exciting News #3?

Finally, the Maine Science Festival is returning this year, with STEAM learning and fun from March 16 to 20. This festival has multiple layers, from hands-on projects for the kids at the Cross Insurance Center, to talk sessions in other businesses, to a special Bangor Symphony concert.  A schedule of events will be posted on the event's website and Facebook page. 

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