This week we tackle the M-R section of the Discover & Go venues list, featuring everything from sea creatures to pinball. We’ve paired each venue with a children’s book from the Montclair collection, to enrich your summer adventures. Don’t forget to check out parts 1 and 2 of this series if you missed them.
The Marine Mammal Center | marinemammalcenter.org
What: Nonprofit veterinary research hospital and educational center in the Marin Headlands dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of marine mammals – primarily elephant seals, harbor seals and California sea lions.
Pair it with: Humphrey the Lost Whale: A True Story by Wendy Tokuda and Richard Hall (J 599.51 TOKUDA) – Read the true story of a migrating humpback whale who strayed into San Francisco Bay in 1985 and 1990, resulting in rescues by the Marine Mammal Center.
Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment | themade.org
What: Video game museum in downtown Oakland with free programming classes for kids on Saturdays, and playable exhibitions.
Pair it with: Celebrate space invaders with Jon Scieszka’s wacky Robot Zot! (J PICBK SCIESZKA) – On a mission to conquer planet Earth, tiny but fearless Robot Zot and his mechanical sidekick leave a path of destruction as they battle kitchen appliances.
Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) | moadsf.org
What: This museum in downtown San Francisco showcases the history, art and cultural richness that resulted from the dispersal of Africans throughout the world.
Pair it with: Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson (J 973.0496 NELSON) – Featuring Nelson’s beautiful paintings, this book is a simple introduction to African-American history, from Revolutionary-era slavery up to the election of President Obama. For younger kids, This is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson (J PICBK WOODSON) uses a rope passed down through the generations to frame an African American family’s story as they journey north during the time of the Great Migration.
Museum of the American Indian | marinindian.com
What: This Novato museum is located on the site of a Coast Miwok village site and includes a hands-on room with replicated artifacts.
Pair it with: Two Bear Cubs: A Miwok Legend from California’s Yosemite Valley by Robert D. San Souci (J 398.2 SAN SOUCI) – Retells the Miwok Indian legend in which a little measuring worm saves two bear cubs stranded at the top of the rock known as El Capitan.
Napa Valley Museum | napavalleymuseum.org
What: This Yountville museum hosts exhibits about the art, environment and history of the Napa Valley.
Pair it with: The museum is currently hosting the exhibit “Forms of Fragmentation: Collages by Thomas Morphis” (through August 16, 2015). Enjoy a book with collaged illustrations like the bright, layered work of Melissa Sweet in A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin (J BIO PIPPIN) or A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams (J BIO WILLIAMS), both by by Jen Bryant.
P.S. The do it & do it exhibit (through August 30) looks like a lot of fun, too!
Oakland Museum of California | museumca.org
What: Exhibits about the cultural and environmental heritage of California, in downtown Oakland.
Pair it with: One of the museum’s current exhibits is “Bees: Tiny Insect, Big Impact,” which looks at the “diverse and intricate world” of bees with hands-on activities and family-friendly exhibits. In The Honeybee Man by Lela Nargi (J PICBK NARGI), a beekeeper whose hives are on the roof of his Brooklyn apartment building tends his bees and distributes their honey to his neighbors. Includes facts about bees and beekeepers.
Pacific Coast Air Museum | pacificcoastairmuseum.org
What: Santa Rosa museum with an outdoor display of 35 static aircraft.
Pair it with: Planes Fly! by George Ella Lyon (J PICBK LYON) – Illustrations and easy-to-read rhyming text celebrate different kinds of planes, their instruments, what they carry and what it is like to go for a flight.
Pacific Pinball Museum | pacificpinball.org
What: At this facility in Alameda, guests play pinball machines dating from the 1930s through 2010, all set on free play.
Pair it with: Learn a fascinating tale from the era of the oldest machines in the collection with Aliens are Coming!: The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast by Meghan McCarthy (J 791.4472 McCARTHY). Geared to grades 1-3, this book is an account of the practical joke that fooled American radio listeners and made Orson Welles famous.
P.S. Older kids (grades 4-6) might enjoy Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions by Don Wulffson (J 688.7209 WULFFSON), which profiles inventions from seesaws to Legos, including pinball and video games.
Peralta Hacienda Historical Park | peraltahacienda.org
What: See, hear, touch and smell CA history at the Oakland headquarters of the Peralta cattle ranch which once covered the East Bay.
Pair it with: Señor Pancho had a Rancho by René Colato Laínez (J PICBK COLATO) – As Old MacDonald sings of farm animals that moo and woof, Señor Pancho sings of those that jii and guau, until the animals realize they understand each other and get together for a fiesta.
Playland Not-at-the-Beach | playland-not-at-the-beach.org
What: Vintage pinball machines, arcade games, videogames, carnival games, antique amusement devices and exhibits with artifacts from the Sutro Baths and Whitney’s Playland. In El Cerrito.
Pair it with: This weekend (July 17-19, 2015) Playland meets Neverland with a special Peter Pan-themed treasure hunt and other activities. Pick up Walt Disney’s Peter Pan retold by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson (J PICBK BARRY), a picture book retelling of the J.M. Barrie classic featuring illustrations by Mary Blair, who created the
concept art for many Disney productions, from “Alice in Wonderland” to the It’s a Small World ride.
The Presidential Yacht, USS Potomac | usspotomac.org
What: A docent-led tour of the ship that served as Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Presidential Yacht, at Jack London Square in Oakland.
Pair it with: Eleanor by Barbara Cooney (J BIO ROOSEVELT) presents the childhood of Eleanor Roosevelt, who married FDR and became known as a great humanitarian.
Richmond Museum of History | richmondmuseum.org
What: Exhibits detailing the history of Richmond from the Native American period through World War II.
Pair it with: The museum’s current special exhibit (through September 2015) focuses on musical history in Richmond. In Richmond’s musical heyday, greats like Duke Ellington performed at the Richmond Civic Auditorium. Learn more about Ellington in Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkney (J BIO ELLINGTON), a brief recounting of the career of this jazz musician and composer.
Photos: Honeybee by Martin LaBar | Plane by Ian Abbott, both via Flickr / Creative Commons
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