The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) just announced Snowflake Break activities and additional displays at the Museum for the holiday season. Snowflake Break includes a variety of family friendly programs and activities themed around special exhibits Expedition: Dinosaur and TOYS!
By Christie Bender
Grand Rapids Public Museum
During Snowflake Break at the GRPM, visitors can make a variety of crafts including their own themed snowflakes, sock monkey hats, dinosaur kirigami, punch tin, play a variety of over-sized games, and explore Expedition: Dinosaur and TOYS!
Expedition: Dinosaur is perhaps the closest experience to what it would have been like to be in the presence of a living, breathing Mesozoic-era dinosaur, and TOYS! lets visitors rekindle childhood memories as they create new ones. Additionally, the Museum has holiday displays for visitors of all ages to enjoy from additions to the Streets of Old Grand Rapids, the Herpolsheimer’s Child Passenger Train from the Museum’s Collections, historic LEGO® display of Grand Rapid and more.
Snowflake Break runs from Dec. 22 through Jan. 6. General admission includes hands–on activities for Snowflake Break, special holiday displays and the TOYS! exhibit. Expedition: Dinosaur is an additional $4 per person and $2 for Museum members.
Kent County residents receive reduced admission. Kent County adults are only $5 for general admission and Kent County children 17 and under are FREE general admission.
Holiday Displays
Historic LEGO® Display – See historic Grand Rapids like never before; built from LEGO®s. The 1925-era display, complete with operating trams, will be on display in the Streets of Old Grand Rapids exhibition now through January 18, 2019 and is included with general admission. Built by the West Michigan LEGO® Train Club.
Herpolsheimer’s Child Passenger Train – Visitors to the Museum can enjoy a community favorite on display – the Herpolsheimer’s Child Passenger Train. The Train is included with general admission to the Museum and will be on display through Jan. 18.
The monorail train debuted as “Santa’s Rocket Express” when the new Herpolsheimer’s Department Store opened in in 1949. Recognizable to any baby-boomer resident of Grand Rapids, the train chugged along the ceiling of the toy department at the Herpolsheimer’s Department Store, which sat at the corner of Fulton and Division streets in downtown Grand Rapids.
Santa and Elf Hunt – Find 15 historic Santas from around the World in the Streets of Old Grand Rapids, and 12 elves hidden throughout the 3 floors of the Museum. The Santa & Elf Hunt is included with general admission.
Let it Snow Planetarium Show – Let it Snow features a new variety of festive classics from Frank Sinatra and Chuck Berry to Burl Ives and Brenda Lee, and includes a stunning multi-media finale by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The soundtrack is visually enhanced with thematic animation, laser imagery and special effects. Tickets are $4 each with general admission to the Museum, free to Museum members and $5 each for planetarium only tickets. Let it Snow will run through Jan. 6.
Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium
The GRPM announced that the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium recently underwent upgrades introducing the latest Digistar technology! The new Digistar system provides the latest in resolution quality, content features and immersive surround sound for an out of this world experience.
The Planetarium re-opened this November with its newest upgrade since March of 2014 after a major renovation that included new technology, sound system, full dome and seating.
The Planetarium is named for Grand Rapids native, Roger B. Chaffee, who died with fellow Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom and Ed White during a pre-launch test in 1967. The Planetarium was originally opened in 1994 and has gone through renovations to provide the best experience for Planetarium visitors.
Expedition: Dinosaur
Expedition: Dinosaur explores the fascinating world of dinosaurs and the hunt for their fossils! From life-sized and lifelike animatronic dinosaurs – some controlled by visitors – to mechanical and electronic learning stations. The exhibit includes a number of hands-on interactives that explain dinosaur movement, digestion, and evolution, and show the life and methods of dinosaur hunters from the 1800s to today.
Expedition: Dinosaur taps into our fascination with these incredible creatures. It is perhaps the closest experience to what it would have been like to be in the presence of a living, breathing Mesozoic-era dinosaur.
TOYS!
TOYS! is an interactive, multi-generation exhibition of toys and games to rekindle childhood memories and spark the creation of new ones.
Baby Boomers loved Paper Dolls, Erector Sets, and Mr. Potato Head, Gen Xers preferred Holly Hobbie and Hot Wheels, and Millennials have never known a world without Super Mario or My Little Pony. Some toys, like Barbie and G.I. Joe, have adapted to appeal to different generations and remain popular today. Toys and games have changed over time, but the desire to imagine, compete, and create has not.
The exhibit, designed and curated by the GRPM staff, features toys and games from the Museum’s Collections and on loan from community members. Visitors will imagine, compete and create, while going on a journey of toys through generations.
Through the design process of the exhibition, the Museum worked with several experts from the community making sure the design was as inclusive as possible so everyone visiting can enjoy it. The exhibition is being presented in both English and Spanish, and also includes Braille.
