Kids' Quest members have been partying across Arkansas. See what's been happening and find out what's coming next!
Student explorers are battling Dr. Nogood in The Race for Planet 'X' across Arkansas now. Find out all about it here!
Exhibit Schedule
Now until Dec. 14
Mystery of the Mayan Medallion
Museum of Discovery
Dec. 21 - March 8
Mystery of the Mayan Medallion
Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources
Now until Jan. 4
Grossology Exhibit
Arkansas State University Museum
Now until- Jan.11
Good Vibrations Exhibit
Discovery Place Children's Museum
Texarkana Museums System
Find out what else is happening at our partner museums
Explore the state
of Arkansas and become a master geologist!
Play it Here!
Explore the Ancient Mayan Ruins and discover treasures!
Play Now!
If you've played the Mayan Challenge, please let us know what you think!
Make a Super-Sweet Pyramid
The Mayan culture studied astronomy, developed three calendars and created their own writing system. They built pyramids & observatories, all without metal tools, and were also very skilled at weaving and making pottery for every occasion.
The Maya, whose civilization was formed as early as 1500 BC in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, are very well known for pyramids, much like the Egyptians. The shapes of their pyramids varied depending on where they were built.
The amazing architecture remains as great ruins of centers they used for their many ceremonies. About AD 300 to 900, many of the major centers, including Palenque, Uxmal, Copán, Tikal and Chichén Itzá were mysteriously abandoned, for reasons that are still unknown. Other areas continued until the 1500s.
You can make your own Mayan pyramid with just a few ingredients:
Materials: sugar cubes, glue, posterboard
Make like an ancient Maya and build a pyramid. Cut out a 4x4 inch square from the posterboard. Line the sugar cubes into tight rows and glue them together. Move one row “up and in” and continue placing and gluing the cubes in rows until the pyramid is built to a point, or put a temple on top like the pyramid pictured.
Send us a photo of your pyramid, and we'll share it in the next e-newsletter!
Arkansas Children's Hospital Gives $25,000 to Network
Thank you to Arkansas Children's Hospital for its generous $25,000 sponsorship for The Race for Planet 'X'.
Thanks to contributions like this our mobile museum can continue 
to serve our rural schools.
Kids' Quest Members Enjoy Ancient Tradition and Space Exploration in Jonesboro and Fayetteville
Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Diversity Celebration
Arkansas State University Museum, Jonesboro
250 children and adults celebrated ancient tradition at Día de los Muertos: A Latino and Hispanic Celebration, held at Arkansas State University Museum in Jonesboro on November 1.
Handcrafted decorations have a long tradition in Day of the Dead celebrations, and festivities included designing clay skeletons, making tissue paper flowers that emulate the marigolds used to decorate graves in Mexico, and making masks or calavera, all important elements in the celebration.
Rockin’ Rockets
University of Arkansas Center for Math and Science Education, Fayetteville
Kids' Quest members gathered in Fayetteville and spent a fun and fast-paced afternoon exploring the world of space exploration. Kids and adults alike played games, made and launched rockets!
The Mystery of the Mayan Medallion Heading to Smackover
An archeological team has mysteriously disappeared from a dig site in Palenque, Mexico. They had been investigating a long-standing rumor that a priceless jade medallion is buried in the temple there. However, something horrifying has scared them off.
Luckily, in their haste to escape, they managed to leave behind a video with clues and a warning to all who come after. The original team has left behind valuable information in the archeology, biology and astromathematics field stations that they constructed.
You have until December 14th to solve the Mystery of the Mayan Medallion at the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock, before it travels south to the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources in Smackover, where it will be open from December 21, 2008 - March 8, 2009.
More information on The Mystery of the Mayan Medallion
What's Happening Around Arkansas?
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, Pine Bluff
Pioneer Days
November 22, 1-4 p.m.
Native American dancers, cowboys, demonstrations of flint knapping, hearth cooking, rope tricks and horseshoeing are just a few of the many activities planned for Pioneer Days, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 Main St., Pine Bluff.
The special day will kick off the opening of the exhibit “Frederic Remington Makes Tracks,” to run Nov. 22-Jan. 24. All activities and the exhibit are free.
Other activities planned for the afternoon include a petting zoo, western films to view, animal pelts to feel and storytellers. Actors from the Center’s performing arts department will be in costume to stage “mock gunfights.”
Getting the Feel for Art
November 15, 1-4 p.m.
How do you make a snake look scaly or fur look coarse or water look wavy and wet? Learn the basics of creating texture in art 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Arts & Science Center, 701 Main St., Pine Bluff.
Cost of the workshop for ages 10-18 is $16 for members and $20 for non-members. Scholarships are available.
Winter Wonderland
December 6, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Participants will learn about and create art connected with the myriad of holidays in the world such as piñatas, dreidels, menorah candlesticks, Moravian stars, Christmas ornaments and origami in this workshop for ages K-6 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 Main St., Pine Bluff. Cost of the class is $20/members and $25/non-members. Scholarships are available.
Storytelling ’Round the Campfire
December 13, 1-4 p.m.
In the best western tradition of cowboys swapping stories around the campfire, participants in this workshop for ages K-6, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, will learn the fundamentals of storytelling. Students will build storybooks as well as practice how to perform in front of a group. Cost is $12/members and $15/non-members. Scholarships are available.
For more information call The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas at 870-536-3375.
Museum of Discovery, Little Rock
Tribal Trails
November 19-22 (free with Museum admission)
Discover Native American culture and tradition as S.D. Youngwolf of the Cherokee Tribe shares his people’s folktales, art, music and dance
Saturday Discoveries: The Science of Scents
Saturday, November 8th from 1:00-4:00 $20 per child
Follow your nose on a fragrant journey through the science, history and art of making scents — everything from perfumes and colognes to food, and even scent disguisers used in hunting.
Saturday Discoveries: Creature Feature
Saturday, December 13th from 1-4 $20 per child
Get an up-close and personal look at animals and their prey. Children will learn such things as how an alligator is different from a lizard, how a snake uses its senses to find food, and why hedge hogs are prickly.
School Break Discoveries!
November 24 - 26
School Break Discoveries allow your child to continue to learn while they have fun during school breaks. Led by Museum educators, School Break Discoveries encourages social interaction and hands-on learning for children in grades K-9, and offers flexibility by providing morning, afternoon or all-day programs. More info
Tech Lab and Imagination Station are now open Saturdays from 10:00-4:00 and Sundays from 1:00-4:00 Free with Museum admission
Mid-America Science Museum, Hot Springs
Holiday Breakfast for Kids
Saturday, December 13th, from 9-11 a.m.
The Mid-America Science Museum Volunteer Association will host a special Holiday Breakfast for Kids. Children will enjoy a delicious breakfast, engage in creative holiday activities, get their pictures taken with Santa Claus, be entertained by special “surprise” guests, and delight in exploring the Museum. Tickets are $5. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets will go on sale on November 10, 2008, and can be purchased online at www.MidAmericaMuseum.org, or by calling the Museum directly. All proceeds benefit the Mid-America Science Museum Volunteer Association.
Gifts Galore at the Museum Store
The Museum Store at Mid-America Science Museum makes holiday shopping a breeze this year with not one, but two upcoming sales: November 28 – 30, 2009 and December 13 – 14, 2009. During these sales, all educational science kits will be on sale at 20% off, and seasonal holiday items will be 40-60% off. Shoppers purchasing a Museum membership during these sales receive an additional 10% off sale items, and 20% off all regularly-priced Museum Store merchandise on that day of purchase. Gift certificates are also available.
For more events across the state, check out our Events page.
Find out more about the museum network across the state of Arkansas, funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, and our club exclusively for children, Kids' Quest.
To keep up on the latest events and a behind-the-scenes look every now and then, check out our blog, our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.
If you have trouble viewing this newsletter, or if you want to forward it to someone you know, use this link: http://www.arkansasdiscoverynetwork.org/kids-quest/newsletter_1108/kidsquest_1108.html
Arkansas Discovery Network Kids' Quest, c/o Museum of Discovery, 500 President Clinton Ave., Suite 150, Little Rock, AR 72201
This message has been sent because you are a member of the Arkansas Discovery Network Kids' Quest. If you have any concerns, comments or suggestions, please contact: kidsquest@arkansasdiscoverynetwork.org. This offer is brought to you as a valued member of Kids' Quest. We respect your privacy. If you would prefer not to receive further e-mail mailings from Arkansas Discovery Network, please send your request via e-mail, with "E-mail Opt Out" in the subject line and mail to: kidsquest@arkansasdiscoverynetwork.org.