Discovery Center Open Sunday, Aug. 5 For National KidsDay Celebration
Baylor University's Ollie Mae Moen Discovery Center will be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 5, as the popular hands-on children's museum in downtown Waco celebrates the inaugural National KidsDay with a special admission price. The center will be closed on Saturday.
Families can play and explore for only $1 per person, which is half-price admission. The Ollie Mae Moen Discovery Center is located at 220 S. Fourth St. in Waco with a parking area and entrance on South Third. For more information, call 757-0922.
Waco public television station KWBU-TV Ch. 34, which provides PBS Kids programming in Central Texas, is sponsoring the local KidsDay event.
"National KidsDay is meant to encourage and remind adults to spend meaningful time with kids and to express love and appreciation for them, not just on this day, but all year long," said center director Jill Barrow. "The Ollie Mae Moen Discovery Center provides a wonderful opportunity for families to share in fun and relationship-building activities that create positive and memorable experiences."
A national Ask the Children study found that while children are happy with the amount of time their parents spend with them, they wish the time together was not rushed, but focused and rich in shared activities.
"Research shows that when adults spend meaningful time with kids, it helps them develop a positive self-image and a sense of belonging," said study author Ellen Galinsky, who also is president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute.
National KidsDay is celebrated annually on the first Sunday in August, with the inaugural day coming this year. Four leading youth organizations -- Boys and Girls Clubs of America, 4-H, KidsPeace and YMCA -- have formed the National KidsDay Alliance and are encouraging parent and community involvement in local events. The organizations, which serve 20 million kids in 8,000 U.S. locations, are united in the mission of National KidsDay, which is to celebrate and honor America's children.
More information, as well as a list of fun activities, can be found on the National Kidsday web site at www.kidsday.net.