Night at the Museum

I had such a great weekend! I hope you did too. On Friday my friends and I watched Night at the Museum, a cool flick about what really happens when the lights go out at the museum. Some of my friends came to visit with their favorite stuffed animals. I invited their stuffed friends to have a sleepover with me! I'm quacking with delight just thinking about it!

After watching the movie and munching on some yummy snacks, we went down to the new classroom and decorated our very own stuffed monkeys. (Luckily, these monkeys weren't as mischievous as the monkey Dexter from the movie!)

But the real fun started once we bid our visitors goodbye, and the stuffed animals they left behind got to hang out with ... ME! They even let me be the photographer as they explored the museum. 

Here are all of my friends posed for a group shot. Everyone was still getting to know each other.

 

Once we had learned each other's names, it was time to EXPLORE!

I showed them two of my favorite pieces of art! (Tinkle, A Cat and Blue Venice)

Then it was game time! Here we are playing Bananagrams. 

Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for bed. That meant everyone took turns brushing their teeth before we got too tuckered out...

Sweet dreams ... zzZzzzZZZzzz...

We had a great night's sleep! And there was only a little (ok, maybe a lot!) talking after the lights went out. When we woke up, one of our museum friends took us on an awesome golf cart ride to meet all of our human best friends. 

We had such a BLAST! I can't wait until our next SMArt Flick, "The Goonies", which will be on Saturday, November 16th from 1-5pm. See you there! QUACK!

PS -- If you or your stuffed animal friend came to the museum, comment below to share what your favorite part of the night was!

Webby's Balloon Ride

Webby here!

Summer provides many exciting opportunities for people (and ducks) of all ages.  For example, the Vermont Balloon and Craft Festival visited Shelburne on July 26-28.  With hot air balloon rides, arts and crafts vendors, lots of yummy food, and a balloon glow, I was busy all weekend long.  On Friday, July 26,  I had the opportunity to go up in a tethered hot air balloon at the Vermont Teddy Bear Company! 

At first I was a little skeptical about going up in a hot air balloon (I never  trust anything but my own two wings to keep me in the air.)  I mean, how does a hot air balloon work, anyway?  I found out that hot air balloons are made up of three parts.  The place where the people ride is called the basket.  The big balloon-like fabric that lifts the basket is called the balloon envelope.  And the burner heats the air in the envelope to make the balloon rise!  First, the balloon’s pilot uses a fan to fill the envelope with cold air.  Once the fan starts blowing, the balloon envelope fills up fast!

Woah!  That balloon is huge!  Did you know that most balloons are between 60 and 80 feet tall?  Once that huge balloon is full of air and the passengers are in the basket, the pilot uses a burner to heat the air in the envelope.  The flame coming from the burner makes the air in the envelope hotter than the air in the sky around it which makes the balloon rise into the sky!

Wait for me!  I want to come!

My friend Leah said told me I could ride with her!  Thanks, Leah!

Hold on tight.  Here we go!

For a tethered ride, the balloon is tied down so it only goes about 40 feet in the air (which is still pretty high!)  Did you know that a balloon that isn’t tied down to the ground can rise up to 12,500 feet in the air?  To imagine how high that is, think about the fact that Vermont’s tallest mountain (Mount Mansfield) is 4,393 feet tall.  A hot air balloon can rise almost as high as 3 mountains stacked on top of each other!

As the balloon rises higher and higher, the people look smaller and smaller!

This balloon reminds me of a recent event at the Shelburne Museum on July 21--Circus Palooza!  I saw a lot of kids with faces painted like clowns.  Maybe I will see people dressed as clowns again at the Museum for Haunted Happenings on October 27!

I enjoyed my first tethered hot air balloon ride this summer, but I am looking forward to keeping my feet on the ground for upcoming family days at the museum.  If you missed any fun activities this summer, be sure to join me on September 8 when Shelburne Museum Goes to the Dogs!

Art on the Go!

While I was making my usual rounds at Shelburne Museum, I discovered the Art on the Go carts in the Round Barn and Circus Building had new themes for 2013.

When I waddled closer, I was so excited to discover all the activities offered at these small little carts parked in the Round Barn and the Circus Building.

At the Circus Building, I made an origami dog and dressed him up with cool jewels. I also made a circus poster like the ones displayed in the building (I’m hoping to get mine displayed in the museum, too!). 

Then I became distracted with all the books, puzzles, and toys in the cart, and realized I had been there the entire morning! I quickly waddled to the Round Barn to catch the next activity. There I was equally excited by all my options. I was able to make my own postcard and send it to my friends who have flown all over the world for summer vacation. I also made a bumper sticker for my golf cart (I am not old enough to drive a car). Before I knew it, the Museum was closing and I had to get going.

I am eager to share my experience at “Art on the Go” because the new activities are so much fun. The “Art on the Go” in the Circus Building goes from 11-11:30 a.m. If you miss it, don’t worry because the activity at the Round Barn doesn’t start until 2 p.m.! BUT if both those times don’t work, you can stop by the carts anytime and play with all the cool books, toys, and games that are on display. I am definitely going back. I hope to see you there!

Creative Quilt Squares

Summer Fun in Webby’s Art Studio

I am so excited for the return of art activities this summer in Owl Cottage. I am even more excited that the series of art activities are now titled “Webby’s Art Studio”.  If ducks could blush I would be blushing. Each week there will be a different art project with TONS of supplies and great creative ideas. 

 This week I got to design my very own creative quilt square. I used lots of different patterns and colorful buttons to try and copy the cool quilts I see in the Hat and Fragrance building. Here are some quilts that my friends and I made!

  

Wow! Look at all the different ideas everyone came up with. What colors would you use on your quilt? 

If you missed this week's art activity, check out the list of upcoming activities below. All ages are welcome. 

 Colorful Compositions: June 24-30, 2013

Mystical Creature Sock Puppet: July 1-7, 2013

Miniature Masterpieces: July 8-14, 2013

Black & White in Color: July 15-21, 2013

Art Out Loud: July 22-28, 2013

 

Folk Art Fun: July 29-August 4, 2013

21^st Century Circus Posters: September 14, 2013

3D Paper Art: October 12, 2013

Funky Folk Art: November 2, 2013

 (Can you spot me?)