Children's Museum Houston

I am thrilled to announce that Children's Museum Houston has been awarded a $2.5 million grant by Lilly Endowment Inc. to implement new programming that helps families explore character development. This initiative, set to launch in 2025 and continue through 2029, supports the desires of Houston parents and caregivers to foster the traits of integrity, collaboration, kindness, critical thinking, autonomy, and respect in their children.   CMH is one of 15 children’s museums nationwide being funded through Lilly Endowment’s initiative Fostering Character Through Children’s Museums, underscoring the Museum’s position as a national leader in advancing children’s learning through family engagement. Over the next five years, we will use this funding to bring character-building to life through six dynamic engagement strategies: 1) Exhibits as Curated Spaces for Learning, 2) A Team That Embodies Our Values, 3) Gallery Programs with Depth, 4) Outreach into the Community, 5) Partnerships That Elevate Impact, and 6) Communications That Inspire. Starting in 2025, we will refresh six existing galleries to incorporate character-building elements, followed by the launch of five brand-new or fully overhauled exhibits between 2026 and 2028. Our goal is simple but powerful: to help families foster character traits which shape thoughtful, compassionate, and curious kids. This grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. enables us to dive deep into creating experiences that inspire growth and learning both in the Museum and at home. Read more at https://lnkd.in/g4DxT67Q.

Did you know that with your Houston Public Library card, you can take a little piece of the Museum home with you? For the past 14 years, the Museum has transformed family reading time with FLIP kits. There are more than 2,400 Museum-created FLIP kits available for check out at HPL neighborhood libraries. Each kit contains a children’s book, supplies for an educational activity based on the story, information on developmental milestones, and ideas for further learning. We recently added 100 new FLIP kits to our circulating collection, and more kits are planned for next year. This is great news for the many families who rely on FLIP to help their children learn. FLIP kits were checked out 17,000 times last year, and 95% of parents using the kits said they planned to check out more in the future. FLIP was originally created with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and it is generously underwritten by the Samuels Family Foundation. #LiteracyforAll #CommunityPartnerships

Boo! Yes, that is a gigantic spider, a stilt-walking skeleton, and glow-in-the-dark slime. My team has dreamed big to make Halloween special for Houston’s kids, with giant theming and frighteningly new science activities. Since October 5th, Children's Museum Houston has welcomed visitors to trick-or-treating every day, including Free Family Nights. And, our outreach team has brought Halloween fun into the community as part of literacy events at local libraries. #Halloween2024 #FamilyFun

Did you have a favorite book as a child, perhaps one that you asked your parents to read to you each night before bedtime? Every child in our community deserves to have books at home, and last month CMH joined longtime partners Phillips 66 and Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation to help make this vision a reality. Friendly Phillips 66 team members—some of which have volunteered for many years at this annual event—distributed books to children on a Free Family Night during National Literacy Month. Each child received a set of four books based on their age and preferred language. I know that in every bag children found new favorite books to take them on journeys of imagination and discovery. It is through events like these that we ensure our positive impact extends far beyond the Museum’s walls. I am confident that there are children who will be reading tonight with the books they received at our Free Family Night. #LiteracyForAll #HoustonProud  

There’s a new smiling face that is greeting children as they arrive at the Museum. For the first time in thirty years, we have added a Caryakid—named Kathy—to the Museum’s façade. At a ceremony yesterday, we unveiled “Kathy” and our newly renamed Kathrine G. McGovern Building. We honored the legacy of Kathrine McGovern, one of the Museum’s greatest supporters. Bill Shrader, Board President of the John P. McGovern Foundation, provided remarks as part of this momentous occasion, and we were joined by the Foundation’s trustees Julie Mitchell and Sheila Lewis. Kathrine and Dr. John McGovern were loyal supporters of the Museum for more than 30 years. Their generosity has been all-encompassing, supporting capital projects, outreach activities, exhibits, our endowment, and special programs. For the past two decades, the John P. McGovern Foundation has supported Free Family Nights. Parents visiting with their children fondly recall memories of coming to these same Free Family Nights when they were children. As part of the Museum's 2009 expansion, we created the John P. McGovern Tot*Spot for children under 36 months of age. With an early childhood development focus, Tot*Spot has empowered parents and caregivers to serve as their child’s first and most influential teacher. Most recently, Mrs. McGovern made a generous gift to the Museum's endowment. This investment will help the Museum expand its reach, both here and throughout Houston with our outreach programs. I am so grateful to honor Kathrine’s legacy with our new Caryakid, “Kathy,” who will welcome Houston’s next generation, ready to open their minds to the wonders of the Museum and all that is possible for their futures.

Experience, skill, and dedication—the Museum’s board members have it all. We are proud to announce that Dr. Robert McCallister has joined our Advisory Board! For more than a decade, “Dr. Bob” has provided leadership on the Museum’s Executive Committee, with roles that included VP of Education, VP of Board Activities, Secretary, and most recently he was the Executive Committee's Member at Large. Bob has also generously supported the Museum’s galas and annual fund that underwrite free admission programs and community outreach.   Bob has a PhD in Geological Sciences from Brown University. He was a fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington and a professor of Geosciences at Purdue University. For more than twenty years, Bob worked for ExxonMobil’s Upstream Research and Exploration Companies. Before his retirement from an executive position with ExxonMobil, he had several assignments including Sr. Technology Advisor to the Executive Committees of the Research and Exploration Companies.   In addition to providing leadership at the Museum, Bob also serves on the United Way Bright Beginnings Advisory Committee, the Board of the Lone Star College Foundation, and the Executive Committee of AVANCE, Inc.   Thank you, Bob, for all that you have made possible at CMH, and for your continued guidance on the Museum’s Advisory Board!

Today #HOLAHoustonChapter leadership team came together to celebrate #HispanicHeritageMonth by volunteering at the Houston Children’s Museum! We had the privilege of sharing our culture with the next generation through fun activities like building piñatas, creating slime, and even teaching kids about banking in Kidtropolis. It was an inspiring experience to see the joy and curiosity in the kids' faces, while live Mariachi and Salsa music added the perfect soundtrack to this celebration. Proud to be part of a community that values heritage, learning, and fun! 🎉 Thank you Jackie Mejia Freddy Rangel Maria Treminio and Children's Museum Houston for this amazing opportunity! #CommunityEngagement #LeadershipInAction #DiversityAndInclusion

What does it take to make innovative exhibits that welcome 700,000 visitors each year? Leaders like Babatunde Cole! We are excited to announce that Babatunde has joined our Board of Directors.   Babatunde is President and General Manager of Oxy’s Delaware Basin Business Unit. In this role, he oversees the development and production of unconventional reservoirs in the Delaware Basin in both Texas and New Mexico, where he is responsible for improving operational excellence and accelerating the growth of those assets.   With 18 years of industry experience, Babatunde is a leader in his field. Before joining Occidental in 2012, he held various reservoir engineering roles of increasing responsibility with Imperial Oil and ExxonMobil in Canada, where he worked onshore and offshore oil and gas assets. Babatunde holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science from Western University in Ontario, and a Master of Science in Finance from the University of Houston.   Babatunde, welcome to the Museum’s Board of Directors!

Houstonians came together to make 2024 an amazing summer for Houston’s kids. I would like to thank everyone who partnered with us to support summer learning in the community, including Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, Houston ISD, United Way of Greater Houston, YMCA of Greater Houston, and volunteer groups from across our city. The Museum’s summer outreach featured traditional camp activities along with literacy and science learning. Students harnessed the power of the sun to make melty s’mores, mapped out constellations with beads that changed color in the sunlight, and took a closer look at nature. The Museum's activities were presented within children's neighborhoods, thanks to partners that included Community Family Centers, Mission Milby, Julia C. Hester House, and SHAPE COMMUNITY CENTER INC. With wonderful summer memories, children are heading back to class as confident learners. Here’s to a school year filled with opportunity for every child in our city, including the many children who took part in the Museum's summer outreach programming. #SummerLearning #HoustonProud