DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ARRIVE AT STEPPING STONES MUSEUM FOR CHILDREN WITH BOOZOO’S PUP PARTY
~Bring your furry friends to BooZoo’s pup-tastic, four-legged social event of the season!~
On Thursday, August 3, Stepping Stones Museum for Children is going to the dogs…and we couldn’t be happier. During our monthly Get Into It! FREE evening, the award-winning children’s museum will host BooZoo’s Pup Party, an event celebrating the powerful and important bonds between humans and their animal friends. BooZoo’s Pup Party: a Mutt-i-grees® celebration will take place at Stepping Stones on August 3 between 5:00 – 8:00 pm. Admission is free.
BooZoo’s Pup Party is hosted by BooZoo™, the museum’s fictional puppy mascot for early childhood learning and literacy, and will feature a meet-and-greet with BooZoo, a special Mutt-i-grees program, Crazy Canine Contests, a Pup Parade, giveaways from local vendors and so much more. All canine friends, accompanied by owners, are welcome to take part in Pup Party activities under the tent of the museum’s Celebration Courtyard. Inside the museum, we’re “PAWS-itive” that you’ll enjoy three extra hours of Stepping Stones’ trademark brand of play-driven learning and kid-powered fun. Food for our human visitors is available for purchase in the Healthyville Cafe.
Visitors are invited to enter their dog(s) in the museum’s Crazy Canine Contest. A panel will judge the dogs in the following categories: best dressed, fastest tail wager, fluffiest, best smile, best ears and walks with attitude. Each dog will be judged in all categories. The Pup Parade will follow the contest. Dogs must be licensed and accompanied by people who are 16 years or older. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their dogs.
The event’s connection to the museum’s fictional BooZoo canine mascot is important because Stepping Stones is also celebrating its work with the Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum, which is a unique PreK – Grade 12 program that uses the natural affinity between children and animals to enhance their social and emotional skills while promoting respect and appreciation for shelter pets. An initiative of The Pet Savers Foundation™, Inc. (the program development arm of North Shore Animal League America), the Curriculum was developed by Yale University's School of the 21st Century. Stepping Stones is unique in that it has adapted the Curriculum to its museum setting and the daily variety of children that it serves. The museum is proud to have been designated a National Demonstration Site for Mutt-i-grees and also proud to note that three of its Youth Enrichment at Stepping Stones (YES2) teen volunteers served as National Mutt-i-grees Student Ambassadors during the past academic year.
Stepping Stones partners with the Norwalk PAWS animal shelter for the Mutt-i-grees program, which is offered twice-weekly at the museum. Providing important local support of the Mutt-i-grees program is Lead Sponsor Choice Pet and Supporting Sponsor Bankwell, who are assisting the museum in bringing this popular program to locations within our community that serve local children from underserved and low-income backgrounds.
“For the last few years, Stepping Stones has placed a heightened focus on social-emotional learning,” said Dod March, Youth Programs Manager at Stepping Stones and primary facilitator of the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum at the museum.
“Animals teach children important social and emotional skills such as effective communication, empathy and how to manage emotions. BooZoo’s Pup Party is a fun-filled event that promotes emotional intelligence, pet-friendly play, early childhood development, reading literacy and intergenerational learning between children, parents and caregivers,” he said.
During the event, Choice Pet and Bankwell will be joined by local vendors such as Canine Company, Earth Animal, Pooch Hotel and VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, Earth Animal and Pooch Hotel will be on hand with who will provide child-friendly games, pet-focused giveaways, resource information and so much more.
Parents of children ages 3 – 5 are also invited to explore the preschool classrooms of ELLI Lab School at Stepping Stones during this Get Into It! FREE event. From 5:00 – 6:00 pm, the teachers from the ELLI Lab School will be hosting an Open House. This year-round program is now accepting registrations for the fall.
Get Into It! FREE is an important component of Stepping Stones Museum for Children’s Open Arms initiative. Open Arms makes it possible for every child, family and school to enjoy the museum’s exhibits, gallery activities and themed events regardless of financial, language or special needs barriers. Reaching more than 45,000 children, caregivers and teachers throughout the region this year, the program offers monthly Get Into It! FREE evenings, parent workshops, free traveling exhibits for schools and numerous other educational, informational and learning experiences to inspire lifelong learning.
About BooZoo™
Building on the commitment to promote early childhood development and reading literacy for young children, the museum developed the BooZoo character three years ago. BooZoo is a toy puppy who lives in Tot Town™, the museum’s toddler exhibit. He’s smart, incurably curious and loves reading books.
For additional information about BooZoo’s Canine Carnival, visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/CanineCarnival.About Stepping Stones Museum for ChildrenStepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Conn., is an award-winning, private, non-profit 501(c)(3) children’s museum committed to broadening and enriching the lives of children and families. Located on five acres in Mathews Park, the LEED Gold certified museum encompasses five hands-on galleries, state-of-the-art Multimedia Gallery, Family and Teacher Resource Center, cafe and retail store.
Stepping Stones is located at 303 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT, exit 14 North and 15 South off I-95. Museum hours are: Memorial Day through Labor Day, Monday-Sunday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm; and Labor Day through Memorial Day, Tuesday – Sunday and select holiday Mondays from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Admission is $15 for adults and children and $10 for seniors. Children under 1 are free. To learn more, visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.
About the Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum
The Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum is a unique Pre-K – Grade 12 program that uses the natural affinity between children and animals to enhance their social and emotional skills while promoting respect and appreciation for shelter pets. An initiative of The Pet Savers Foundation™, Inc. (the program development arm of North Shore Animal League America), the Curriculum was developed by Yale University's School of the 21st Century. To learn more, visit www.education.muttigrees.org.