History Detectives

  I was taught very early the importance of writing a thank you letter. I must admit that in this age of instant communication I don’t always do so by mail…but I still value this art and try to adhere to it. A simple thank you letter really shows how much you value, not the…

  This weekend marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake in the Chinese calendar. There will be feasts, parades, fireworks and gifts of red envelopes passed out to celebrants during this important Chinese holiday. Great significance is placed on the symbolism of the snake. Chinese lore tells us that a snake in the…

  Recently at Little New-Yorkers, we read a book called Urban Animals by Isabel Hill. “Urban animals,” you may think. Like rats on subway tracks? Squirrels in Central Park? Polar bears at the Bronx Zoo? None of the above. The book is about animals on buildings, of course! Urban Animals features photographs of buildings in…

  On a sunny winter day last weekend hundreds of families traveled with their “Passports Through American History,” stopping at 1699, 1776, 1845, 1899 and 1942. At each stop along their travels, kids participated in historic games, art-making, and hands-on activities, earning special stamps in their passports. Other highlights included a photo booth using images…

  WARNING: If you are squeamish around slimy, blood-sucking worms, you may not want to read further! Have you ever been swimming in a pond with leeches? I have…and it made me a little nervous. As refreshing as it was on a hot summer day, I did NOT want an uninvited guest to tag along on my body…

Dear Readers, we are just about two weeks away from our January Book Wrap for Picture the Dead with author Adele Griffin. We are so excited to talk about the Civil War, Spiritualism, and tricky photographers! Get to know Adele Griffin better by reading this short interview. Enjoy, and we’ll see you at 3 pm on Janurary…

The DiMenna Children’s History Museum is hosting its second-ever family cooking class this Saturday at 2pm—and of course we are cooking the old fashioned way. I mean churn your own butter, make your own bread, grind your own spices, snip your own sugar old fashioned! Our theme is “How the Kitchen has Changed,”  and we’ll…

Hello Families!  We had a wonderful Book Wrap on December 2nd with special guest author Donna Jo Napoli. This book dealt with such tough issues- loss, poverty, immigration, the struggle to fit in- that families were debating ideas right out of the gate. Bravery was a particularly interesting topic of discussion. Is a person brave for…

  The history of World War II and New York’s story during the war is felt throughout the museum right now because of our incredible exhibition, WWII & NYC. When I walk through the exhibit, I learn a lot of things about soldiers and civilians (regular people like you and me) and leaders during the war….