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Health & Fitness

The New Children's Museum Is Repeat Winner of Astronomy Day Award

The West Hartford museum had actual moon rocks, and many hands-on activities, as part of the "Celebrate the Moon!" event.

The New Children’s Museum is excited to announce that for the second year in a row, it is the recipient of the 2014 Astronomy Day Award for Small Metropolitan Areas.

Astronomy Day 2014 was held on May 10, and this year’s theme at The New Children’s Museum was “Celebrate the Moon!”. Visitors were not only given the opportunity to participate in fun and educational hands-on activities and planetarium shows, but also had the unique chance to view – and touch – authentic Moon rocks and soil as well as meteorite samples from other parts of the solar system. The West Hartford Police Department participated by providing escort for these national treasures, and Duffy Elementary School fifth grade teacher Clare Taylor and the school’s “Lunar Team” presented a special program in the Travelers Science Dome Planetarium.

Astronomy Day is an annual event sponsored by Sky & Telescope, the American Astronomical Society, and the Astronomical League.

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“I can always count on you for quality Astronomy Day events. Your efforts, along with that of all the other organizations that hosted special events for Astronomy Day, have touched thousands of people and has brought the wonderful science of astronomy to the public’s attention,” wrote Gary E. Tomlinson, Astronomy Day coordinator, in the award letter.

Tomlinson said that in an effort to recognize as many groups as possible, the league held previous award winners were to a higher standard, but that did not prevent The New Children’s Museum from winning for the second consecutive year.

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The museum will receive the award at the Astronomy League’s annual convention that will be held July 10-12 in San Antonio, TX. More information can be found at www.astroleague.org.

The New Children’s Museum features over 100 live animals, including the now famous Fennec foxes, hands-on science exhibits, out-of-this-world digital planetarium shows, and programs for younger children and families. The New Children’s Museum and Roaring Brook Nature Center are the region’s premier destinations for science and nature exploration.

The New Children’s Museum is located at 950 Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford and at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton. More information is available at www.TheChildrensMuseumCT.org.

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