New Year's Resolutions

"I hope to stay my age because I like being seven."
-- Ally, 7

"I want to spend the whole day with my whole family."
-- Taylor, 7

"[I want to] do better in homeschool this year, especially math. I'd like to have some more bonding time with my family and stuff like that."
--Orion, 8

What do you hope to accomplish in 2009?

A Wish For You!

A Wish from A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village

To millions of kids, Gilbert House is a hit—
Bubbles, exhibits, and a Dinosaur Pit.
A.C.’s Backyard boasts the tallest of slides
Where millions of brave kids take millions of rides.
It’s all fun and games, and a little bit more.
It’s a place where learning need not be a chore.
With bountiful programs in science and art,
The museum gives kids a promising start.
While playing they learn, they discover and grow,
And remind us of something we already know:
That childhood is precious, it’s gone way too soon.
Too quickly they outgrow the Toddler Room.
But memories made here last longer than toys.
Days spent here with family bring plentiful joys.
The kids who first came here have moved on and grown.
They bring to the Village small ones of their own.
Our wish in this New Year -- at home or away --
Is much time with loved ones to learn and to play.
Three cheers for childhood, present, future, and past.
May the wonder and joy of discovery LONG LAST!


Post your memories, photos, poems, and favorite kid quotes from the Gilbert House below! Best wishes to everyone from your friends at A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village.

Museum Hours Today

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village is scheduled to be open today 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Please call 503-371-3631 for updated information on how the weather might impact the museum's hours.

We Are Open Tuesday

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village is open today, Tuesday, December 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All workshops are continuing as scheduled. Please give us a call at 503-371-3631 if you have any questions.

***We Are Open Today***

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village is open today, and all winter break workshops will take place as scheduled. The Outdoor Discovery Center is closed due to icy conditions, and please use caution when walking through the parking lot.

The houses are warm and cozy, so if you need to get out of the house, please stop by for a visit. If you have additional questions, please call 503-371-3631.

Are you ready for 2009?

Three-year-old Kazlo (pictured at left) is all set for the New Year with his 2009 glasses.

At New Year's Eve Family Fun, kids can make these glasses, create a time capsule, and participate in the countdown to 2009 with an exciting ball drop at 9 pm.

Get your tickets early to avoid standing out in the cold! Ticket sales by phone are available through December 24. After that, tickets will only be available if you purchase them at the museum.

In the meantime, practice counting backwards with your little one! The timer in the new and improved Shadow room is the perfect place to practice.

We Are Open Today

The museum is open today at noon, so come on in and get the wiggles out and get some last-minute Christmas shopping done.

***Yes, We Are Open***

We're open today at 10 a.m., so come on in and play!

***Museum Closed Friday****

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village is closed today, Friday, December 19. A staff member will be available by phone (503-371-3631) until 3 p.m. today to take class registrations, memberships, and ticket sales for New Year's Eve Family Fun.

Magic at the Mill!

The staff, board members and volunteers from A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village are proud to be helping Mission Mill Museum with their 9th Annual Magic at the Mill. This Salem Holiday tradition starts today, December 19th, and runs through Tuesday, December 23rd, 5:30 to 8:00 each evening.

Besides the fantastic display of lights, there will be music, demonstrations, living history presenters, children’s activities, and good cheer for visitors of all ages. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children 4-12, free to Mission Mill Members.

Also occurring is a Big Band Dance on Friday night, December 19th. Featured will be the 18-piece Salem Big Band. It starts at 8:00, but if you need some dance lessons, show up at 7:30. The dance admission is $10 for non-members and $5 for members and includes admission to Magic.

Our two cultural institutions have been helping each other for years. During the Holidays, we assist in all aspects of Magic including children’s activities. At the end of May, A.C. Gilbert takes over the west side of Mission Mill’s grounds for our annual plant sale. So come on down to the Mill (1313 Mill Street, 503-585-7012, missionmill.org), enjoy the lights, visit your friends, and create some memories.

Favorite Things

****YES, WE ARE OPEN TODAY. SO IF YOU'RE FEELING A LITTLE STIR-CRAZY, COME ON DOWN WHILE THE ROADS ARE CLEAR!****

Hi, Bubble Girl here, the museum's mascot. There's a lot to love about the Gilbert House, but this blog is dedicated to my FAVORITE THINGS. You can post your favorite memories here or on the museum's Facebook page. The first four to do so will receive ONE FREE TICKET to New Year's Eve Family Fun on December 31.

Now for my favorite things about A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village:

1) The colors. From the vibrant historic houses to the artful murals to our new dynamic exhibit that projects up to 256 colors at one time on a screen, the museum is the antidote for the hundred shades of gray we have here in Oregon.

2) The kids. One of my favorite things is to see jet packs made from 2-liter bottles or a pet dog and food bowl created from scraps of egg carton. In Toy Inventor's Workshop, kids dream up creations from recycled materials. It's a wonderful reminder that with a few tools and some creativity, anything is possible.

3) The happenings. Just look at our schedule of upcoming events, and you'll see reasons to celebrate every day. We have exciting annual events like the Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Merriment and New Year's Eve Family Fun to mark big milestones. But even our drop-in programs and workshops can transform an ordinary day into an adventure.

Now it's your turn. Let me know what your favorite memory is, whether it took place a week ago or ten years ago.

Museum Open Today!

Getting a little stir-crazy with this weather? If so, the Gilbert House is open today. Cozy up to our exhibits and forget the chill outside as you walk into our newest room, the Brazilian Rainforest Exhibit.

Our walkways are clear of ice and there's plenty to keep those little hands busy and warm. While you're here, pick up tickets for New Year's Eve Family Fun, purchase a gift certificate for someone special, or load up on fun and educational stockingstuffers.

We hope to see you here soon!

Museum closed: Tuesday, December 16

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village is closed today, Tuesday, December 16 due to icy road conditions. Executive Director Pam Vorachek encourages all to spend time with loved ones at home and to be careful when driving.

While the museum is not open, a museum staff member will be available to take your calls if you are interested in signing up for classes, purchasing memberships or gift certificates, or getting tickets to New Year's Eve Family Fun. Please feel free to give us a call until 5 p.m. today at 503-371-3631.

Please check our blog tomorrow for information about the museum's hours. In the meantime, stay warm!

Museum is closed today: Monday, December 15

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village is closed today, Monday, December 15 due to inclement weather.

Bubble Girl will be home making snow angels then warming up with a cup of hot cocoa.

Please stay safe and warm, everyone.

Updates on the museum will be posted on this blog, so please check back here tomorrow.

Three Cheers for Logan!!

A Village Star is Born!!

Look for Logan this weekend as the Junior Grand Marshall in the PGE Festival of Lights Holiday Parade in Salem!

His official duties include riding in the parade and assisting as one of the judges for the floats. Logan, age 12, won this privilege as one of this summer's top earners in the museum's BU$INE$$ KIDS program. Participants in the program were given $20 in seed money to start and run a business for six weeks during the summer.

Even though Logan had a late start due to vacations and family obligations, he quickly rose to the top by selling baked goods that used his “Grandma’s family recipes.” He specialized in cookies, brownies, cakes, breads and his favorite, the strawberry truffle, a pound cake with strawberries in the middle and whipped cream on top.

In addition to his chance for fame in the holiday parade, Logan received a gift certificate for one free ice cream cone a month for a year from Cold Stone Creamery. Congrats, Logan, and good luck in the parade!

BU$INE$$ KIDS will be an ongoing summer program offered by A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village. If you would like to be contacted when registration opens in late spring, please send an email to Stephanie at promotions@acgilbert.org.

Look for Bubble Girl on CCTV

Look for Bubble Girl (and Tina, too) and CCTV -- channel 22!

New Year's Eve Family Fun

Tickets go on sale today for New Year's Eve Family Fun. To celebrate Oregon's sesquicentennial (that means Oregon's 150th year of statehood), our theme is "Oregon's Nifty 150."

When you arrive at the museum gate, you'll step back in time 150 years. We'll have living history demonstrations, old-time musicians, Native American dancers, a 4-H farm animal petting zoo, pioneer crafts and more!

Plus, this is the only event in town where kids can ring in the New Year at 9 PM (that's midnight EST), and feel special without ruining their bedtime.

We'll have the best of Oregon's past, present and future all in one historic night. The tickets are only available at the museum, so stop in, do some shopping at our gift shop and then get your tickets for this special evening.

New Year's Eve Family Fun happens every year on December 31. The gates will open at 5 pm and the party will run through 9 pm. Getting your tickets early is highly recommended to avoid standing in line in the cold. All events will take place indoors or in heated tents or covered areas within the museum. Tickets are $5 per person for members and $10 per person for nonmembers. For more information, call 503-371-3631.