Museum of Natural History
According to Charity Navigator’s 2010 statistics on giving, 5% of all charitable donations in the US are allocated for arts, culture and the humanities. While that may seem dismal, the organizations discussed in this blog and the next should probably count their blessings they are not environmental or animal charities, receiving a measly 2% combined . Sorry, Mother Earth : ( Speaking of which, there is no better way to get to know her past, present and future than in museums. They are also a fascinating way to learn more about who we are – collectively and personally. Add to the fact that the American Museum of Natural History is a New York Museum – fuhgeddaboudit! You’re in for a very colorful lesson in culture and language.
A MUST-VISIT NEW YORK MUSEUM
The American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has a bit of something for absolutely everyone, including the kids. From outer space to dinosaurs, cave paintings, climate changes and so much more. Quite frankly, it’s easy to find yourself lost in wonderment just perusing the website. My son loves dinosaurs so that had a natural draw for me, but what really intrigued me was the trailer for “Journey to the Stars” now playing in the Hayden Planetarium. A promotional excerpt reads, “Featuring extraordinary images from telescopes on the ground and in space and stunning, never-before-seen visualizations of physics-based simulations, the dazzling new Journey to the Stars launches visitors through space and time to experience the life and death of the stars in our night sky, including our own nurturing Sun.” I hope I get to see it someday.
Another great thing about the website is their section for kids called, “Ology.” There are games, projects and fun trivia tidbits. For example, did you know that clams can live up to 150 years? I don’t know how. Between Mario, the Contessa, Emeril, Wolfgang, Gordon, Paula and Rachel, I didn’t think an appetizer mollusk stood a fighting chance. Or, how about this one – fish cough! Try dosing Robitussin for your puny neon tetra.
Finally, if you are planning an actual trip to the museum, don’t forget to download the app. Yep, there’s an app for that. Key features include:
- personal GPS
- turn-by-turn directions
- digital exhibits
- pre-loaded tours
- custom tours
- fossil treasure hunt
- sharing the experience
- bookmarking
But, if you can’t get there in person, they have some apps designed to give you a first class educational experience. I just had my husband download the “Dinosaurs” app for our son. I’ll follow up in the comment section in a few days.
MUSEUM FUNDRAISING
Did you know that with Homepage Heroes, you can support the American Museum of Natural History (or any other charity) just by changing your browser’s background? Don’t worry, you can still use your favorite search engine, (that’s for you, Google-philes). Click the photo below and you will be taken to the Homepage Heroes support page for the American Museum of Natural History. Bookmark it or set it as your browser’s homepage. Now, every time you shop at the retailers on the page or at our mall, a portion of the sale will be donated to AMNH in support of education, entertainment and culture.
New York - A Natural History Museum
Don’t forget, it’s all free. No sign up fee, membership fee or privilege of knowing us fee. And, you control which retailers are added to your page, if any. You can choose to have none. Just remember that your charity only earns money when you shop at your preferred retailers or our mall. It really is that simple.
