Jersey Explorer Children's Museum Christmas Extravaganza

It was the JECM version of a star studded spectacular - featuring Queen Elsa from the movie Frozen and Santa Clause himself all the way from the North Pole. The official December 13th, Christmas Extravaganza! Local social clubs such as the motorcycle riders of BlocBurnaz and the wonderful women of Benevolent Beautiez were on hand to raffle off gifts. The East Orange Fire Department was also in attendance to show their support. There were free books courtesy of our partners at Bridge Of Books. In addition, we had an abundance of donations from the United Way and other charities.  

Of course the community of East Orange and surrounding areas of Essex County were present for this cheerful event.We had a packed house! Our visitors had a warm safe haven and full access to the JECM exhibits. Our dependable trustee board at the Jersey Explorer Children's Museum always go above and beyond their means to make sure we are presented in a positive light. Yes it was a Saturday to remember, as the museum was filled with colorful painted snow penguins, bright blinking Christmas lights, holiday music tunes and a digital snowfall on the ceiling of the main hall. We appreciate all the attendees and volunteers who helped make our Christmas Extravaganza a magical unforgettable experience. 

Looking forward to next year! Check out the pictures below.

 

"Please Judge Me" Film Shoot (Part 1)

On November 6th, filming began with our NJ Youth Corps students who are working on short project titled "Please Judge Me". The short film will deal with stereotypes and the way they negatively effect people. In this case, a high school student is profiled by a substitute teacher who wrongly makes assumptions about the student based on the way she is dressed. NJIT's Capstone team was on hand to assist in directing and shooting the project, which should be fully completed by the end of the month. The Capstone team was instrumental in writing the script and developing some very intriguing characters.

Jeffery (played by Jacob) is dressed in clothes that are well fitted. He is a well-spoken individual that doesn't take any sides and keeps a good distance from all the other students. He is not smart but he sucks up to the teachers.

Will (played by Ashraf) is dressed in an expensive polo and wears dark shades at all times. He is full of himself, he is loud and isn't afraid to speak his mind. He has a very controlling attitude in which everything has to go his way.

Erika (played by Valerie) is dressed in very baggy clothing. She has a black snapback hat on worn backwards with a bandanna. She is somewhat quiet and does not have many friends. She is extremely intelligent and is often prejudged or misunderstood.      

There will be behind the scenes and blooper footage as well. This project will also be accompanied with a lesson plan and discussion session speaking about the ills of discrimination and the need for more tolerance to individuals differences and preferences. It is also designed as  additional training to teach our students how to become better presenters and performers at the Jersey Explorer Children's Museum, which is the Jersey City, NJ Youth Corps work-site. In addition, our students will learn about shooting, editing and producing short video projects. Below are a few shots from the shoot.

East Orange, NJ Great Pumpkin Carving and Haunted House (Part 1)

Saturday October 25th, the Jersey Explorer Children's Museum hosted a wonderful community event -  The Great Pumpkin Carving and Haunted House spectacular! The brand new staff and students of NJ Youth Corps did an amazing job working countless hours in support of this function. Councilwoman Andrea McPhatter in collaboration with the Powerzone Foundation, First Friday Youth Commission and other valuable supporters brought together families in Essex County for a theme of spooky celebration and fun!

NJ Youth Corps were dressed for the occasion with scary costumes and eye popping makeup to match! Over a hundred guests attended the festivities and had a glorious time. There were guided tours through our popular exhibits such as the Ancient Tomb and Jukebox, all specially decorated with a Halloween twist.  Special thanks to all of our volunteers and attendees! Our pumpkin carvers were extremely creative with their designs. Check out some cool pictures below. 

NJ Youth Corps visit Newark Museum (Part 1)

On October 3rd, NJ Youth Corps visited the Newark Museum for research, developmental purposes and knowledge building for our students. After a light lunch in the area, we arrived at the museum in the afternoon and began our self guided tour. A definite highlight was the Ballantine House mansion, which was originally built in 1885. The luxurious home was built for the wealthy Ballatine family, who were owners and creators of Ballantine Ale/Beer. It is located in an upper wing at the museum.

We were also just in time with the debut of Newark Museum's latest exhibit "Great Balls Of Fire". (Comets, Asteroids and Meteors) It was created by the Space Science Institute with additional funding by NASA and the National Science Foundation. Our students were very hands on with the new projects that were available in this particular exhibit.

 

The trip gave our students who are also staff of the Jersey Explorer Children's Museum, an opportunity to see how other facilities that provide similar resources are ran. In addition, they were exposed to ancient Korean collectibles (Land Of The Diamond Mountains), GenFit - an exhibit that focused on interactive exercise plus healthy eating, and finally Chinese artifacts and religious culture. We all had a informative time that was every bit of thought provoking as it was fun.