The Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert, which remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, announced Friday it has begun posting free children's educational programming on its social media pages, such as how to make a water xylophone.
The Rancho Mirage-based nonprofit plans to regularly post activities rooted in STEAM - or science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics - along with cooking workshops and story time hours on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
"We really miss our families at the museum," said Gregoria Rodriguez, the organization's chief programs and exhibits officer, "and we want to stay engaged as a parental partner by offering children meaningful, constructive playtime activities."
Materials needed for the cooking workshops and STEAM activities will
be posted in advance.
STEAM classes are recommended for children ages 5 and older, with parental supervision depending the child's age, museum officials said. Most other online workshops are geared for kids 5 to 9.
Story time hours will be tailored for toddlers and elementary school age children, and will be posted three times a week.
All online programs are free, although museum officials asked for donations in the wake of decreased revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"CDMOD is a private, nonprofit institution that depends on memberships, daily admissions sales and program enrollment as a majority of its revenue," said Carol Scott, the museum's CEO. "This shutdown will be difficult for us to bounce back from."
