As the summer draws to a close, the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire prepares for the Fall crowds and says farewell to some summer time discounts. The museum stays open through Labor Day weekend ending Sunday, September 3, 9am-Noon. Then the museum closes for its annual maintenance weeks from Monday, September 4 through Friday, September 15, reopening on Saturday, September 16th. 

Also coming to an end is the museum’s Blue Star Museum Military Discount program, sponsored by Service Credit Union. This popular program offers free admission to all military personnel, including veterans and their families, from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day. As of this release, over 1,300 military family members utilized this discount to visit the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire this summer. When the museum reopens on September 16th, Military families will be able to enjoy half-off admission through Armed Forces Day in May, 2024, also supported by Service Credit Union.

The museum is also wrapping up its free admission for Childcare Providers from NH Licensed centers or facilities after September 3. This free admission was part of a prestigious IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) INSPIRE grant the museum was awarded to help launch a series of educational initiatives designed to help providers and families implement enriching, engaging, and developmentally appropriate play-based learning activities for kids from birth to age 5. Beyond the free admission for NH Childcare providers, which was utilized by over 260 educators, other museum initiatives included Teacher Workshops, Play Based Learning tips and project ideas, and physical kits full of high quality Play Based Learning toys, curated by museum educators, and gifted to over 80 childcare facilities and libraries across the state. When the museum reopens on September 16, teachers who teach Pre-K through 5th grade will still continue to enjoy half-off their museum admission. 

CMNH Members had a blast this summer with their Messy Member Monday exclusive playtime out on the museum’s Play Patio, featuring mud, paint, and slime! As the cooler fall weather starts, no more Messy Member Mondays, but in October the museum will start to welcome Members inside the museum exhibits on the first Monday of the month for exclusive Member Monday Hours from 9-11am. Free as always for Members, but online reservations required. Also ending after August 31st is a Member Reciprocity with the Seacoast Science Center in Rye. “We love doing different admission reciprocity programs with other institutions,” shared Leila McRae, Membership Manager. “This August we welcomed over 200 Seacoast Science Center members into CMNH to play for free, and our members can enjoy free admission into their great facility as well.” Upcoming admission reciprocity programs include an agreement with Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth and the NH Farm Museum in Milton - see website for details: https://childrens-museum.org/membership/member-perks 

The museum continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary year into the Fall with an upcoming CMNH Birthday Party on Saturday, September 23. Summer birthday events included a $1 Dover Resident Day, which over 60 Dover residents utilized, and a $1 Family Fun Day during which the museum welcomed over 440 individuals for $1 each, the same admission it charged when it opened its doors 40 years ago! Affordable admission for all is something the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is very passionate about. When the museum reopens on September 16th, it will continue to offer all EBT and WIC cardholders $3/person admission, a popular discount which over 3,000 individuals have benefited from so far this year.

The start of Fall also means back-to-school fun, and the Children’s Museum of NH is continuing to offer free and reduced Field Trips for Title 1 schools. Any NH Title 1 schools interested in booking a free Self-Guided Visit, or a Group Visit + STEAM Workshop, they must book for a date before March 2024. Available dates can be found online at: https://childrens-museum.org/outreach/field-trips . And for those schools wishing to visit who aren’t Title 1 Schools, the museum is offering 20% off your visit if you book a trip for October or November of 2023. “We know teachers love to save those field trips for the end of the school year, but those dates go quickly, so we hope offering a discount will convince them to visit us before the holidays!” shared Education Director Xanthi Gray. 

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire reopens with Fall Hours on Saturday, September 16, 2023: Wednesdays - Saturdays, 9am-Noon or 1-4pm; Tuesdays & Sundays, 9am-Noon. Online reservations are required as the museum has a capacity limit, and uses online reservations to help everyone have the best visit possible: https://childrens-museum.org/visit/info