BOO!seum weekend is in full swing with The Cosmic Candy Caper

BOO!seum weekend is in full swing with The Cosmic Candy Caper   MIDDLE SCHOOL FRIGHT NIGHT, TINY TOTS HALLOWEEN BALL, COSMIC CANDY CAPER & MORE!  Greenville, SC - October 22, 2013 -  What exactly is BOO!seum? Start with a dash of excitement for middle-schoolers with a popular Fright Night dance party on Friday. Then, add a pinch of fun for the littlest ghouls and goblins at the Tiny Tots Halloween Brunch on Saturday morning. Lastly, stir in spooktacular activities all day Saturday and Sunday with an original, interactive live performance called the Cosmic Candy Caper - and you've got it....BOO!seum.    The COSMIC CANDY CAPER show times are 1pm and 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Sponsored in part by The Metropolitan Arts Council, this musical theatre performance was developed and performed in partnership with the Warehouse Theatre.      BOO!seum has a long-standing tradition at TCMU, beginning as a fundraising and awareness building initiative many years before the museum opened.  The year's Boo!seum will build on this history by expanding the perfoming arts and emphasizing the important role that the arts and our local arts community play in the visitor experience at the museum. "The Warehouse Theatre is proud to be partnering with The Children's Museum of The Upstate on this project," says Anne Tromsness, Education Director. "As a theatre which focuses on excellence in both our productions and our educational outreach, we welcome the chance to support the Boo!seum, as it reaches hundreds of upstate children, using the theatrical art form to entertain as well as educate."     The interactive, musical performance, Cosmic Candy Caper, will provide a unique opportunity to integrate two of TCMU's core program areas - the C.A.T.C.H. (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) health and wellness curriculum which is the official curriculum for Greenville County Schools used by more than 9,000 school districts across North America - and the museum's commitment to high-quality, engaging arts experience. This original  show written just for The Children's Museum of the Upstate will feature the popular alien characters from the C.A.T.C.H. curriculum.  Throughout the play, the aliens will teach our earth children about the importance of making healthy eating choices and being physically active every day, within the context of Halloween.  The show is appropriate for very young children.     The Children's Museum of the Upstate (TCMU) is known for interactive, informal learning opportunities that reinforce standards-based learning that children receive in school or at home. TCMU's exhibits and programming focus largely on STEAM learning, which highlights Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics as building blocks for achievement. The inclusion of "art" is especially important to learning. As detailed in a 2002 study by Americans for the Arts, arts learning stimulates and develops the imagination and critical thinking; refines cognitive, creative, and problem-solving skills; encourages goal-setting; and builds self-esteem and self-confidence, among many other benefits. It also serves as a valuable tool for approaching academic learning, as arts integration programs such as MAC's SmartArts have successfully illustrated.   TCMU has a strong track record of weaving both arts learning and art appreciation into their programming, particularly in the Off the Wall Studio, a space dedicated to guided and self-directed hands-on arts activities that introduce a range of art materials and processes to visitors.   To ensure that all of Greenville's families are able to experience this process, TCMU is committed to broad access to our exhibits and programming. TCMU's Fund-A-Family program, offered in partnership with eighteen local United Way-affiliated social service organizations, allows the museum to reach families-in-need with free tickets and special programming, and our Scholarship Program connects with local Title I schools and Head Start preschools to help make field trips more affordable for low-income families.       BOO!seum's CATCH curriculum is supported by the Junior League of Greenville, Piedmont Health Foundation, and the Fortune Family Foundation.  "Cosmic Candy Caper" is supported by the Metropolitan Arts Council.  BOO!seum is also supported by Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas.

The Children's Museum of the Upstate sparks a lifelong passion for curiosity and learning through play. In just four years, TCMU has grown into one of Greenville's premier destinations, attracting over 500,000 children and their families from across the region by providing a unique learning experience through interactive exhibits and educational programming. Conveniently located in downtown Greenville, visitors experience 18 exhibit galleries with more than 100 individual exhibit components that offer a continuum of programming in the areas of arts, humanities, sciences, health, nutrition and the environment. At 80,000 square feet, TCMU is the 7th largest children's museum in the country. There are new and exciting programs developed for every age level to stimulate creativity and stir the imagination. This state-of-the-art museum is designed to encourage learning and exploration, inspiring curiosity for a lifetime.  For more information, visitwww.tcmupstate.org.