Fly through the DeVos Place on a zip line

 The zip line will once again fly through the DeVos Place, along with the annual Kids & Family Expo. This community expo will be held on Saturday, January 27, and will focus on interactive areas, educational fun, and family activities all while encouraging families to be active and engage in family bonding time.

Cabin fever will hit in January, and this Expo will encourage families to play, celebrate, be active, explore, build, learn, and discover.  Families Matter and this expo will encourage family bonding time along with some moving and creative mind activities. Fun for the whole family!

Featured areas and activities include Zip line; Cow Belly Bounce House; Inflatable Obstacle Course; 40 ft. Art Wall; Mechanical Surfboard; Snowflake Station; live puppet performances; music performances; petting zoo; LEGO build area; reptile and amphibian exhibit; and more.

 This community event helps support the be nice. initiative, an anti-bullying program in local schools through the Mental Health Foundation. “Schools who participate in the postcard distribution will have an opportunity to raise funds for the be nice. initiative.  It is a way for us to give back and support a great program,” says Pam Glass, President of Kohler Expos, Inc., the company that produces the event.

“What we promote, teach and encourage in a family fun environment can only secure the future of the community. We need strong family fun, creative solutions, and community engagement,” states Glass. 

Attendees will have the opportunity to sign up for “Family Fun Bucket Prizes” that will include gift certificates and passes to area attractions, restaurants, prizes and activities. Drawings on the hour, every hour at the entrance!

The Kids & Family Expo is scheduled from 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday, January 27, 2018.  Public is invited. Tickets available at www.KohlerExpo.com. Heated parking is conveniently located underneath DeVos Place off the Michigan Street entrance. For more information, please go to www.kohlerexpo.com or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/925176160980918/.

This holiday season, give a gift that inspires endless wonder—a book!
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(StatePoint) No matter who is on your list this holiday season, great books make for great gifts.

Here are five titles to consider giving knowledge-seekers to enjoy during the season, or as stocking stuffers:

Gem Lovers

Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution, “Gem” is a visual guide to precious and semiprecious stones, organic gems, and precious metals, and features over 1,000 specially commissioned images. “Gem” reveals the science, natural history, mythology, and true stories behind the most celebrated gems and jewel-laden artifacts, including the Hope Diamond and Queen Elizabeth’s pelican brooch.

Readers can learn about the exquisite jewelry of cultures around the world, find out what characteristics are needed for a record-breaking gem, and follow the history of the world’s most famous jewelry houses and designers.

Star Gazers

Chart the wonders of the cosmos with “The Stars.” Packed with three-dimensional artworks of each constellation and new imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope, ground-based observatories and more, this guide features fascinating objects like glittering star-birth nebulae and supermassive black holes.

The position, size and color of every night-sky object are revealed and a three-dimensional model of the celestial sphere that surrounds Earth charts all 88 constellations. From the Big Bang to the search for extraterrestrial life, astronomy and cosmology topics are covered in an easy-to-digest visual format.

Automotive Enthusiasts

Classic car collectors and enthusiasts will enjoy “Classic Car,” a visual guide created in association with the Smithsonian Institution. Featuring the most iconic classics of every decade from the 1940s to the 1980s from the Aston Martin DB5 to the Chevrolet Corvette, the book offers detailed profiles of trademark models, as well as the famous designers and manufacturers behind them, featuring more than 1,300 photographs and two prints suitable for framing.

Inventors

Readers can build and explore 28 kid-safe experiments, crafts and activities with “Maker Lab.” Created in association with the Smithsonian Institution and supporting STEAM education initiatives, the book will get young inventors’ wheels turning, making science fun.

Explaining science through photographs, facts and real-world examples, each activity is appropriate for kids ages 8-12 years old. Requiring only household materials, young makers can build an exploding volcano; make bath fizzies; construct a solar system; and more.

Budding Builders

Encourage builders to look at their LEGO bricks in new, creative ways with “365 Things to do with LEGO Bricks,” an interactive book featuring imaginative play and building ideas, from projects that take just a few minutes to those that keep one occupied for hours.

Activities include building a LEGO pet, challenging friends to make the tallest tower while working against the clock, and organizing a LEGO bricks treasure hunt.

American Girl Fans

Offer American Girl fans a treasured bookshelf addition with “American Girl: Ultimate Visual Guide,” which includes images of every BeForever and Girl of the Year doll, an expanded section on the TrulyMe dolls and a detailed timeline of the company. Readers can learn about favorite dolls, historical eras, outfits, pets, accessories and more.

Students entering first through fourth grades can apply basic engineering and architectural principles using unique LEGO® kits during three summer camps at Montcalm Community College.

“Dreamworld” is July 20-23 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. daily. This four-day camp combines elements of engineering and architecture. Students will learn fundamental architectural principles, and general application of design principles for houses and commercial buildings. They will build a pullback car, summerhouse and restaurant.

“Pullback Frenzy” is July 20-23 from 6 to 9 p.m. daily. This four-day camp is designed to stimulate problem-solving and creativity. Students will build up to 15 cars while becoming mini-engineers. They will learn concepts such as gravity, potential energy and kinetic energy.

“Journey into Space” is July 27-30 from 5 to 8 p.m. daily. This four-day camp develops campers’ architecture and design skills, problem-solving and team building. Students will learn the importance of simple machines while building a spaceship and Apollo pullback car.

Each camp meets on MCC’s Greenville campus. The camp director is Bradley Davison and the cost is $59.

“We chose these camps because they focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and math, or S.T.E.A.M.,” MCC Dean of Community & Workforce Education Susan Hatto said. “These encourage, educate and prepare today’s youth to pursue careers in S.T.E.A.M.-related fields through fun, interactive activities. Focusing on the classes that use unique LEGO® kits in particular is a great start for even the youngest of learners. Children enjoy playing with these blocks at home, so combining one of their favorite toys with learning is a great way to teach science and technology skills.”

All three camps utilize kits from All About Learning, Inc. Children will not keep the building kits. For more information, visit their website at www.allaboutlearning.co/. To register, visit www.montcalm.edu/camps.