MouthPower Day, October 9, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sink your teeth into fun for all ages. Find out how to have a sparkling smile and take care of your body too during a FREE day-long festival spotlighting how to get moving, eat healthy, and take care of your teeth. Paint a picture with a toothbrush, learn how to hula hoop, try new nutritious foods, and plant a seed to start your own garden at home. Plus, learn how we get cavities and how to prevent them with hands-on exhibits about brushing and flossing.
EAT HEALTHY - Learn about the food pyramid, portion control and trying new foods, plus plant a seed to start your own garden at home.
GET MOVING - Try your hand at hula hooping, jump roping, and more active fun on the front lawn.
FIND YOUR SMILE - Learn how to paint with a toothbrush and practice brushing and flossing on a giant mouth. Then dress up like a dentist to “examine” your friends in a child-size dental office.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH - Find out why we get cavities and how to prevent them.
MouthPower Day is part of Free Fall Baltimore, a month-long, city-wide arts extravaganza featuring 300 diverse, performances in music, dance and theater, hands-on creative experiences and museum exhibitions throughout Baltimore City.
Tooth Time for Tots - first Fridays at 2 p.m.
Tooth Time for Tots, a new monthly drop-in program for toddlers and their families, features stories, play and hands-on activities. Each program is 30 minutes and is included with regular Museum admission ($7 for adults; $5 for seniors; $3 for kids 3-18; free for age 2 & under and active duty military & immediate family).
“Smart smiles start young,” said National Museum of Dentistry Executive Director Jonathan Landers. “This new program teachers toddlers and their families skills that they will use for a lifetime.”
July 2: Your Daily Routine - Meal time, bath time, nap time, tooth-brushing time—these are things we do every day. Read the book “I Know Why I Brush My Teeth” and explore daily routines.
August 6: Let’s Eat! - Explore the food pyramid through hands-on play, song and sorting. Read “We Eat Food That’s Fresh.”
September 3: A Visit to the Dentist - Help kids understand what happens at the dentist office through observation, dress up, play, and watching Dudley Visits the Dentist. Read “Going to the Dentist.”
October 1: Animal Teeth - Animals use teeth to bite and chew! Explore the wonderful world of animal teeth both big and small through hands-on play, dress up and a craft. Read “Brush Your Teeth Please.”
November 5: The Tooth Fairy - Losing a tooth means a visit from the Tooth Fairy! Explore the world of the Tooth Fairy and read “What Do the Fairies Do With All Those Teeth?”
December 3: Written on Your Face: Emotions - Happy, sad, glad and mad. Our mouth can tell others what mood we are in. Children explore moods and see how to read facial expressions through objects, play and a craft. Read “A Good Day” and discover how bad days can turn into good days!
January 7: People in My Community - Who do you see in your community? Teachers, police, postal workers and dentists are some of the people you find in a town. Dress up, play and explore. What do you want to be when you grow up? Read “What Does a Dentist Do?”
Open Wide! Toothy Toys that Made Us Smile opens Nov 6
Take a trip into the not-so-distant past to discover childhood toys with a toothy twist. Open Wide! Toothy Toys that Made Us Smile will be on view at the National Museum of Dentistry November 6, 2010—January 30, 2011. From Play Doh’s Dr. Drill-n-Fill and Dentist Barbie to an Evel Kneivel battery-operated toothbrush complete with launching ramp, see games, dolls, puzzles and character toothbrushes that will take you back to the days you were missing your two front teeth.
“Times change—and toys reveal what was important to us during certain times in our history,” said National Museum of Dentistry Executive Director Jonathan Landers.
For example, Hopalong Cassidy cowboy toothbrushes were all the rage in the early 1950s when Westerns were popular. Westinghouse made a build-your-own rocket toothbrush during the Space Race in the 1950s. Barbie found a career as a dentist in the 1990s.
“Many of these tooth-related toys are rare windows into our past, while others are still being played with by kids (and adults) today,” he said. “They all show the creative ways we’ve encouraged children to care for their teeth over the years.”
Open Wide! Toothy Toys that Made Us Smile features more than 50 objects, ranging from the original wind-up Yakity Yak chatterteeth created in 1949 to Cabbage Patch dolls with teeth from the 1980s. The exhibit also features vintage toy commercials, comic books, a playable Tooth Invaders video game from 1981, and a hands-on game corner where visitors can try their hand at classic dental themed games like Crocodile Dentist, Mr. Mouth and Hungry Hippos.
This special exhibit is drawn from the National Museum of Dentistry’s 40,000-object collection of dental treasures and the toy collection of guest curator Elaine M. Miginsky, DDS.
EVENTS
Toy Talk
Saturday, November 6, 1 p.m.
Talk to guest curator Elaine M. Miginsky, DDS about how she started collecting dental toys and the unique and wonderful things she has acquired over the years. Free with regular Museum admission.
Downtown Dollar Days
Saturday, December 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday, December 5, 1-4 p.m.
Sink your teeth into family fun with $1 admission all weekend! Don’t miss the special holiday exhibit featuring childhood toys like Mr. Mouth and the Evel Kneivel battery-operated toothbrush and launching ramp that will take you back to the days when you were missing your two front teeth.
Pictured: Build-It Yourself Rocket Toothbrush; Barbie DDS; Evel Knievel battery-powered toothbrush; Tom and Jerry comic book; tin mechanical robot.
