Pretend City Children's Museum, is a non-profit organization which stimulates and nurtures the intellectual and creative curiosity of children in an innovative community environment.
Designed as a small city, with a grocery store, construction site, art studio, house, café, bank, emergency services, health center and farm, Pretend City will be a familiar environment in which children infant through eight-years-old will have joyful opportunities to build problem solving and critical thinking skills, develop creativity and begin a life long love of learning.
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Welcome to our online community where you will have access to a wide array of educational tid-bits and take home DIYs that will help you engage, encourage and empower your child's education and developmental growth through their imagination and hands on activities! Every post and activity has been hand selected and designed to educate our parents on the importance of play and exploration just like every exhibit in our museum! We are excited to have you part of our growing community and look forward to you sharing your learning experiences with us!
Mission: Pretend City Builds Better Brains! Pretend City's Good To Go From Head To Toe initiative is designed to educate the community, parents and caretakers about the importance of having children (birth through 5-years-old) receive regular developmental screenings as part of their routine well-child visits. Learn more at www.begood2go.org.
Our question of the day is "How do I deal with feelings of frustration and impatience with my child during COVID19?"
Join us every afternoon to get your questions answered by our education team. Be sure to comment or DM us with questions and concerns you might have about child development and parenting!
#questionofthday #pretendcity #covid19
Happy Mother's Day Weekend! Try this Play @Home science experiment to decorate your home with some beautiful dyed flowers!
Our question of the day is "How do I better manage stress and anxiety brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic?"
Join us every afternoon to get your questions answered by our education team. Be sure to comment or DM us with questions and concerns you might have about child development and parenting!
#questionofthday #pretendcity #covid19
Happy National Teacher Week to all of our amazing educators!
Here's a fun way for your family to thank your teacher from home. #playathome #nationalteacherweek#thankyouteachers
Pretend City LIVE: Join us as we celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Hertitage month with our very special guest dancers! #AsianPacificAmericanHeritageMonth
Is Pretend City still closed? Ye! But, luckily, we are still creating super fun content on our YouTube and social media.
#museumathome #playathome #playtime #childdevelopment
We have reached over 10,000 video views through our channels. Today @ 4p.m., we are hosting a special Q&A with our Director of Education, Ana Page. We're also bringing you more Pretend City @Home Live specials. Join us on ourFB and Insta for more fun and education!
Pretend City Children's Museum's cover photo
We sure do miss a good hug. Developmental delay is often seen in children receiving inadequate sensory stimulation. Touch has emerged as an important modality for the facilitation of growth and development. We know during these tough times, hugs are difficult to come by. Make sure to hug those in your home.
We are just $1,000 dollars away from our goal to complete the Mind+Body Studio. If we get to $3,000, we will go live for the first wall knockdown!
Your participation in #GivingTuesdayNow helps Pretend City expand our mission of promoting young children’s healthy development and wellbeing. Please help us raise $3,000 to complete the project. We are grateful for gifts of any amount. Thank you for giving in anticipation of welcoming you back soon!
Giving Day Your participation in #GivingTuesdayNow helps Pretend City expand our mission of promoting young children’s healthy development and wellbeing. Here’s how…Your special gift today will help us create Pretend City’s new Mind + Body Studio. There’s no question we’re all experienci...
Giving back isn't canceled! Your participation in #GivingTuesdayNow helps Pretend City expand our mission of promoting young children's healthy development and wellbeing. We need to raise $2,500 to complete the project. Thank you for giving in anticipation of welcoming you back soon! Link in Bio to Give!
Ssss...tttt....rrrr...eeee...tttt....cccc....hhhh! Check out Nathalia's stretching video on our IGTV page!
#museumathome #playathome #homestretching #kidsyoga #kids
#childdevelopment
Only one more day! Tomorrow is #GivingTuesdayNow and we need Your help! This is YOUR Museum and we want to make it the absolute BEST it can be. Will you join us?
Giving back isn't canceled! Your participation in #GivingTuesdayNow helps Pretend City expand our mission of promoting young children's healthy development and wellbeing. We need to raise $2,500 to complete the project. Thank you for giving in anticipation of welcoming you back soon! Link in Bio to Give!
Only one more day! Tomorrow is #GivingTuesdayNow and we need Your help! This is YOUR Museum and we want to make it the absolute BEST it can be. Will you join us?
Just one in four children receive any support or treatment for mental health issues. The lack of education and resources results in untreated and unresolved behavioral issues and a lack of development in a child's social-emotional growth.
Please consider Supporting this new exhibit that will help us frame what quality mental health care services mean in the community.
Pretend City is dedicating a redesigned area in the Museum to provide a new exhibit to promote mindfulness and mental health in young children.
Focusing on emotional expression, mindful thinking, and calming physical movement, Mind + Body Studio will be a center for positive mental health engagement.
Stay tuned with how we are planning to make this happen! What do you think?
Join our education team every afternoon for our Question of Day!
We know that COVID-19 may be causing a change of routine for your family and changes in behavior for you child. Our education team is here to support you.
Be sure to DM us any questions you may have about your child's development and we will address it anonymously in one of our daily posts!
Your participation in #GivingTuesdayNow on Tuesday, May 5 is your opportunity to help promote the importance of young children's healthy development and wellbeing. Your special gift on May 5 will help us create Pretend City's new Mind + Body Studio.
Close your eyes and imagine
• A place of tranquility to reset your mind and body when the “outside” world is overwhelming on your child’s social/emotional state
• Breathing exercises to help self-regulation
• Yoga to bring peace throughout your body
• A Peace Center promoting conflict management skills
Join us, May 5, for a Giving Movement.
Having trouble playing with your kids at home? You can try role-play games to keep up their imagination and social-emotional development. Trying playing doctor, grocery store, or restaurant. :)
Have you been to the literacy carpet? It would not be possible without Dr. Linda Clinard. For many years, Linda has joined us for our Baby Steps program on Monday afternoons – sharing her passion for literacy with parents and little ones at The Literacy Carpet. Through kind donations from her friends at Think Together, she has given thousands of parents free books to enjoy with their babies at home. Linda now also joins us during Pretend City’s Baby Steps on Sunday mornings, all during her own time. Linda has been a wonderful asset to Pretend City. Her love for spreading literacy awareness to families through donated books is admirable, but it’s her sweet, kind soul that keeps our families coming back to The Literacy Carpet. She is cherished as an important part of our Pretend City team and we are proud to honor her as our 2020 Spirit of Volunteerism nominee.
Linda is a published author and we feel so lucky to have her expertise. Check out her page for some inspiration on activities you can do at home with your children! https://www.facebook.com/FamilyTimeReadingFun
Pretend City is participating in an important nationwide survey of museums, and we have included a few questions of our own. We would like you to share your thoughts with us on a variety of topics related to the pandemic including reopening and current online programming and services offered. Please take the short survey below and share your thoughts - it is truly appreciated!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SY97CYQ
Create and publish online surveys in minutes, and view results graphically and in real time. SurveyMonkey provides free online questionnaire and survey software.
Pretend City LIVE: Dinosaur loose in the City! #startwithplay #grossmotor #dinosaurs
Painting with broccoli? Who woulda thunk! Your child is building a knowledge base of different sensory experiences, like how it feels to touch different veggies or how it feels to move the brush with different objects and what patterns they create. Pretty fun, right?
There's a DINOSAUR loose in the city! Join us LIVE tomorrow at 10AM to help us catch it! Be sure to comment on tomorrow's LIVE video to be entered in a drawing to win free tickets to the museum!
#grossmotor #dinosaurs #startwithplay
Due to COVID-19, the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards Luncheon will not be held on April 30, 2020 at Disneyland Hotel as originally planned. Instead, they are recognizing honorees via a fun and interactive VIRTUAL celebration! Join them by clicking the link below.
OneOC‘s mission is to “accelerate nonprofit success.” By connecting nonprofits and companies together, we help make greater impact in the communities we serve.
Pretend City is currently accepting applications for the Youth Leadership Council. If your child is between the ages of 12 - 18 in school, they can apply for this unique opportunity to be a leader at Pretend City. This volunteer program challenges students to create new programming and opportunities for our nonprofit educational Museum. Applications are due this week!
https://pretendcity.typeform.com/to/Q6R2W1
Pretend City Children's Museum's cover photo
Do you know a teen who is a developing leader interested in positively impacting their community through philanthropy, education, and awareness? They may be a perfect fit for Pretend City's Youth Leadership Council!
This youth board works alongside museum directors to plan and execute events, fundraise, and raise awareness on various causes related to child development. Applications are due on May 5th and can be found at the link below.
https://www.pretendcity.org/youth-leadership-council/
Become a future leader of our community and join Pretend City Children's Museum's Youth Leadership Council. Open to youth, grades 7-12.
Join us on Thursday at 10AM to see where in the city the dinosaur will go next!
Did you enjoy our social story today? You can download "Something Happened in my City" by Dr. Jenny Yen and read with your children. It's available in 16 languages.
"During times of crisis, children need emotional support from their parents and educators to help them feel safe and secure.
However, it can be challenging for adults to explain distressing, global issues like the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters to their young children in a way that helps them feel better, while presenting factual information that acknowledges the gravity of the situation.
The Social Story Center is an initiative led by the Asian Interest Forum of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Our team draws on research in education and child and adolescent development to create children’s books and teaching materials that help children process crisis events. Our mission is to share knowledge, perspectives, and informational resources for educating and providing optimal and culturally responsive early childhood environments for infants and young children around the world."
All of the materials that we create are free to download and publicly available online.
https://socialstorycenter.com/
Pretend City at Home LIVE: Social Stories "Something Happened in My City"
#autismfriendly #earlychildhood #pretendcity
Today is Super Hero Day!! What superpower are you using at home today?
29 Hubble
Irvine, CA
92618
Hours: Mon 10am-1pm Tues-Sun 10am-5pm Prices: $13.95 per person (children 12 months and younger are FREE!) $11.95 for seniors $10.95 for military and immediate family members* *must show proof of ID $7.45 after 4:00 pm
| Monday | 10:00 - 13:00 |
| Tuesday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Thursday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Sunday | 11:00 - 17:00 |
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Send a message to Pretend City Children's Museum:
Join our education team every afternoon for our Question of Day! We know that COVID-19 may be causing a change of routine for your family and changes in behavior for you child. Our education team is here to support you. Be sure to DM us any questions you may have about your child's development and we will address it anonymously in one of our daily posts!
Pretend City LIVE: Dinosaur loose in the City! #startwithplay #grossmotor #dinosaurs
There's a DINOSAUR loose in the city! Join us LIVE tomorrow at 10AM to help us catch it! Be sure to comment on tomorrow's LIVE video to be entered in a drawing to win free tickets to the museum! #grossmotor #dinosaurs #startwithplay
Join us on Thursday at 10AM to see where in the city the dinosaur will go next!
Pretend City at Home LIVE: Social Stories "Something Happened in My City" #autismfriendly #earlychildhood #pretendcity
We totally #STAN a good cause. Have you ever thought about becoming a PlayBuilder? As a PlayBuilder, your monthly donation will help secure our mission of building better brains. Visit our site to learn more and make an impact in our future.
Pretend City @Home LIVE! Art Studio fun! #artstudio #sensorybag #allagesallabilities
Pretend City LIVE! Let's go on a Grocery Hunt in Trader Joe's - Irvine , CA! #traderjoes #grocerylist #earlylearning
We're all a little salty that we can't play at Pretend City. But don't worry, we are bringing PLAY ideas at home every day. With #PlayatHome you can have your child watch our kid friendly posts to engage and learn. We are going LIVE tomorrow morning. Be sure to tune in to our site to see more!
Pretend City LIVE! Not a Box Show your Not A box in the comments below!
It's Week of the Young Child and Pretend City is providing a bunch of fun activities for you to do at home this week. Comment your favorite below.
Goldfish, Goldfish, What do you see? Will you help us make a goldfish? Show us your creation at home and tag us!
We're playing I Spy! at the Pretend City beach! Are you ready to play? Can you spot all the items Miss Cari sees? Let us know if you got all three in the comments below. If you would like to support Pretend City, visit www.pretendcity.org
This month we are celebrating Light it Up Blue Month or Autism Month! Read this story about our friend with Autism with Miss Cari. :)
We're doing a little throwback to Kidstock last year. Share your kidstock photos so we can share to our stories. Did you have fun at Kidstock last year?
Everyone deserves to be heard, and you have the chance to be a voice for your community by taking the #2020Census. Head to the link in our bio to fill out your form! Or visit the California Census website to fill out your form. Today is Census day so Let's make this COUNT! #Census2020 #2020Census #CaliforniaCount
Does your child worry? Let's read about the little mouse who overcomes her worries with friendship. Let's read together!
Can you spot all the clues with Ms.Cari?
Trader Joe's has plenty to see. Did your little one spot all the items? Want more! Let us know :)
We just miss Ms. Cari storytime. Are you a member? Drop a comment and tell Ms. Cari you say hello!
We are reading Mat Man with Ms. Cari. While you are home we will still be reading our favorite stories. What should we read next?
Pretend City is coming home with you. Let's read Silly Suzy Goose together. Let us know in the comments how much you liked it.
We All Count!! The national census is coming up and we want to make sure every child is counted! Government budgets around $18,000 per child and if parents forget to count their children, this directly impacts their future school success. Let's make sure all children, even babies just 1 day old, are counted. Everyone counts in the U.S.A.
Everyone Counts in the U.S.A. !!! Orange County 2020 Census
The following Census videos will help to explain the importance of the 2020 Census and how to fill it out. We hope you will find them useful as you begin to fill out your census!
We love Bubblepop - Orange County indoor bubble experience!
Since opening ten years ago, Pretend City has welcomed hundreds of thousands of families with programs and services to help children grow up healthy and ready to start school.
Pretend City has grown to be a valuable community resource providing free developing screenings, free health screenings, free autism nights, free lunch and learns, and a free School Readiness Fair and well as serving as a venue for a wide variety of community partners to deliver their programs and workshops.
Offering a variety of classes, cultural activities and special events along with providing the community with a fun party and event venue, Pretend City has grown from a mere idea to a well-respected early childhood educational institution attracting parents, grandparents, school groups and educators from Orange County and well beyond.
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Chocxo Bean to Bar Chocolatier
9461 Irvine Center Dr
UCI Institute and Museum of California Art
18881 Von Karman Avenue, Ste. 100
Beall Center for Art + Technology at UC Irvin
712 Arts Plaza, UC Irvine Campus