Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine turns 8! If you’re looking for ways to beat the heat, the last full month of the summer is jam-packed with fun educational activities and daily themed events at Pretend City. Hint: There are special discount days for some of them. Their annual “When I Grow Up” Day is the biggest event of the year. With the help of volunteers and a variety of generous professionals from all over the community, children can explore their future and dream big with the help of firefighters, police officers, librarians, and more! They are bringing in a real fire truck for the children to touch and explore, along with multiple professional cars in their free outside exhibit! Other special events to note – National Chocolate Chip Day, Bring a Friend on Friendship Day, Way to Play Day with Free Dental Screenings, Free Family Autism Day, and it’s also the final days of their summer exhibit, “Adventure Under the Sea!” Check the calendar below!
Daily Themes for Adventure Under the Sea!
Note: Daily themes will be excluded on special programming days.
- Mermaid Mondays > 11:00am-12:30pm On Mondays, Mermaids will be visiting Pretend City to share delightful ocean themed stories with the children. There will also be time for photos and meet and greet before and after story time. No Mermaid on August 7th or August 21st.
- Tide Pool Tuesdays > 10:00am-1:00pm On Tuesdays, with the help of local community partners, they will have real and pretend mobile touch tanks here for children to explore sea life and learn strategies for taking care of our ocean creatures. Check their event calendar to see which community partner will be there each week. On weeks that they don’t have a live demo, a pretend play touch tank experience will be provided for the children. No Tide Pool Activity on August 22nd and 29th.
- Water Safety Wednesdays > 12:30pm-1:30pm On Wednesdays, with the help of local water safety organizations and swim schools’ children and grown-ups will learn valuable summertime water safety tips! No lesson on August 16th.
- Think Tank Thursdays > 12:30-1:30pm On Thursdays, STEMgineer will facilitate an educational experience for guests where children will explore science, engineering, technology, and math skills while learning about our oceans, the water cycle, the 3 r’s, sea life, water pollution, waves, water current, and much more! No Think Tank activity on August 10th.
- Fish Fridays > 12:30-1:30pm On Fridays, let’s work with fishy friends to keep our beaches clean as we learn about ocean stewardship with a focus on developing our prosocial skills! No Fish Friday activity on August 4th, 11th, or 18th.
Special Events in August
Friday, August 4th 11am – 4pm National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
Bring your sweet tooth to Pretend City today for National Chocolate Chip cookie Day! Activities are included with museum admission. www.pretendcity.org/event/national-chocolate-chip-cookie-day/
Sunday, August 6th, 11am – 4pm Friendship Day Fun!
The best kinds of SHIPS and FRIENDSHIPS! Bring your friends and make some new ones at Pretend City today! Celebrate friendship with fun-filled activities to help build social skills and confidence! Don’t miss out on making new friends while bonding with your old friends too! Activities are included with museum admission. Have your child invite a friend to Pretend City and receive 50% off general admission for your child’s friend. https://www.pretendcity.org/event/friendship-day-fun/
Monday, August 7th 11am-1pm Let’s Celebrate Raksha Bandhan
In the Hindu religion, Raksha Bandhan or “Rakhi” is a special occasion to celebrate the bond between brother and sister. At Pretend City, they’re celebrating this holiday by recognizing the special bonds we have with all our family members! All of their activities today focus on building bonds with our families and highlighting how much we love them! Activities included in museum admission www.pretendcity.org/event/lets-celebrate-raksha-bandhan/
Thursday, August 10th 10am-2pm Annual When I Grow Up Day
What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s the classic question every child gets as they are growing older. “When I Grow Up Day” lets children explore different jobs and get their little minds thinking big. Professionals from all over the community are coming to Pretend City to share their jobs with all our little friends! Maybe it’s a firefighter, maybe it’s a doctor, maybe it’s a mommy! With this imaginative day, children get to explore the world without leaving Pretend City and get their creative minds dreaming big. Check-ups and activities are included with museum admission www.pretendcity.org/when-i-grow-up-day/
Friday, August 11st 10am-3pm Way to Play Day with FREE Dental Screenings
Way to Play Day is a great resource for parents to see if their child is growing up right on cue! Pretend City is offering ASQ Developmental Check-ups for children from 10am-12pm to gauge whether they’re reaching certain developmental benchmarks! Also, their Way to Play Adventure Guide will help you get the most out of your play experience at Pretend City by suggesting enhanced learning experiences. Check-ups and activities are included with museum admission www.pretendcity.org/event/way-play-day-package-learning-11/
Monday, August 14th 2-3:30 pm Baby Steps through Pretend City
Bring your little ones to Pretend City today for this exclusive infant and young toddler only time. With the combined experience and knowledge of our play partners and trained staff, they will be embracing the colors of the sun, water, and all the summertime flowers! When you register online: $10 per adult, infants and Pretend City Members are FREE! $12 at the door for those that don’t pre-register. www.pretendcity.org/event/baby-steps-pretend-city-14/
Friday, August 18th 11:00am-4pm Homeschool Day
Homeschool friends are invited to Pretend City to get some hands-on experience with their exhibits! At Pretend City, they are all about learning through play and this is the best place to have your students have fun while developing new skills. Pretend City helps children learn problem solving, leadership, and social skills in a fun, inviting environment. Discounted admissions $9.00 per students; $9.00 per adult www.pretendcity.org/event/homeschool-day-3/
Monday, August 21 9am-1pm Solar Eclipse Event & Senior Citizen Day Celebration!
Pretend City will be opening early today for the Total Solar Eclipse Programing. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth! It’s also Senior Citizen Day and they want everyone’s grandparents to join in on the fun! Grandparents (over 65) receives 50% off their admission! Included with Museum Admission. www.pretendcity.org/event/solar-eclipse-event-senior-citizen-day-celebration/
Tuesday, August 22nd 11:00am-4pm Tooth Fairy Day
Pretend City welcomes the Tooth Fairy for a special day! Bring your healthy smiles for their special guest! Included with Museum Admission. www.pretendcity.org/event/tooth-fairy-day/
Monday, August 28 5pm-7:30pm Family Autism Event
Once a month, Pretend City hosts a special night for special needs friends and their families. Come by the museum and PLAY in an autism-friendly environment with the support and help from community partners who specialize in the autism spectrum. They will have staff on-hand to help enrich learning/play experience to its fullest potential. FREE to children on the spectrum or with other disabilities and their immediate family members. www.pretendcity.org/event/family-autism-event-18/
Monday, August 28 5:30-7:30pm Good To Go Workshop: Stress Management for Parents
Every month, Pretend City hosts a workshop dedicated to helping parents and caregivers with their child’s development. This month, Pretend City is focused on helping parents with stress management! These monthly workshops are for parents and caregivers only, no child care will be provided. Fee: $5 for Members of Pretend City and OCAEYC. $10 for Non-members and Guests. www.pretendcity.org/event/good-go-workshop-stress-management-parents/
Tuesday, August 29 11am-4pm Pretend City’s 8th Birthday Bash!
Happy Birthday Pretend City! This Orange County Children’s Museum is turning 8 years old on August 29th! Stop by to celebrate 8 years of OC kids and grown-ups learning through PLAY! Activities included in museum admission. Free admission for ages 8, 80, and 88 years old with valid I.D. www.pretendcity.org/event/pretend-citys-8th-birthday-bash/
Thursday, August 31 11am-4pm Let’s Learn About Hajj!
It’s that time of the year! Muslims across the globe are preparing to leave for Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Stop by Pretend City to learn all about this significant pilgrimage for the Muslim community! Activities included in museum admission. www.pretendcity.org/event/lets-learn-hajj/
Pretend City Children’s Museum
29 HubbleIrvine, CA949.428.3900www.pretendcity.org
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