Stepping Stones Museum for Children Presents Its Annual NanoDays Celebration, 3/29-4/6

Sometimes the smallest elements can have the biggest impact. In its trademark play-driven manner, Stepping Stones Museum for Children will highlight the study of nanoscience during its annual NanoDays celebration from Saturday, March 29 to Sunday, April 6.

Small definitely doesn't equal insignificant when it comes to the study of nanoscience, and small definitely will not be a word used to describe the museum's celebration of NanoDays. The event will kick off on Saturday, March 29 with the museum's first annual NanoFestival. Much more fun than a science class, the NanoFestival will give children the opportunity to imagine, discover and explore a world that's too small to see. They'll experience nanoscale science, technology and engineering through hands-on activities and a live performance of Attack of the Nanoscientist.

The NanoFestival schedule will include Nano Science from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Build a Nanotube from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Attack of the Nanoscientist performances at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

The Nano Science workshop will allow children to delve into fun, hands-on activities that explore the miniscule world of atoms, molecules and nanoscale forces and discover the big deal about the smallest science.

At the Build a Nanotube session, children can lend a hand in building a giant model of an innovative, nano-sized molecule: a carbon nanotube.

The Attack of the Nanoscientist performances feature a supervillain from the future who attempts to conquer the play's audience using nanoscience. Can a real nanoscientist step in and save the day? Find out.

NanoDays will continue at Stepping Stones from Sunday, March 30 to Sunday, April 6, excluding Monday, March 31, when the museum will be closed. Stepping Stones will feature a Nanoscience activity each day in the Light Gallery from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and a daily performance of Attack of the Nanoscientist in the Multimedia Gallery at 1 p.m. from Tuesday, April 1 to Thursday, April 3.

NanoDays at Stepping Stones is part of a nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering. NanoDays is organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), and takes place nationally from March 29 through April 6. This community-based event is the largest public outreach effort in nanoscale informal science education and involves science museums, research centers and universities from Puerto Rico to Alaska.

For more information about NanoDays at Stepping Stones, please visit http://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.

About the NISE Network
The Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net) is a national community of researchers and informal science educators dedicated to fostering public awareness, engagement, and understanding of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. The NISE Network community in the United States is led by 14 organizations, and includes hundreds of museums and universities nationwide. NISE Net was launched in 2005 with funding from the National Science Foundation, and received a five-year renewal in 2010.

Through products like NanoDays, the NISE Network is actively building partnerships between science museums and research centers to increase their capacity to engage the public in learning about nanoscale science and engineering. For more information about NISE Net, please visit http://www.nisenet.org/nanodays.

About the company:
Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, CT, is an award-winning, private, non-profit 501(c)(3) children's museum committed to broadening and enriching the lives of children and families. Located on five acres in Mathews Park, the LEED Gold certified museum encompasses five hands-on galleries, state-of-the-art Multimedia Gallery, Family and Teacher Resource Center, cafe and retail store.

Stepping Stones is located at 303 West Ave., exit 14N or 15S off I-95 in Norwalk. Museum hours are from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday from Labor Day through Memorial Day, and Monday through Sunday from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Admission is $15 for adults and children and $10 for seniors. Children under 1 are free. To learn more, call 203-899-0606 or visit http://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.