MY VISIT TO THE DIMENNA CHILDREN'S HISTORY MUSEUM!



On Friday August 17th I had the pleasure of traveling to New York City to visit the New York Historical Society and especially the new DIMENNA CHILDREN'S HISTORY MUSEUM!!

I had anticipated this visit since the museum's opening in November of 2011.  The Children's Museum is a museum FOR children on the history OF children and includes a multi-exhibited area where children can learn about the boys and girls who rode the Orphan Trains.  There were many hands on learning opportunities.  My favorite was a large map of the United States.  Children could choose a state, rotate the handle, and read a short story of an individual orphan train rider who traveled to that state.  There was also an exhibit board that displayed actual letters that orphan train riders wrote to The Children's Aid Society keeping them abreast of how things were going for that child in the West.  I have several of these very same letters that Oliver (my grandfather) and his brother Edward wrote in the early 1900's.  If you are in, or travel to the NYC area, be sure and stop by 170 Central Park West to see this unique museum!  BRING KIDS!!!


Also during my visit, I stopped by the museum's library and discovered that a contact to Lukas Weinstein at the Children's Aid Society, will afford me the opportunity to research the CAS records for additional information on my grandfather and his brother and perhaps even a picture!  No known picture of Edward Nordmark exists so perhaps there is one tucked away in his CAS file.  I will be trying to find out......


And finally, I stopped by the Gift Shop where I found my friend Rene Wendinger's Book on sale.  I spoke with the staff of the Gift Shop and was given a contact to see if my two books might be added to the shop's offering on this subject. 

The weather was perfect, Central Park was lovely, and the bus ride was uneventful....a GREAT DAY to say the least!  

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!

How shameful to log onto my BLOG and see that my last entry was May 7th! Unfortunately, life can sometimes get in the way of the things we really want to be doing and that is the case for me I am afraid. But, with the pieces of my life falling - finally - somewhat into place, I am again focusing on the thing that I love to do most.....spread the word of the Orphan Train Movement to just about anyone who will listen!

I completed the 2010-2011 school year with a wonderful SKYPE AN AUTHOR presentation to the students of John B. Dey Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia and am working to add more SKYPE visits to my school calendar for the new school year. In fact, I just received an email from a teacher on Long Island who will be using my books in her classroom this Fall and is interested in a SKYPE visit once they have finished reading. SKYPE is an amazing way for schools to 1. bring an author into the classroom and 2. save lots of money, which schools have very little of anyway. If you are a Teacher, a Media Specialist, or have children in 3rd-6th grade, spread the word about this great resource and help me bring the history of our OT Riders back into our school curriculum!

School visits as well as presentations through the DE HUMANITIES FORUM are also on my agenda and on October 6th I will be signing books at the SENIOR/BABY BOOMER EXPO at the Timonium Fairgrounds in Towson MD from 3-5 pm. In Novemeber I will be visiting and speaking with the residents of Normandy Estates Retirement Community in Blue Bell, PA. This is another great venue since seniors are almost always interested in history - especially a piece of history they never knew existed.

And my final update for now..... The long awaited opening of the DiMenna Children's History Museum in New York City is nearly here - NOVEMBER 11th! I will keep you posted :)

So, I hope I havent lost too many of you to my long absence.....please stay tuned for what I hope will finally be regular postings.

---- Donna Nordmark Aviles

DiMENNA CHILDRENS HISTORY MUSEUM - UPDATE!

Work is underway and on track for the Fall 2011 opening of the DiMenna Children's History Museum in NYC which will be a museum FOR CHILDREN all about the history OF CHILDREN. An entire pavilion will focus on the ORPHAN TRAIN children who traveled from NYC to the Midwest in search of homes.

From the Associated Press....... NEW YORK- The New York Historical Society is closing its galleries for nine months to complete the lst phase of a $65 million renovation of its 1904 building.
The research library and museum near Central Park focuses on material covering four centuries of American and NY history. The museum will close on Tuesday Feb. 1 and reopen on November 11th. The renovation will create a new 3,400 Sq ft. great hall, a children's history museum and a restaurant.
The building's library and reading room will remain open until June 3. It will then close for an interior upgrade that includes cleaning its stained glass window for improved lighting. The library will reopen on Sept. 9th.