Weird Science!

Hello Fellow Scientists!

Things are starting to get busy around here at the museum. It helps that this is also my favorite time of the year, Halloween! Words cannot express how excited I am for our Halloween Event on November 1^st.

Earlier last week SMLI was lucky enough to receive an amazing donation of taxidermy birds from the Salerno Family. For those of you who might not know what taxidermy is, it’s the art of preparing, stuffing and mounting the skins of animals. Taxidermy is loved for its beauty and educational value.  I know it might sound a bit strange, and even creepy to some people, but I think of it as a wonderful combination of art and science.

All the donated specimens are from

New York, and there are even a few rare, maybe even endangered species! The SMLI is super excited about this new collection and we are eager to have them on display in the near future.

Have a safe and fun Halloween everyone.  Don’t forget to register for our SMLI Halloween Family Fun Party on November 1^st.  Hope to see you there!!

For more information regarding our Halloween Party or to register, Please visit us at SMLI.org or give us a call at (516) 627-9400 ext. 10

-Caitlin

Off to a Great Start!!!

Hey there!

We have had a fantastic start to the month of October here at SMLI! 

During the first week of October, both of our home school groups met.  We have groups with ages ranging from kindergarten through high school attending these programs on Wednesdays and Fridays. On Wednesday, I showed my class of third- and fourth-graders the reptiles we have at SMLI.  We talked about what is special about the turtles, snakes, and lizards, and what makes each of them different from mammals and each other.  On Friday, Caitlin and I discussed survival skills with the fourth- and fifth-graders.  They learned about the important “Rules of Three,” and then went out into the woods to build their own survival shelters!

This week, we had two fifth-grade classes take a boat trip with some of our teachers, to learn about Manhasset Bay, the Long Island Sound, and some of the amazing marine animals that live there.  The students got to handle creatures such as sea stars, spider crabs, and during one class our boat’s Captain caught a fluke! 

The museum is starting to look really spooky these days, all of the SMLI teachers have started decorating for our Annual SMLI Halloween Party!  We have lots of fun, spook-tacular events planned for the evening.  All who attend will get to do some crafts, make some slime, see and feel some of our creepiest animals, and go on a walk through our haunted woods!

The event will be on Friday, November 1^st from 6:00 – 8:00pm. Registration has already started, and tickets are $15 per child, $5 per adult.

Follow this link for more information.

Also we are in need of volunteers to help make this year's party the best one yet. If you would like to donate your time please give us a call at (516) 627-9400 ext. 14

Have a wonderful weekend, see you soon!

- Stephanie