Red Dog Children's Museum

01/19/2026

Dr. King believed change begins with how we treat one another.
This week, we’re sharing why his message still matters—and how families can carry it forward through everyday moments with their children.
✨ Click to read more:

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01/17/2026

🧠✨ Kid Inventors’ Day | January 17

Today we’re celebrating Kid Inventors’ Day, held on the birthday of Benjamin Franklin—who started inventing as a kid! 🧪⚡

And he’s not alone…

• Chester Greenwood invented earmuffs at age 15 because his ears were cold while ice skating
• Frank Epperson invented the Popsicle at age 11 by accident
• Louis Braille created Braille as a teenager so people who are blind could read
• Gitanjali Rao began inventing at age 11 to solve real-world problems like unsafe water

What did they all have in common?
✨ They were curious
✨ They noticed problems
✨ They were willing to try
✨ They weren’t afraid to fail

At Red Dog Children’s Museum, we believe invention starts with play, questions, and imagination—not perfection.

💬 Your turn:
If you could invent anything, what would it be?
Drop your idea in the comments—we can’t wait to read them! 🦬❤

01/16/2026

🐉 Happy Appreciate a Dragon Day! (January 16th)🐉

Appreciate a Dragon Day began when author Donita K. Paul wanted to celebrate the publishing of her first fantasy novel “Dragonspell”, part of the five-volume series, The DragonKeeper Chronicles.

Did you know dragons have appeared in stories and legends all over the world for thousands of years? From fierce fire-breathers in Western myths to wise, powerful symbols of good fortune in Eastern cultures, dragons have always sparked imagination, courage, and creativity.

Long before dinosaurs were understood, people may have even believed dragons were real—giant bones and fossils helped fuel the legends! Over time, dragons became beloved characters in stories that teach bravery, friendship, and curiosity.

Today is the perfect day to:
✨ Read a dragon story
🎨 Create dragon art
🔥 Imagine your own mythical creature
📚 Learn how stories shape the way we see the world

📖 Recommended Reads for Kids & Families:

🐲 Picture Books (Ages 3–8)

The Paper Bag Princess – Robert Munsch
A clever princess outsmarts a dragon and rewrites the fairy-tale rules.

Dragons Love Tacos – Adam Rubin
Silly, high-energy fun with dragons who love tacos… just not spicy salsa.

There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon – Jack Kent
A tiny dragon grows bigger the more he’s ignored — a classic with humor and heart.

How to Catch a Dragon – Caryl Hart
A fun, imaginative dragon-hunting adventure with bright illustrations.

Zog – Julia Donaldson
A lovable dragon learns that being kind matters more than being fierce.

📘 Early Readers & Chapter Books (Ages 5–9)

My Father’s Dragon – Ruth Stiles Gannett
A timeless adventure about a boy named Elmer who rescues a baby dragon using clever thinking and kindness.

Dragon Masters – Tracey West
Short chapters, exciting adventures, and lots of dragons — great for emerging readers.

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart – Stephanie Burgis
A dragon who turns human and discovers chocolate, friendship, and courage.

Dragon Slippers – Jessica Day George
A clever fantasy about dragons, princesses, and choosing your own path.

📚 Middle Grade Dragon Adventures (Ages 8–12)

How to Train Your Dragon – Cressida Cowell
The book series that inspired the films — funny, adventurous, and heart-filled.

Wings of Fire – Tui T. Sutherland
A wildly popular dragon-POV fantasy series with epic storytelling.

Dealing with Dragons – Patricia C. Wrede
A princess who chooses to live with dragons instead of waiting to be rescued.

DragonKeeper Chronicles - Donita K. Paul
Follows a young dragon keeper-in-training who, alongside dragons and unlikely allies, must grow in courage and wisdom while protecting a fragile world from rising darkness and ancient threats.

The Last Dragon Chronicles – Chris d’Lacey
Mystery, magic, and tiny clay dragons that come to life.

🧸 Board Books & Younger Readers

Dear Dragon – Josh Funk
A sweet story about friendship, identity, and self-acceptance.

Leo Loves Dragons – Anna McQuinn
Simple, joyful, and perfect for toddlers.

Dragons remind us that imagination has no limits—and that stories can help us explore big ideas in magical ways. 🐲💫
What’s your favorite dragon story? Drop it in the comments!

01/12/2026

✨ A new year. A big possibility.
Thanks to our incredible community, we’ve taken a major step forward — and what happens next could change everything.
👉 Click to see how your support is helping turn $50,000 into something even bigger:

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01/11/2026

🧩 January 11 – National Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day

Did you know people once sent messages using dots and dashes instead of phones or texts? 📡
Today is the perfect day to explore Morse code—one of the earliest forms of long-distance communication!

Learning Morse code helps kids build:
✨ Pattern recognition
✨ Problem-solving skills
✨ Early coding concepts
✨ An understanding of how communication has evolved

🔤 Try this fun activity at home:
• Write your child’s name in Morse code
• Create a dots-and-dashes art project
• Tap out secret messages and decode them together

👉 Helpful tool:
Use this free Morse Code Translator to get started:
🔗 https://morsecode.world/international/translator.html

It’s a fun, hands-on way to mix creativity, history, and STEM learning—all through play.

💬 Let’s have some fun:
Can you write your name in Morse code? Drop it in the comments and see if someone can decode it!

At Red Dog Children’s Museum, we love helping kids discover how the world connects—one dot and dash at a time. 🦬❤️

The translator can translate between Morse code and Latin, Hebrew, Arabic and Cyrillic alphabets. It can play, flash or vibrate the Morse code. You can also save the sound and share a link to use it to send messages to your friends. The speed, Farnsworth speed and frequency of the sound are all full...

01/05/2026

Southwest Kansas, this one’s for you.
Thanks to an incredible act of generosity, we’re closer than ever to making a children’s museum a reality.
👉 Read how belief turned into momentum: https://rdcm.org/blog/f/donor-spotlight---the-anonymous-donors

01/04/2026

🧠✨ World Braille Day | January 4

Today we’re celebrating World Braille Day, a reminder that there are many ways to read, learn, and experience the world.

Braille helps people who are blind or have low vision read through touch instead of sight — and it’s a wonderful way to teach kids about accessibility, empathy, and inclusion.

👆 Try this at home:
• Let your child feel different textures and guess what they are
• Print a Braille alphabet and find letters in their name
• Close your eyes and “read” using only touch

These simple activities help kids understand that everyone learns differently — and that those differences make our world stronger.

💬 Let’s talk:
What’s one way your family practices kindness or inclusion?
Tell us in the comments!

At Red Dog Children’s Museum, we believe learning should be for every child — and that curiosity grows when we learn to see the world through someone else’s eyes. 🦬❤️

01/01/2026

🎉 New Year, New Curiosities! 🎉

A new year is the perfect time to pause, dream, and ask a simple question:

💭 What do you want to learn this year?

When it comes to kids, goal-setting doesn’t have to mean pressure or perfection. In fact, the best goals are:
• Curious, not complicated
• Fun, not forced
• About learning, not winning

🧠 Try this with your child today:
Instead of asking “What do you want to be?” try asking:
✔️ What do you want to try?
✔️ What makes you curious?
✔️ What do you want to get better at?

It could be anything — drawing, building, reading, making friends, asking questions. Those little ideas grow into confidence, creativity, and a love of learning.

And now… your turn. 👀
✨ What do you want to learn or grow in this year?
Drop it in the comments — big or small. We’d love to hear.

Here’s to a year of curiosity, courage, and discovery.
Happy New Year from all of us at Red Dog Children’s Museum 🦬♥️🥳

12/31/2025

What Is New Year’s Eve?

New Year’s Eve is a time when people say goodbye to the old year and get ready to welcome a new one. Families celebrate with fun traditions like counting down to midnight, making noise, and sharing hopes or goals for the year ahead. It’s a time to reflect, celebrate, and look forward to fresh beginnings.

¿Qué es la Nochevieja / Año Nuevo?

La Nochevieja es el momento en que las personas se despiden del año que termina y se preparan para recibir el nuevo. Las familias celebran con tradiciones divertidas como la cuenta regresiva a la medianoche, hacer ruido y compartir deseos o metas para el año que comienza. Es un tiempo para reflexionar, celebrar y pensar en nuevos comienzos.

12/26/2025

What Is Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa is a celebration of culture, community, and family. It lasts seven days and honors important values called the Nguzo Saba, like kindness, teamwork, creativity, and helping one another. Families celebrate by lighting candles, sharing stories, enjoying music, and spending time together while honoring African heritage.

¿Qué es Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa es una celebración de la cultura, la comunidad y la familia. Dura siete días y honra valores importantes llamados los Nguzo Saba, como la bondad, el trabajo en equipo, la creatividad y el apoyo mutuo. Las familias celebran encendiendo velas, compartiendo historias, disfrutando de música y pasando tiempo juntas mientras honran la herencia africana.

12/25/2025

🎉🎄 YOU DID IT, SOUTHWEST KANSAS! 🎄🎉

Thanks to an incredibly generous anonymous donor, we didn’t just close the gap—we crossed the finish line and reached our $50,000 Christmas goal. You truly saved Christmas! 🥳

(If you missed the fun, be sure to check out “A High Plains Christmas Miracle” Episodes 1–5—where Trevor helped get the reindeer stable heater back up and running so Santa could take off on time!)

To everyone who donated, shared, encouraged, or believed—thank you. This milestone happened because of you. We truly could not have done it without this community.

So...What’s Next?

We’re putting the final touches on our grant application and will be submitting it to the state very soon. This spring, we’ll find out whether we’ve been awarded the matching grant, which could double this impact.

While we wait, Red Dog Children’s Museum will be anything but stationary. There’s still important prep work ahead for construction, and our roaming museum will be gearing up to hit the road again for the 2026 season. It’s shaping up to be a big, exciting year!

And just because the matching grant deadline has passed doesn’t mean the journey is over. Renovations are a major investment, and continued support is deeply appreciated as we move forward.

👉 Donate here: https://givebutter.com/BuildRDCM 👈

From our family to yours—thank you for your generosity, belief, and holiday spirit.

We can’t wait to welcome you into our new space.

🎄 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 🎄

🎉🎄 ¡LO LOGRARON, SUROESTE DE KANSAS! 🎄🎉

Gracias a un donante anónimo increíblemente generoso, no solo cerramos la brecha—cruzamos la meta y alcanzamos nuestro objetivo navideño de $50,000. ¡Verdaderamente salvaron la Navidad! 🥳

(Si te perdiste la diversión, asegúrate de ver “A High Plains Christmas Miracle” Episodios 1–5, donde Trevor ayudó a poner nuevamente en funcionamiento el calefactor del establo de los renos para que Santa pudiera despegar a tiempo).

A todos los que donaron, compartieron, animaron o creyeron en este sueño—gracias. Este logro fue posible gracias a ustedes. Realmente no podríamos haberlo hecho sin esta comunidad.

Entonces… ¿qué sigue?

Estamos dando los últimos retoques a nuestra solicitud de subvención y la presentaremos al estado muy pronto. Esta primavera sabremos si hemos sido seleccionados para recibir la subvención de contrapartida, lo que podría duplicar este impacto.

Mientras esperamos, Red Dog Children’s Museum no estará quieto ni un momento. Aún queda trabajo importante de preparación antes de la construcción, y nuestro museo itinerante se está preparando para volver a recorrer la región en la temporada 2026. ¡Se perfila como un año grande y emocionante!

Y solo porque la fecha límite de la subvención haya pasado no significa que el camino haya terminado. Renovar un espacio requiere una inversión significativa, y el apoyo continuo es profundamente apreciado mientras avanzamos.

👉 Dona aquí: https://givebutter.com/BuildRDCM
👈

De nuestra familia a la tuya—gracias por tu generosidad, tu fe y tu espíritu navideño.

Estamos ansiosos por darte la bienvenida a nuestro nuevo espacio.

🎄 ¡Feliz Navidad y Felices Fiestas! 🎄

12/25/2025

What Is Christmas?

Christmas is a holiday celebrated by many families around the world. For Christians, it celebrates the birth of Jesus. For others, it’s a time to share kindness, give gifts, and spend time with loved ones. Lights, music, stories, and traditions help remind us of joy, generosity, and caring for one another.

¿Qué es la Navidad?

La Navidad es una celebración que muchas familias alrededor del mundo observan. Para los cristianos, celebra el nacimiento de Jesús. Para otras personas, es un tiempo para compartir bondad, dar regalos y pasar tiempo con sus seres queridos. Las luces, la música, las historias y las tradiciones nos recuerdan la alegría, la generosidad y el cuidado mutuo.