Golden Apple: Headwaters Science Center in Bemidji Hosting ‘Tots on Tuesdays’

Headwaters Science Center in Bemidji has held “Tots on Tuesdays” every Tuesday at 10 a.m. since 1999, allowing children of all ages to visit the center and discover more about science and nature through a number of fun activities.

“It started with Ms. Elwell, Laddie Elwell. She always wanted us to cater to all ages and science,” said HSC employee Vanessa Martinez. “And it’s really awesome to carry on that legacy here, ’cause we are the only science museum north of the [Twin Cities] metro area. So that’s been my pleasure here to do science projects with our toddlers.”

“Tots on Tuesdays” isn’t just a program for children to unwind and learn about science, but also a place for mothers to get to know one another and possibly learn from each other.

“I’m a mom first and foremost, so I have a lot of experience with toddlers, too, and it was just a need that we needed here,” explained Martinez. “From my experience and seeing it over this past year, “Tots” has brought a great opportunity for not only the toddlers to come in and learn, but also the moms to get together and talk because, you know, as a parent, we don’t always get to do that when we’re with our kids. You know, it’s just us and our kids. But here, we have groups of moms that meet regularly every week and have good conversations. And the kids get to play in a safe environment.”

And even though the program is called “Tots on Tuesdays,” kids of all ages are welcome to join in with their siblings.

“So we have everything from our babies that were born this year to our brothers and sisters here. So I don’t really do an age limit because I don’t want to leave the older siblings out,” Martinez said. “Toddler ages, we gear towards two to fives. But if an older sibling comes in and wants to engage in the programs with them, I’m all for it because you never want to leave any kids out.”

More information on the Headwaters Science Center’s programs can be found on their website.