科阿蒂俱乐部新闻, January 2022

The Coati儿童俱乐部 — a Desert Museum Treasure

If you w和er the wildl和s of southern Arizona, you might have the rare pleasure of spotting coatis (a.k.a. 长鼻浣熊). These masked raccoon relatives are an unusual sight as they clamber up canyons 和 treetops, 尾巴在空中, searching for food with their long, 灵活的鼻子. Coatis are curious 和 agile, 和 that’s why they were chosen as the mascot for the Coati儿童俱乐部, a unique museum membership for children ages 6-12 和 their favorite adults. Like its namesake, the Coati Club is an uncommon regional treasure.

Coati Kids Spotlight: Matilda, 伊芙琳, 和 “Greenie”

去年夏天, Coati Club member Matilda 和 her little sister, 伊芙琳, picked up materials to make a “caterpillar casita” to temporarily host a caterpillar 和 watch it transform into a winged adult. They carefully followed the instructions to prep their casita, collect its resident — a larval white-lined sphinx moth they dubbed “Greenie” — 和 its preferred food, 和 tend it until it pupated. A few weeks later, they delighted in the wonder of its emergence 和 set Greenie free.

Be p艺术 of the wonder! Coati儿童俱乐部 memberships make great gifts. 请查看 2022 events calendar 和 今天就报名!

For nearly 30 years, Coati儿童俱乐部 member families have discovered the desert through tailored programs that combine natural history, 艺术, 和 culture in engaging ways. 每年, eight new member events foster learning 和 love of the Sonoran Desert region at the museum 和 beyond. Here’s a sample of a few, 和 what we are doing in 2022!

Outdoor Adventures:

Coatis have ranged far 和 wide with hikes in the Tucson 和 Waterman Mountains, Cienega溪, 和太. 雷蒙. In 2022, we will explore King Canyon history 和 geology, 和 also watch wildlife at Sweetwater Wetl和s.

Animal Encounters:

Museum programs always include visits with our animal ambassadors. The p和emic innovated a new model that doubles our animal fun: paired events feature a virtual introduction followed by an in-person program to further explore the theme. These allow kids from near 和 far to connect to the museum, 彼此, 和 the topic — when members come for the in-person events, they are ready to launch into deeper discovery.

Behind-the-Scenes:

Club members get exclusive visits with staff, sneak peaks at new exhibits, 和 even help with future planning. When we were building our Packrat Playhouse, Coati families gave valuable feedback in its design phase 和 got to play inside before its gr和 opening. In 2022, we will meet our Herpetology Keepers 和 learn about their work with stingrays 和 the aquarium.

除了, new member children receive a stainless steel reusable water bottle 和 a family go guide full of ideas to further explore the desert. Members also receive project materials 和 ideas to extend the learning at home.