What's Happening at Providence Children's Museum

A Conversation About the Children’s Discovery Library

2012-01-26T09:44:00.001-05:00

The Chace Children’s Discovery Library – an engaging early learningenvironment designed by Providence Children’s Museum – opens atProvidence Public Library on Saturday, January 28. Anne Kilkenny, theLibrary’s Early Childhood Services Coordinator and Children’sLibrarian, and Children’s Museum Executive Director Janice O’Donnelland Exhibits Director Robin Meisner spoke about the inspiration for andprocess of creating the new space.

How was the project conceived and what are the Library’s goals?
Anne: The Library wanted to create an interactive early literacyenvironment that would be accessible to everyone and become adestination for children and families in Rhode Island. We tookinspiration from the Baltimore Public Library’s early childhood area.

Why was Providence Children's Museum interested in this project? Whatare the benefits of this collaboration between two communityinstitutions?
Janice: Partly because creating interactive learning environments forchildren and families is what we do. Second, because it’s the library.We’re colleagues, we share resources and always have – we’re partnersin the world of informal learning so it seemed pretty natural. TheMuseum is committed to outreach – going beyond our walls and sharingour expertise in informal learning and environments is part of ourstrategic plan. It was definitely a big leap but it was intriguing andit felt right to try it.

Anne: The Library has three pieces to our strategic plan and one isearly childhood. To be able to stretch our boundaries a bit and bringin an interactive environment was something we really wanted to do anda natural partnership. The Museum’s staff are the experts in the fieldand we do have this ongoing and very strong collegial relationship.Collaborating is the way to bring these kinds of experiences tochildren and their families.

Janice: We want families to understand that their libraries and museumsand parks and playgrounds and zoos are resources in a community forthem to make use of. That’s what makes a culturally aware citizen.

Anne: It builds a sense of community. So many children are in isolationmuch of the time – it’s important for them to be out and able to justplay.

Janice: Especially in places meant for them that are respectful and beautiful and thoughtful.

Robin: Topically, there’s a nice connection for the Museum because wehave book nooks in all of our exhibits and we bring books into what wedo but we don’t teach literacy. Partnering with the Library, where it’sabout books and literacy and giving families those supports issomething that we don’t really do in the same way at the Museum.

Janice's grandson reading in a book nook at the Children's Museum.

Anne: And we’ve said all along we’re not trying to be the Children’s Museum. We complement one another.

Why was Providence Children's Museum’s proposal selected?
Anne: Because of the obvious thought and time that went into everydetail. They kept our focus, learning objectives and components, andmission at the forefront of everything they did to the minutest detail.It was the finest caliber that we could have imagined and there reallywasn’t any question.

Talk about the process of planning for this new space.
Anne: Putting the RFP together, the process was to think about thegoals and objectives of this space. What did we want it to look like,to sound like, how do we want people to feel when they come in to theroom?

Janice: The library’s RFP was excellent – it was such a thoughtfuldocument. There’s so much work that goes into defining goals andpurpose and audience. It was fun and exciting and a challenge torespond to but we didn’t have to guess what the Library wanted.

Robin: There were some design challenges for us, being the firstproject we’ve done outside the Museum. We’re used to designing andfabricating for a space we know incredibly well, so we found ourselvescoming over a lot to check things or to measure again and again. And wehad to remind ourselves throughout that the space was primarily aboutbooks, and all of the other activities were meant to supportstorymaking and literacy and preliteracy skills.

What’s the story of the birch tree?
Janice: We knew we needed an open-ended area for pretend play. Since somany children’s stories happen in the woods, we decided on a forest. Wewanted it be a birch forest and to use real birch trees as a unifyingdesign theme. We did some woodland scavenging with no luck and then thehurricane hit and took out one of the birch trees in the Museum’sChildren’s Garden. So the tree that welcomed children to The Children’sGarden will now welcome them to the Children’s Discovery Library.

Removing the birch tree from The Children's Garden, post hurricane last August.

What’s your vision for this space? What do you hope to see once it’s open?
Robin: I’m really excited to see kids and families in the space and tosee how it changes. I hope there is more storymaking and storytellingand that some of the things we built inspire kids to go back into thebooks.

Anne: That it will give parents or caregivers and children more timetogether without distractions, to read a book, do an activity, tell astory. Just to spend some quality time together – quietly, creatively,imaginatively – and have some fun. That doesn’t always happen in thiswired world we live in. And I hope that people who haven’t been to theLibrary before will come.

Janice: My vision is that visitors to the Library will see play as aliteracy activity. That children’s play – especially pretend play,storymaking – does build literacy skills. It’s often dismissed asfrivolous and it isn’t. It’s critical.

Anne, Robin and Janice reading in the Children's Discovery Library.

The Story Starts Here…

2012-01-25T16:41:00.000-05:00

This post was contributed by Exhibits Director Robin Meisner.

Children learn to love reading at a very young age, so the Museum’s exhibits team was excited to be commissioned by Providence Public Library to transform their young children’s room into the Chace Children’s Discovery Library, a purposefully designed space for children ages birth to 8 and their adult caregivers.

Concept drawing by Graphic Designer Valerie Haggerty-Silva.

The Library’s goals for the space – to open on Saturday, January 28 – are to foster young children’s love of reading, promote parents and caregivers’ understanding of the importance of early literacy activities, and provide professional support for early childhood educators.

As designers and educators, our job was to turn these written goals into playful activities, environments and messages to surround and support the Library’s rich collection of children’s books.

This morning, after months of planning, design and fabrication and three weeks of installation, the room was opened for a sneak preview to 32 preschoolers and their teachers from the Dr. Pat Feinstein Child Development Center and to early childhood educators from around Rhode Island. Their reactions were wonderful to see and hear!

Soft rolling hills of storybook phrases welcome library patrons through the doorway.

First lines from beloved children’s books swirl around the walls and columns.

“The Forest,” a whimsical woodland environment that inspiresimagination and storymaking with a tree trunk hideaway, giant leavesand other playful props. An artful alphabet mobile of translucent greenand yellow birch leaves with letters hidden among them hangs overhead.

Intricately carved alphabet-block doors open to reveal astronauts andapples, bears and balls and other alliterative objects from A to Z.

Throughout the room, engaging kits and interactives welcome children to explore and discover.

Nestled into a quiet corner, comfy chairs built for adults and children to share encourage reading together.

Play (and, especially, pretend play) is a literacy activity, and we hope the new space will inspire a love of stories, books and reading. We also hope that caregivers will come away from their experience at the Library with a better understanding of the role of play has in children’s development. And, from what we observed this morning, we think this might just happen.

Coming soon: learn about the process of creating the Children’s Discovery Library, and celebrate the grand opening on Saturday, January 28 from 12:30 to 5:00 PM! To learn more about the opening events, visit www.provlib.org.

Making Learning Visible

2012-01-23T14:19:00.000-05:00

Last fall, 22 teachers from nine Rhode Island community and family childcare programs took a course called “Making Learning Visible,” in which they learned to engage their children in making how-to books. The books were a vehicle for 200 children to develop skills in literacy, sequencing (mathematics), language development and communication, and how to give thoughtful instructions for a step-by-step process.

This story of one child’s process and the learning that transpired as she presented her work to her classmates and teachers is on display on the documentation board in Discovery Studio. It shows how important their feedback was to her success.

*****

Benedetta’s teachers began by asking the class what they were experts at. They named a range of abilities including soccer, scribbling, being silly and drawing.Benedetta responded that she knew how to make a pattern bracelet.Benedetta’s teacher, Jenah, asked her to explain how to make a pattern bracelet and transcribed her directions.

The directions were presented to the whole class for feedback. The group noted that Benedetta’s direction, “Put a purple, then a blue, then a purple,” was limiting. “What if someone wants to use other colors?,” they asked her.

Benedetta’s classmate Holden suggested, “Put a color 1 bead, then a color 2 bead, then a color 1 bead” as an alternative. Benedetta liked his wording and asked Jenah to add it to her directions.

Benedetta drew a picture for each step in the directions. When she got to the eighth step, Jenah asked, “How are you going to show that a color is bead one?” Benedetta’s solution: “Label a yellow dot (representing a bead) 1 and a pink dot 2.”

Prompted by Jenah, Benedetta recalled important moments from the book-making process: “I got feedback (fromthe whole group) and “how Holden told me color 1 and color 2 instead.”

When asked how she became a pattern bracelet expert, she said it was from watching her classmate, Orla, in the art area and learning the word ‘pattern’ from Jenah.

*****

Benedetta and dozens of other children and their families came to the Museum on Friday evening to see their how-to books on display and try out some of the activities. Benedetta was particularly excited to see her story!

Ready to Learn Providence posted one of our favorite books, How to Fly Like Superman, and here's another one of our favorites:

A selection of the children’s how-to books will be on display in Discovery Studio through February 17 – drop by and check them out!

What Are You an Expert At?

2012-01-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

This article by Director of Education Cathy Saunders was also posted on Kidoinfo.

That’s a question that 22 Rhode Island preschool teachers and family childcare providers asked their 3- and 4-year-old children as part of “Making Learning Visible: Inspiration Takes Flight,” a five-month professional development seminar offered by Ready to Learn Providence and supported by Providence Children’s Museum.

It turns out that the children are experts at lots of things. Manyof them know how to do crafts from creating a crown to drawing happyfaces, dinosaurs, monsters and self-portraits to making a sugar flourcake. They are excellent movers; they know how to run, climb on bars,dance, and do flips and jumping jacks. They have mastered many oftheir important daily routines, such as being a big brother, tyingshoes, cleaning up, and sleeping. And not surprisingly, they arefantastic players. They can tell you how to fly like Superman, playthe card game Face-Off, put on a performance, and even how to pretendto be a dog.

The children, with the help of their teachers, shared theirexpertise by making how-to books about each of these activities,providing step-by-step instructions and illustrations. Angeliz explained “How to Make a Happy Face” in seven steps:

Make a big circle.
Make two small circles inside the big circle.
Then make two dots inside the two little circles.
Then you make a dot in the middle of the circle for the nose.
Make a line going up that looks like a big U.
Then you make ears – make a half a circle next to the big circle, make one on each side.
You can make the hair with a straight line or a wiggle line.

She read the book to her classmates and then they successfully drewtheir own happy faces, following her instructions! It’s easy tooverlook how much very young children know. These how-to books areexcellent reminders that children are powerhouses of knowledge, thatthey are constantly acquiring and processing information and skills. Through this process, the teachers learned how to observe and document children’s learning,and we all discovered that how-to books take careful thought – you needto plan the order of the steps, make sure the words you choose can beunderstood, and decide what kind of illustrations (drawings or photos)are best.

Ready to Learn is asking the Mayor of Providence and other adultleaders to make how-to books as well. You and your family could makethem for each other. What is each of you an expert at – makingpancakes? Writing letters? Growing plants? Start a book and haveyour family members test your instructions. Get their feedback andmake revisions. Make a bound copy with illustrations to use again andagain.

All 106 of the preschoolers’ books will be on display at theChildren’s Museum during MetLife Family Friday on January 20 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM. Between January 21 and February 17, you can also drop into Discovery Studio to see documentation of onechild, Benedetta, making her book, “How to Make a Pattern Bracelet,”and a display of a few others. Who knows, you may learn something new!

Commemorating Dr. King

2012-01-18T20:24:00.001-05:00

Each year, the Museum presents a day of special programming to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Families see a powerful performance reenacting moments from the Civil Rights movement, explore a display about Dr. King's life and work, and can choose to participate in an interactive anti- discrimination activity, during which they wear a red or green tag and encounter “red only” and “green only” labels throughout the Museum – on lunchroom tables, bathroom doors, water fountains and more.

The activity and performance inspired reflection and thought-provoking moments and conversations, shared by the Museum’s AmeriCorps members:

A mother was intrigued by the anti-discrimination activity and explained that today’s rules said that, rather than use the open green bathroom, they had to wait for the red one. The younger boy, about 3, wanted no part of waiting, but her older son (6 or 7) explained that, “Even though you might be sad now that we have to wait, we are only red for one day.” Mom said, “Yes, thanks to people like Dr. King, anyone can use any bathroom on any day like it should be.”

After the performance, parents sat and talked to their children about what they remembered about Dr. King. One family talked about their grandmother’s own experiences with segregation on a bus. An older man talked to a young father about a friend he knew who went to jail for his work in the Civil Rights Movement.

A little boy said he knows that MLK practiced nonviolence. Janice said she was alive when MLK was alive. The boy’s face changed. He is biracial. He said, “Discrimination means Mommy and Daddy couldn’t be married.”

A family ran into friends after a performance of “M.L.K.: Amazing Grace.” One family was African American and the other white. The grandmother in the white family said, “I remember all of that. People in Providence were very angry when Dr. King was killed. People were angry everywhere.” The father of the black family was moved by the performance and said he remembered his best friend’s father, a white man, bailed him out of jail. There was a thoughtful silence while they watched their children play together.

And some comments from visitors – kids and adults – in response to the question, “What will you do to fight racial discrimination?”:

"I think I'll do everything mom tells me to do."

Reaching Out to Children in Need

2012-01-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

Since 1997, Providence Children's Museum has been an AmeriCorps site, committed to training a team of educators to bring engaging play-based activities to children whose exposure to rich learning experiences is limited. MuseumCorps – the Museum’s AmeriCorps program – has served nearly 20,000 children through innovative outreach to inner-city community centers and Head Start programs.

Our newest 12-member MuseumCorps team began in the fall and has been hard at work serving some of the poorest neighborhoods in Providence, Central Falls and Pawtucket through these programs:

MuseumCorps members lead inspiring hands-on activities in 58 Children’s Friend Head Start classrooms to help improve school readiness for 1,000 preschool children.

Through Learning Clubs, members provide engaging STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) enrichment activities for 500 low-income elementary children at over a dozen community center after-school and summer programs.

New this year: To deepen engagement with the neighborhood in the Museum’s backyard, MuseumCorps members are a daily presence after school at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Providence South Side Clubhouse. Students from Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School and other neighborhood children participate in playful STEM activities in a Museum-dedicated space.

Members welcome program participants to explore the Museum during field trips and family nights, and to sign up for free year-long family passes. They also facilitate play and learning for Museum visitors in exhibits and programs and recruit and coordinate Museum volunteers.

Meet the team:

Left to right: Front - Rebecca Gormley, Ann Kerrin, Stacy Greenberg,Meagan Amylon
Middle - Andy Axel, Suzie Doogan, Sarah Bonawitz, AbbeyJones
Back - Ryan Queenan, John Rossi, Kassie Edwards, Leah Paladino

Members with Mayor Angel Taveras at a Head Start family night.

The Museum’s AmeriCorps program is made possible by a grant from theCorporation for National and Community Service and Serve Rhode Islandwith support from additional sponsors.

Happy...

2011-12-31T12:00:00.000-05:00

Wishing you an inspiring new year

full of FUN and plenty of PLAY!

Talking Back: School's Out!

2011-12-30T11:42:00.001-05:00

Recently, on the Talk Back board in Play Power, we asked visitors "How do your kids play before or after school?" Here's what some of them – and their children! – had to say:


(We especially love this one!)

How do your kids like to play when they're not in school?

Shape Shifting

2011-12-28T18:11:00.000-05:00

Last week brought some updates to our Shape Space environment that will help us test ideas for a new exhibit on geometry and spatialthinking to open late next year.

Look for these changes next time you visit the Museum:

A new geoboard activity table featuring three different boards – each with a unique distribution of pegs – and a variety of sizes of colorful rubber bands. School-age kids stretch the rubber bands around the pegs to create shapes, patterns and designs.
A new magnet wall and vibrant magnetic shapes. Use the four different shapes to make tessellating patterns and more.
And an expanded block building area.

Here are some images of the process and results:

RISD intern Kirsten cut out stacks of magnetic shapes.

Exhibit Designer Chris and Exhibit Technician Hillel installed the magnet wall

and then tested it out by making some amazing designs!

The geoboards in place.

Up next, watch for new labels with a geometry/spatial thinking focus that give parents and caregivers prompts and questions to encourage them to notice, appreciate and enhance their kids' play – similar to labels in Play Power and Water Ways – as well as more books, including some about the power of block building.

Let us know what you think!

Telling the Story of Play

2011-12-20T11:39:00.000-05:00

This article by Early Childhood Programs Coordinator Mary Scott Hackman was also posted on Kidoinfo.

At Providence Children’s Museum, we know that the child at play isoften the child at work. And for some time now, we have beendocumenting children’s play, trying to capture that “aha” moment when,after interacting with materials and experimenting in different ways,he or she suddenly understands something new. In this process, whichbelongs entirely to the child, he or she is learning.

Wecall capturing these learning moments “documentation.” At the Museum,we have videotaped children as they learn, described their process onthe Museum's blog, and displayed work children have left behind. And now, in Discovery Studio,we are noting the stories of these moments on a documentation board,depicted in photos and words. In these displays, we share how a child’slearning is self-directed, focused, intentional.

One day a Museum educator noticed a 2-year-old girl playing with stones in Discovery Studio.There were several books on the shelf right at her height. Slowly, sheturned the pages of one of the books, holding a stone in her hand.Watching the child, it was clear to the educator that she was lookingfor her stone. She was, in fact, doing research. The educatorphotographed the child and spoke with her about her process; thepictures and words went up on the documentation board. For a long time,the child returned to the Museum to see her photo and to revisit thestory we had documented.

Because we are inspired by these moments, we want to share them withour visitors, both children and adults. We think they will be inspired,too! Further, we believe that when we notice what children are doing asthey play, they feel validated and become more competent as learners.

A few years ago, when I directed a childcare center, we documentedchildren’s process in a similar way. It soon became apparent that ourpremise was correct: if a child feels his work is important, he will beeager to present it to you. One morning as I entered one of theclassrooms, a child took my hand and led me across the room, saying“Mary, don’t you want to see what I’m working on at the easel?” And ofcourse, I did.

We want to show the world, one story at a time, that play is asvital to the health of our children as food and sunlight. We invite youto join us in building a society of confident learners. Be a witness toyour children, notice and appreciate their play. Know that they have aprocess and that doing something over and over again to gainunderstanding is the stuff of play – the serious work of childhood.

Fan Mail

2011-12-02T16:48:00.001-05:00

Every so often, the Museum gets letters, drawings and thank you notes from children who have visited – we love this kind of mail!

Just today we received some great artwork from a group of 14 preschoolers who visited recently from the Jewish Community Center. The children shared their favorite Museum play spaces and their interpretations are wonderful. Here's a selection – click to enlarge:

Thanks for sharing, JCC!

Toy Stories

2011-11-23T18:23:00.000-05:00

To prepare for The Power to Play: From Trash to Treasure – a display of toys handmade by children from around the world – we collected stories of toy making from our friends, staff and members of our international community. Here are the ones chosen to accompany the toys, and to inspire visitors to share their own stories:

What toys do you and your family like to make? Leave us a comment, and stay tuned to find out what our visitors have to say about toys they've made and what they like to make toys from.

Risky Business

2011-11-17T12:53:00.001-05:00

This article by Education Programs Coordinator Carly Baumann was also posted on Kidoinfo.

“In the real world, life is filled with risks… and reasonable risks are essential for children’s healthy development.”
– Dr. Joe Frost

At Providence Children’s Museum, we witness wonderful moments oflearning through play all around us, every day: from discovering how touse a popsicle stick as a clay cutting tool to learning that Pilgrimchildren didn’t use forks, and that engineering a giant fountain withtwo friends is much easier than constructing alone. But some of the most inspiring learning moments, often the most intense and real, involve taking a risk. When children (and grown-ups) take risks or, as Tim Gillsaid, “actively seek out uncertainty,” they explore their own limitsand learn about the world. Risk is the ingredient that keeps usengaged and it helps make play more meaningful.

Making opportunities for risk-taking in Museum exhibits and programsis a responsibility we care deeply about. Because we encourageopen-ended experiences, there are not a lot of rules or instructions. We believe in managing risk rather than seeking to eliminate it, so weembrace a philosophy of designing environments and experiences to be assafe as necessary but not as safe as possible. In our outdoor Climber,a safe and challenging structure, kids experience a sensation of takingrisks as they stretch, wiggle and climb two stories high. Pushingthrough fears and internalizing one’s own sense of success doesn’trequire a life-or-death situation; the perceived risk is just asvaluable. Children take risks in open-ended physical play, but alsowhen they handle real tools, messy materials and live animals. Theytake risks when trying challenges they might not succeed at on thefirst try, or the tenth.

It’snot only our responsibility to provide opportunities for risk-taking,but to communicate the value of risk to caregivers – the most vitalsupporters of their children’s learning. In the parent resource areaof our Play Power exhibit, video clipsshow children playing intensely throughout the Museum. As a boy crawlsacross his own wobbly arch bridge and two builders witness the topplingof the intricate block tower they teamed up to construct, the narrationreads, “When they are free to take risks and try new things, kids learnabout their abilities. And they learn how to bounce back when thingsgo wrong.”

In a time when the media message is that growing up is not safe,children need support to take risks from the caring adults in theirlives. By taking risks ourselves when we are challenged, we model thatrisk is a part of life. Watching families when they hesitantly handleworms from the Museum’s worm compost bin illustrates how risk can bringus together in intense social experiences. Peers and parents can bringa sense of security that eases children from uncertainty to theexhilaration of overcoming a fear. In The Climber, childrenget social support from other kids who help coach them down a steepstep, or from parents watching below, still far enough away that thechild negotiates his own way down.

Let’s remember that, as Fred Rogers said, “Play is the work ofchildhood.” Risk is an essential element of children’s work and playand they need grown-ups who model, support and celebrate that.

The Museum recently hosted an energetic andthought-provoking discussion about the benefits of risk-taking to kids’healthy development. See conversation highlights and download the Kids, Play and Risk resource sheet – our compilation of great articles, books and more.

Mind Lab at the Museum

2011-11-08T18:35:00.000-05:00

This post was contributed by Museum Exhibits Director Robin Meisner.

At Providence Children’s Museum we’ve teamed up with developmentalpsychologists at Brown University and Providence College to create Mind Lab, a research partnership exploring how children learn – what ouryoung visitors know and how their understanding develops and changes asthey grow.

We’ve been hosting researchers at the Museum for almost a decade andare pleased to work with such active and engaged scientists. Tocelebrate her first anniversary with Mind Lab, Dr. Jennifer Van Reet, assistant professor of psychology at Providence College, shared theresults of one of her studies.

"Every week, my students and I look forward to our time in the Mind Lab.With the generous help of Museum visitors, we have been exploring thedevelopment of pretend play in preschoolers. One project we recentlycompleted had some really intriguing results!

All of my research is focused on discovering how people are able topretend and figuring out in what ways pretending is beneficial. One wayI do this is to find what other important abilities are related topretending. In this project, I looked at an ability called inhibitorycontrol, which we all use to control our minds and bodies. And we useit all the time! Every time you stop yourself from saying something youknow you shouldn’t, or wait until after dinner to eat dessert, you areusing your inhibitory control.

After measuring the inhibitory control and pretending abilities in alot of different ways, I discovered that 3- and 4-year-olds who havethe most inhibitory control are also the best pretenders. I also foundthat playing a particular type of game – games just like “Simon Says” – causedbetter pretending! This type of game is special because it requires acertain kind of inhibitory control that helps you switch back andforth between two different rules (like when Simon says to do somethingversus when he doesn’t). Other types of games, like waiting games orfollow-the-leader games, did not have the same effect.

This project revealed quite a bit about pretend play that we did notknow before. Now we know how important inhibitory control is forchildren’s pretend play, and we know that exercising children’s inhibitory control can help them to be better pretenders. This newinformation can now be used by people who work with children – like thestaff at Providence Children’s Museum."

Dr. Van Reet models an activity from one of her studies.

Working with scientists gives the Museum an opportunity to learn aboutcurrent research and create more meaningful, developmentallyappropriate child- and adult-focused learning experiences, includinghands-on activities for children, workshops for caregivers, andexhibits and environments for all visitors.

From Jennifer’s study we might consider…

Incorporating an appropriate inhibitory control game into our greeting for groups visiting the Museum;
Including such a game in take-home materials that compliment our programs; or
Designing an exhibit component that encourages the use of children’s inhibitory control skills.

Further conversations with Jennifer also suggest that there’s goodreason to think that the inhibitory control/pretend play connectionworks both ways – that good pretend play has a hand in the developmentof strong inhibitory control skills. And, like anything else, manychildren need practice at pretend play to become “good” at it.

Visitors to the Museum have lots of opportunities to engage in andpractice pretend play. All of our exhibits have componentsspecifically designed to foster such play – for example, the bridge andcrane in Iway, the underground kitchen in Underland and, perhaps lessobviously, the casts in Bone Zone or blocks in Shape Space. MuseumPlay Guides are trained to spark, seed and join children’s play – tohelp create richer, deeper play. From the Museum’s perspective, aninteresting future research study might investigate whether such playexperience do indeed contribute to building a child’s inhibitorycontrol skills.

Talking Back: Outdoor Play

2011-11-03T18:04:00.001-04:00

Recently, on the Talk Back board in Play Power, we asked visitors how they like to play outdoors. Here's what some of them – kids and grown-ups – had to say:

How do you and your family like to play outdoors?

Joyful Learning

2011-11-02T12:45:00.000-04:00

This article by Director of Education Cathy Saunders was also posted on Kidoinfo.com.

Now that kids are back in school, I’ve been contemplating thechallenge of keeping learning a joyful experience rather than a taskthat must be endured. At the Children’s Museum, we know that the bestkind of learning happens when the learner wants to acquire newknowledge or skills, and when the experience is joyful and satisfying. Yet the truth of the matter is that many of us (children and adults)have had un-joyful, un-playful and un-satisfying learning experiencesin our lives.

Even though I was kid who thrived in a school setting, like mostpeople I have frustrations associated with school. I remember theuncertain feeling I had when I was segregated as a slow reader in 2^nd grade and the terror I had of presenting in front of the classroom in 3^rdgrade. And I have some negative associations with learning outside ofthe classroom, too. After a trip to the Museum of Science, there wasalways a dreaded moment in the car ride home when my dad would ask,“What did you learn?” A great cloud would suddenly descend upon myafternoon of watching chicks hatch in the giant incubator because Iwasn’t able to articulate my new understanding of how hard a baby birdhad to work to get out of its shell.

When we watch our young ones go off to school it can be hard not toproject some of our negative associations, and we can get tangled up inour children’s academic pressures. The result is that we can losesight of what a fun endeavor learning is, and that can be contagious toour kids. Children look to us to model behaviors about everything,including attitudes about learning. They need us be their advocatesand cheerleaders as life-long learners. It’s understandable that theyget frustrated; we need to listen to their fears and be patient. Weneed to show them that we believe in them and their abilities ascreative thinkers and problem solvers.

Children need to see us as excited learners, too. Quick, grab a penand make a list of 10 things you’ve learned recently. My list includeslearning the basic rules of a football game (my nephew plays Division IIIfootball), that hydrangeas change color based on the soil type, threenew yoga poses, and how to create a personalized map on Google. Whatdoes your list include? Go ahead and share your curiosity andcelebrate your new skills and growing knowledge with pride. It’s greatfor children to see that we learn, and that we enjoy it.

We want children to know that learning is about being fully engagedand curious about something. It’s about mastering something new. Itcan happen slowly or quickly. It can happen in groups or alone. Itcan be joyful and self directed. It is a skill in and of itself that,once developed, can make school a lot more fun and interesting.

An Interview with Bonnie Schultz Platzer

2011-10-31T16:41:00.001-04:00

Meet Bonnie Schultz Platzer, a former Museum AmeriCorps member who curated the selection of handmade toys now on display from ChildFund International's exhibit "The Power to Play: From Trash to Treasure."

What’s your background?
I served with the Peace Corps in Togo, West Africa from 1969 to 1971,after graduating from college, then again in Morocco from 2006 to2008. Before Morocco, I had been working with seniors, doingactivities in nursing homes and assisted living. In the Peace Corps, Iwas working more with mothers and young children and I thought it wouldbe interesting to see if I could do something more with children. WhenI came back, I wanted to continue working for a non-profit organizationand Providence Children’s Museum intrigued and impressed me.

Describe your year of AmeriCorps service.
I was on the team that created activities for preschool children atHead Start centers, led them on field trips to the Museum, andorganized family nights to encourage parents to bring children back tothe Museum throughout the year. Everything in the classroom waswonderful: having children looking at you with excitement andconcentration as you lead an activity and tell a story; their attentionto and delight in everything we brought to them. On field trips, theywere so excited to be at the Museum, they could hardly containthemselves.

It was satisfying to see children who were given a chance to enjoy aschool setting in preparation for kindergarten, interesting to see thesituation teachers face in preparing them for school, and wonderful tomeet the parents who were giving their children opportunities for thefuture.

Talk about your weaving that hangs in Discovery Studio.
In West Africa, I was fascinated by the beauty of textiles and startedtaking classes in spinning and weaving. I studied Gobelin tapestryweaving techniques that enabled me to produce woven portraits,including so many images that had affected me during my travels that Iwanted to convey.

When I returned to Rhode Island, I wove portraits including a littlegirl at the Hope Street farmer’s market, which took about a year.Children have always caught my eye, and I was struck by the diversityof the people who came to the farmer’s market. This weaving bringstogether my interests in children and Rhode Island-grown food.

The Museum is a place of discovery, and I love having it hang here andhaving people respond to the image. I love the connection to somethingthat women have done from the beginning of time; it makes me proud tocontinue that tradition.

What inspired you to bring The Power to Play exhibit to the Museum?
When I saw the Museum’s ramp boxes, I thought about a toy exhibit mylate brother initiated when he worked for ChildFund International. Mybrother and I lived in Kenya for a few years and, on a later trip, achild gave him a boat made from a flip-flop. He was struck that, inthe midst of a traumatic situation, this child still had the need toplay. [ChildFund] put out a request for toys made by children aroundthe globe and they started pouring in.

Bonnie's brother, John Schultz, with children and their toys in Sri Lanka, 2005.

I was struck by how similar the goals of ChildFund’s exhibit were tothe Museum’s: helping children thrive, meeting the needs of children inthe community, giving kids a safe environment to play and learn. Andfor all children to feel welcome in that environment.

How did the project progress?
We weren’t able to see the toys first, so we selected 20 that would fitin the cases and also represented diversity of cultures and of purpose– plus some larger toys to display in the lobby. Then wethought about how to show them off using materials that are eitherrecycled – since all of the toys are made from bits and pieces kidsfound around them – or that kids might find in their countries, likeraffia, jute or bamboo.

RISD intern Jessica Kleinman worked with Bonnie to make bases for some of the toys from recycled materials.

I’m very pleased that the Museum was open to the idea and thatChildFund International was excited to have the exhibit here. I hopethe international community in Providence will come to see it and feelthis is a place for them.

The Universal Power of Play

2011-10-21T12:33:00.001-04:00

Boy with car, credit: ChildFund International

A tin can truck, a jump rope braided from colorful plastic bags, and a well-worn shoe turned into a car – Providence Children’s Museum has welcomed a wonderful collection of child-created toys to the display cases in our atrium walkway and lobby. The charming playthings poignantly illustrate children’s creativity and inventiveness and the universal importance of play in children’s development.

The toys are a selection from The Power to Play: From Trash to Treasure, a traveling exhibition of more than 350 pieces collected by ChildFund International, a global child development and protection agency. The collection has been featured in National Geographic magazine and displayed at National Geographic’s Explorers Hall in Washington D.C. Former AmeriCorps Museum Educator Bonnie Schultz Platzer curated the display at the Museum.

The toys were crafted in countries including India, Brazil, Ethiopia and the United States and range from dolls, games and musical instruments to a variety of things that float, roll and fly. They were constructed from materials and objects found around children’s homes and villages – bottle caps, twigs, discarded containers and cardboard, old flip-flops, fabric scraps and bits of wood, wire and string – and demonstrate that simple everyday materials make wonderful playthings.

Credit: ChildFund International

Each toy has a story. Some are unique to their place of origin, some reflect the challenging social, economic and political conditions faced in children’s countries, and others are universal, like balls and kites made in different places using exactly the same techniques. None were made for sale; each came about because a child had the inspiration, the materials and the need to play. Together, the toys demonstrate children’s creativity, resiliency and enduring spirit and evoke powerful personal reflections and vivid memories of play.

Providence Children’s Museum actively advocates for and celebrates the power of children’s play; this display provides a compelling way to share that message. “Some of the toys are so intricate and detailed, you can see the children as engineers, figuring out how an axle works so their truck can really move,” said Museum Exhibits Director Robin Meisner. “To show children’s work that represents cultures from all over the world – and work that is incredibly well designed and functional – demonstrates kids’ creativity and ingenuity.”

Visitors of all ages delight in the details of the designs and the creative use of materials. They’re also invited to join a materials hunt and share how they make their own toys, encouraging reflection on and conversation about the common bond children share in their need for play and the ability to create their own playthings.

The toys will be on view through February 26, 2012; click here to learn more about the exhibit from ChildFund International.

Kids, Play and Risk

2011-10-12T18:01:00.001-04:00

Last week, an audience of more than 50 people gathered at theChildren’s Museum for a thought-provoking conversation about the benefits of risk-taking to kids' healthy physical and emotional development – a topic inspired by discussion on the PlayWatch listerv.

Conversation "instigators" Amy Dickinson, training and educationmanager for KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to saving play forAmerica's children; Julia Steiny, columnist for Education News anddirector of the Youth Restoration Project; Angelica Almlid Barrows, who raised her kids in Norway and the US; and Museum director Janice O’Donnell sparked a rich and lively audience exchange.Following is a summary of the evening’s themes and great moments, plusresources shared and some of the lingering questions.

On play and risk in other cultures

During her Peace Corps service in Paraguay, Amy Dickinson noticed that kidsplayed differently, and that the culture had a more common senseattitude toward kids’ play.
Angelica Barrows talked about the outdoor preschool that three ofher children attended in Norway and shared beautifulimages of children climbing, building, playing in the mud, and outdoorsin all weather. “Perhaps because of those experiences, my kids are rarely boredand take on mental and physical challenges – learning a new skill issomething they have patience with, and confidence they will succeed.”She noted that there are fewer liability issues in planning playgroundsin Europe.

On perception of risk

In raising her now-grown kids, Julia Steiny said her philosophy was to “calculate the medical damage and let them fall…. How else are they going to learn balance?”
“There’s a need for conversations about real vs. perceived risks,” and the role of the media in confusing the two.

On barriers to allowing kids to play and take risks

Strict safety regulations for designing playgrounds
Rules and restricted time in school: recess is being cut and curriculum doesn’t allow for play
“Part of the problem is no eyes on the street… people don’t knowtheir neighbors,” and we’re creating danger for ourselves by keepingkids inside instead of getting to know people. One solution:programming parks and public spaces – community gardens, classes,cleaning up trash and getting the neighborhood invested and willing totake ownership.

On adventure playgrounds

It's important to recognize that kids actually play more safely when they understand there are risks. “At adventure playgrounds, kids are learning to deal with risky elements in an environment of controlled risk.”
There are plenty of liabilities at adventure playgrounds but parents must take responsibility for allowing their kids to play there.

On parenting

A parks and rec representative shared a story of a parent whosetoddler was burned on a hot slide after being placed there and demanded, ‘You should have signs up.’ Her reflection: “With the balance ofliability and educating parents, it’s hard to have free play.”
“The legal system here takes all of the onus of parenting off ofus…its someone else’s fault. Who can I blame and what can I get out ofit?”
The result of overprotecting kids, paraphrasing Finding Nemo: “I won’t ever let anything happen to you!” “But if nothing ever happens, then nothing will everhappen.”
“We live in a society where raising children is almost a science... You almost need to go to school to be a parent.”
“We’re atomized, very separate, wisdom is not getting passed downthe way it used to.” “Parents don’t have others looking out for them.”

On developing emotional intelligence

“More and more kids are coming to school with anxiety disorders –there’s so much fear back and forth between kids and parents…We need toeducate parents about emotional intelligence and learning balance andlimits.”
College counselors are reporting that kids in top tier schoolsneed more and more counseling – “and these are the kids we take careof…we teach resiliency to no one.”

On preparedness for the real world

“Test scores are dropping. We’re trying to build Algebra I on topof nothing. Kids go in to science class with no real experience.” JuliaSteiny cited Susan Linn’s idea of the mitigated world – “kids neverencounter the world as it actually is.”
We have to stop solving problems for kids and “help them figure out how to.”

The lingering questions

Amidst the obstacles, how do we continue to advocate for free play in our parks? Our schools?
How do we prepare kids to take risks and challenges?
What does it take to raise a free range kid, while living your life and getting things done?

The evening closed with a reminder about how important it is to keep talking to one another and sharing resources and ideas. Join the conversation on the PlayWatch listserv to tackle these and other bigquestions, and see the Kids, Play and Risk resource sheet (pdf) we prepared for this event for TONS of great articles, books and websites.

Please contact Megan Fischer if you have ideas for future community conversation topics, or if you're interested in presenting a screening of “Where Do the Children Play?”

"In the real world, life is filled with risks... and reasonable risks are essential for children’s healthy development."
– Dr. Joe Frost

Announcing Nina's House!

2011-10-11T19:15:00.000-04:00

The Families Together program at Providence Children's Museum is growing!

Created in collaboration with RI Department of Children, Youth and Families in 1992, Families Together provides therapeutic visitation and permanency planning for children in foster care and their families. In 2010, the program served more than 500 children and parents in 175 families.

Thanks to The Nina Foundation, Families Togetherwill extend its services to court-separated families with a homelikesetting for family healing. Opening this fall, "Nina's House" willprovide a warm, welcoming environment for therapeutic visitation forchildren, their parents, siblings and extended family. Take a peek at some of the work to get Nina's House ready to serve families:

We're celebrating the opening of Nina's House with a virtual shower! If you would like to contribute a gift from the Nina's House registry, you can do so by November 15. All donations will benefit children in foster care and their familiesas they work to strengthen relationships and parenting skills.

Thank you!

Play and Back to School

2011-09-30T10:45:00.000-04:00

Back-to-school time often means leaving behind the carefree, active, unstructured play that kids enjoy during the summer months. How can we ensure kids have plenty of imaginative, self-directed playtime during the school year? Here are some ideas from Museum staff and friends:

A great list of resources that the Museum's educators put together for Kidoinfo. There are some good blogs to read but also inspiration for fun activities for kids to do on their own or with their families.

See the play resources page on our website. The ones listed are websites and online articles but you can also download our Play Power resource sheet, which includes books and films.

From our friends at KaBOOM!, 5 reasons children need to play in school. Also take their Pledge to Save Play in Our Schools!

Join us on Tuesday, October 4 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM for Kids, Play and Risk: a community conversation, about the importance of children's unstructured, self-directed play and the benefits of risk-taking to their healthy development.

And if we don't encourage unstructured play now, what might the future hold? Here's an idea.

Happy Playing!

Scenes of Summer

2011-09-26T18:22:00.001-04:00

As summer officially drew to a close, Museum staff shared some of their favorite moments seen and heard this summer:

"Mine was definitely when I took a photo of a group of 11 or so children sitting on Estrella's lap. All of the children were cousins. Their moms and dads chose the Museum as the meeting ground for their family reunion. I was touched that our Museum was the special spot for this moment in their lives, and I was thrilled to see so many related and smiling faces fitting comfortable in 'the chair lady's' lap."

–Leiana Hawkins, Visitor Services & Volunteer Manager

"The happy intensity of the bright summer sun beaming into the atrium ramp way seemed to be reflected by a family - two parents and three children - coming down the ramp: hand in hand, with wide smiles, bobbing steps, swinging arms and laughter. Natural joy inside and out!"

–Jennifer Laurelli, Director of Development

"A young man who seemed to have developmental challenges and visual impairments sat in the sand pit for a long time, scooping up sand and slowly pouring it out over his outstretched hand, over and over again. He looked so completely content, lost in the calming sensuous experience."

–Janice O’Donnell, Executive Director

And some other favorite fun included creating colorful chalk art:

A rollicking visit from a local marching band:

And, of course, the opening of our new Discovery Studio. What a summer!

Kids, Play & Risk – join the conversation!

2011-09-20T18:41:00.001-04:00

RSVP to Megan Fischer.

Thisconversation was inspired by discussion on the Museum's listserv,"PlayWatch: Connecting the Community to Promote Children's Play." To read the PlayWatch archives or to join the list, visit www.PlayWatch.org.

Click here to download a flyer (PDF).

Let's Move, Let's Play!

2011-09-19T13:52:00.000-04:00

Providence Children’s Museum is a proud new member of Let’s Move!a comprehensive national initiative launched by First Lady MichelleObama that is dedicated to solving the problem of childhood obesitywithin a generation by encouraging healthy eating and physicalactivity. Active play is an important part of children’s healthy growthand development and the Museum is committed to offering interactiveplay and learning experiences that promote physical activity, and toproviding parents with resources about nurturing kids’ growth throughplay.

Many kids have plenty of opportunities for active play – especiallyoutdoors – during the summer. To ensure they keep moving during theschool year, here are some playful ideas contributed by the Museum’seducators:

Strike a pose. With a friend, take turns forming funny positionsand different shapes with your bodies. Trace each other’s outlines(with chalk on pavement, marker on paper, or a stick in the sand ordirt).
Follow the leader – as animals! The leader hops like a frog,crawls like a crab or slithers like a snake. Everyone else does thesame and tries to guess what kind of animal they have become.
Create an obstacle course in your house or backyard, with things tohop or climb over and tunnels to wriggle through. Or build a fort withsheets, furniture and cardboard boxes. Or make a mini-golf course withobjects found around the house.
Have crazy challenge races – playful competitions where the objectis to complete a challenge in the shortest time possible. For example,run to the other side of the room or yard, put on all the clothes in abox and run back. Make challenges more difficult by running backwardor hopping on one leg.
Don’t put the beach ball away just yet! See how long you can keepit bouncing in the air before it hits the ground. Also find out howmany times you can hula hoop or jump rope without stopping.
Play balloon volleyball (with or without a net) or make racketsusing paper plates and rulers for a game of balloon badminton. Tryeach game outside or in a roomy indoor space.
Strreeettch! Stretching feels good and it can be done standing,sitting or lying down. Start small with wriggling fingers and toes orwith simple reaches and twists. Make sound effects or sing a song toaccompany each stretch.
Move to the music. Play several styles and make up different dances. Or try games of freeze dance or musical chairs.
Take a hike! If it’s close enough, walk to school together instead of driving.

There are more great ways to keep kids moving this fall. Look for “Let’s Move, Let’s Play!” programs on the calendar plus explore the Museum’s play and learning environments (and learn some fun facts) with a new Let’s Move! physical activity sheet. Here's a selection:

Happy playing!

A version of this article was originally posted on Kidoinfo.

Traffic Report!

2011-09-02T18:00:00.000-04:00

This post was contributed by Museum Executive Director Janice O’Donnell.

A rainy day in August. Vacations are winding down, camp is over, school hasn’t started, the beach isn’t an option = the busiest day at the Children’s Museum all summer. Almost 1,500 visitors converged at the same place on the same day. A lot like highway rush hour (only it’s more like six hours) – we need traffic reports!

They might go something like this:

"Movement through the time tunnel is sluggish due to a twin-sized stroller blocking the way near the packet ship... A collapsed block tower is impeding traffic in Shape Space, where construction is underway... There's a long line at the Littlewoods slide due to a toddler at the top who isn’t sure he wants to slide down, but Play Guides have arrived at the scene... There is also considerable congestion on the stairs, due to a recently arrived camp group. Please seek an alternative route if you’re headed to the first floor.

It’s smooth sailing in Water Ways; that accident we told you about earlier has been mopped up... Looking at conditions in The Children’s Garden: traffic is flowing freely in The Climber as well as in the Underland burrows... Use caution, however, near the sand pit. Residue from an earlier mishap involving an overturned bucket is causing slippery conditions and Play Guides are sweeping the area."

Editor's note: This playful post appears on the third anniversary of this blog. Three years and nearly 25,000 visits – thanks, everyone!

Reflections on a Year of Service

2011-08-20T12:41:00.000-04:00

This week, we celebrated a year of remarkable service and thegraduation of MuseumCorps, the Museum’s AmeriCorps team. There’s somuch the Museum simply could not do without the hard work and passionof these dedicated individuals.

Museum staff shared why they appreciate and admire our AmeriCorps members:

“I appreciate that their year of service enables the Museum to provideenriching experiences to low-income children and families and to HeadStart teachers and community site staff.”

– Jennifer Laurelli, Director of Development

“They are fun, creative, helpful and friendly. Thanks for playing with my boys and brightening our days!”

– Shannon Doherty, Visitation Specialist

“I'm grateful for the amazing energy and the positive attitudes theybring to our Museum visitors! They spread joy and inspire us all towonder what if?’”

– Valerie Haggerty-Silva, Graphic Designer

“MuseumCorps members enable the Museum to provide direct programming tonearly 2,000 children in the most under-resourced neighborhoods. Thereis no way we could have that kind of impact without them. Every childdeserves to have a Carolina or a Sam or a Cassi to pay specialattention to their learning. Because AmeriCorps is training and serviceprogram, members are here to learn as well to serve. I appreciate theircommitment to try new things, to get better and better, and to createthe best experiences for children.”

– Cathy Saunders, Director of Education

“Self-esteem research shows that all a child really needs to succeed inschool and become a lifelong learner is a connection with one caringadult. Every year we get to introduce 13 more caring adults to thechildren of our community. With AmeriCorps we are able to live thisquote from Ann Frank: ‘Isn't it wonderful knowing that we don't needto wait one more day to change the world?’”

– Mary Scott Hackman, Early Childhood Programs Coordinator

Our sincere thanks and congratulations to Bonnie, Carolina, Cassi, Cassy, Dylan, Jackie, Julie, Kerrie, Kirsten, Lauren, Lyndsey, Rachel and Sam!

A collage commemorating the team's year of play and learning.

Creating a Community of Volunteers

2011-08-18T19:08:00.000-04:00

This week, we’re celebrating a year of remarkable service and the graduation of our 2010-11 AmeriCorps team with a series of posts. MuseumCorps Educator Julie Burkhard shared her experience as the Volunteer Coordinator “team of one.”

Something many people don't realize is that everyone in our exhibits wearing a yellow apron is a volunteer and the Museum could not open without them. Some are college work-study students, some are members of the community, some are families setting a positive example for other families. They tidy exhibits, help find lost children, and most importantly, help our visitors play and learn. One of the things that makes the Museum special is that we have so many amazing volunteers to help facilitate the learning experiences that happen here.

It is the privilege of the AmeriCorps volunteer coordinator to work closely with this group. Since there are so many people coming and going all the time, it’s important to be a friendly face for volunteers, a person they know and they can talk to. The volunteer coordinator helps creates a work environment where volunteers feel respected, appreciated and needed, and that what they do here makes a difference. This happens in many different ways. We have special after-hours volunteer events like ice skating, treats during busy school vacation weeks, and birthday cards and other recognition. There are also more logistical aspects, such as keeping track of volunteer hours and sending out a monthly volunteer newsletter.

Being the volunteer coordinator is a neat balance of behind-the-scenes work and making sure all of our incredible volunteers know how important they are to us. This past year has been a rewarding experience and I have loved every moment of it.

Inspiring a Love of Learning

2011-08-18T18:32:00.000-04:00

This week, we’re celebrating a year of remarkable service and the graduation of our 2010-11 AmeriCorps team with a series of posts. MuseumCorps Educator Jackie Frole gives a look at the work of this year's Learning Club team.

Have you ever been at Providence Children’s Museum around 4pm on a weekday and been bombarded by 15 children racing up the stairs and cheering in unison? Well then you’ve just witnessed Learning Club! (And we’re sorry if we knocked you over.) Learning Club is an AmeriCorps outreach program that brings kids ages 6-12 from Providence-area community centers to the Museum for after-school and summer programming.

Clubs focus on science-based learning activities that reinforce what kids are already learning in third to fifth grade classrooms all over Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls. From launching butterfly rockets and exploding volcanoes to catapulting pennies and dropping eggs, this year has left us with hundreds of great stories that fail to accurately portray the amount of fun we had and the great kids we served. But let’s give it a try! Here’s a story from one of our team members, Dylan Joy:

“After every activity at the Learning Club at Silver Lake Community Center, Rayquan would ask to take home his construction. One afternoon, Rayquan had been very active and engaged in creating Extendable Ears, sound-amplifying devices made from recycled materials. At the end of the activity he told all of the Learning Club leaders that he was going to take home his Extendable Ears device and put it to good use. Most of us thought ‘yeah okay, we’ll see if that really happens, his mom will probably just throw it away.’ But at the next activity, six days later, Rayquan ran up to me and said ‘Dylan, the ear thing I made is awesome! I use it every day and I even taught my sister how to use it and how it works and why it works!’ It made all of us realize that these activities do have an impact on kids and teach them lessons that they can then pass on to others.”

Great stories like this multiply each year as the Learning Club team comes in and brings activities, fun, and a love of learning to Rhode Island community centers. Our team will always be grateful for the memories we shared and the children’s lives we were honored to be a part of.

Learning Club members Jackie, Dylan, Rachel and Carolina

Giving Kids a Head Start

2011-08-17T18:18:00.004-04:00

This week, we’re celebrating a year of remarkable service and the graduation of our 2010-11 AmeriCorps team with a series of posts. MuseumCorps Educator Cassandra Kane reflected on the work of this year's Head Start team.

One of the Museum’s core values is being accessible and responsive to ALL families. Through Museum outreach programs, the most vulnerable children in Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls experience hands-on activities developed and facilitated by MuseumCorps Educators, a group of 13 individuals committed to a year of AmeriCorps service.

This year, four of those educators—Cassi Rebisz, Bonnie Platzer, Kirsten Thomsen and myself, under the supervision of Early Childhood Program Coordinator Mary Hackman—collaborated with Children’s Friend Head Start centers in greater Providence to introduce sensory activities to 1,026 children in 57 classrooms.

Cassi, Kirsten, Cassandra and Bonnie following a successful Head Start Family Night.

We first visited the classrooms to introduce ourselves and the Museum through an interactive book we created, “Nori’s Story.” After singing and marching to the song “We’re Going on a Field Trip,” the children played with Museum toys such as puppets, costumes, blocks and trucks. Within a few days, the children visited us at the Museum for a 90-minute field trip.

Each year, Head Start teachers vote on a theme for the two classroom activities we plan. This year’s topic was the five senses, so we first read “You Can’t Taste a Pickle with Your Ear,” which comically presents the senses with rhymes and silly illustrations, then introduced each sense through fun, hands-on activities. For hearing, we played a sound matching game. We filled boxes with materials like washers, wood chips and sand, and the children took turns shaking and listening to each box to find the pairs. For smell, we placed Q-tips saturated with different scents into small spice canisters. Children took turns smelling and guessing the scents – peppermint, banana, orange, coconut, hot chocolate and cinnamon. I loved some of the children's guesses; rather than “cinnamon,” they said “apple sauce” or instead of “hot chocolate,” they exclaimed “marshmallows!” It was fun to see how certain smells reminded them of other things, which is just another form of learning. Then children used their taste buds to sample honey and lemon juice; they also learned new words like “sweet” and “sour” to describe the flavors.

For touch, we introduced natural red clay to the classrooms. Although Play-Doh is popular in preschool classrooms, we decided to show children and teachers how playing with natural materials can be just as fun. After the children felt and described the clay’s texture (Smooth or bumpy? Soft or hard? Wet or dry?), they sculpted with a variety of natural materials, including pinecones, seashells and rocks. Teachers had the option to keep the creations in their classrooms overnight so children could see how the clay dries and hardens.

In the second classroom activity, we delved more deeply into sound. After reading the interactive story “Boom, Baby, Boom Boom,” in which the children made various animal noises and kept a beat, we introduced them to the classical music of Vivaldi’s “Spring” and led them in a flower dance. Children learned to distinguish “low” and “high” sounds by playing instruments made of cans and spoons and experienced how sound vibrates and travels by talking through plastic tubes attached to funnels. The activity concluded with a rhythm game, in which we tapped and clapped in fast and slow tempos. What the team enjoyed most about this activity was showing teachers and children how to use ordinary objects (old cans, spoons) to make fun activities. You don’t need fancy instruments to explore the wonders of music and sound!

We also conducted workshops for the teachers, presenting new and exciting curriculum to implement in their classrooms. We each developed an activity based on one of the senses: Cassi showed teachers how to use old transparency machines to tell stories in a unique way; Bonnie created a “Look Book” with pictures from recycled magazines; Kirsten taught animal words in American Sign Language and told a farm story; and I demonstrated the “bottle organ” by filling five glass bottles with different levels of water to create different notes of the scale, and showed teachers how to play simple songs like “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “Hot Cross Buns.”

A few weeks after lead teacher Elisa DeMatos and her assistant Aida Dones attended our workshop, Elisa told me her classroom was focusing on sound and they had created a bottle organ. They also added food coloring to each bottle and numbered them 1 to 5—two suggestions I introduced during the workshop to expand the lesson to address color and number recognition. When I visited the classroom, Elisa and Aida enthusiastically explained how simple and fun the bottle organ was to make, and how perfectly it fit into their sound curriculum. They shared that many of their students can now distinguish between “low” and “high” pitches and some enjoyed “composing” their own songs and grasped the concept of rhythm and beat. Learning that the teachers implemented an activity I introduced felt incredibly rewarding and certainly made all of the prep and planning worthwhile.

Cultivating Creativity

2011-08-12T18:49:00.000-04:00

This article, by Museum Executive Director Janice O'Donnell, was originally posted on Kidoinfo.

Creativity – like play and love – eludes definition. We have acommon understanding that artists – painters, sculptors, poets,composers, designers – are creative. Sometimes overlooked is thecreative thinking that goes on outside the arts. Every good teachercreatively makes learning meaningful for students with a range ofabilities and interests. Parents find creative solutions to thechallenges of raising children all the time. And kids are incrediblycreative.

Creativityis inventive, imaginative and, above all, playful. It has to do with“what if…” thinking, with trying new ways to solve a problem, and verymuch with looking for new problems to solve. When considering thehuman face from a very different angle – or from every angle at once –Picasso was wrestling with a problem he posed himself. That’s the wayscientific inquiry works, too. Science couldn’t move forward ifscientists didn’t ask “what if…?” And that’s the way children’s playworks: “What if I put this board across this stream? Could I make abridge?” “What if I were a lion and you were a mouse and I chasedyou?” That’s creative thinking.

A classic exercise to get adults’ creative juices flowing is to takean object and ask, “What could this be?” – the point being to come upwith as many possibilities as you can. Kids need no such exercise. Awooden block becomes a microphone, a cell phone, a little car to zoomalong the floor. A stick becomes a magic wand, a sword or a boat tofloat in a stream. Children’s thinking, especially when they’re veryyoung, is so flexible and fluid, they’d far outscore most adults on anycreativity test.

I’m concerned that for so many people, creativity diminishes overtime. That’s a shame, but not a surprise. Schools, teaching to thetest, give kids the idea that there’s one right answer. Push-buttontoys and increasing amounts of time spent in front of screens –passively watching or interacting with pre-programmed games – arecreativity killers. In the Alliance for Childhood’s important report “Crisis in the Kindergarten,” authors Edward Miller and Joan Almon call this a tragedy:

"No human being can achieve his full potential if hiscreativity is stunted in childhood. And no nation can thrive in the21st century without a highly creative and innovative workforce. Norwill democracy survive without citizens who can form their ownindependent thoughts and act on them."

We need to nurture childhood creativity and ensure it extends intoadulthood. One important way to do this is to provide plenty ofopportunities for open-ended play and exploration. Sticks and blocks. Markers and paper. Clay. Magnets. Water, sand, mud. Flights ofimagination. Let’s resist the creativity-killing trends and encourageand rejoice in our children’s capacity for creative thinking. Let’slearn from them to become more creative ourselves. Maybe join them ina mud pie making session. There sure isn’t only one right way to makea mud pie.

Creativeplay abounds in the Museum’s new Discovery Studio, avibrant art and science exploration space. Create with natural andrecycled materials; investigate light, color and textures; tackleengineering challenges; and much more. Discovery Studio is open forself-guided exploration most days from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with some facilitatedactivities. Try a different theme each week! Click here for program details.

PlayWatch: Discovery Studio

2011-07-31T17:21:00.003-04:00

This post was contributed by Museum intern Sara Sargent.

Recently in Discovery Studio, I witnessed a young boy’s excitement as he explored bridge building using colorful puzzle blocks.

After forming several shapes with the blocks, he turned to me and asked, “What else can you make with these blocks?” I gave him a few suggestions but he already had his own idea of what he wanted to do. He proclaimed, “I’m going to build a bridge!”

As he played with the blocks, he found that his bridge wouldn’t stay up. I offered a challenge for him to find another material to help support his block bridge. He immediately brought over the triangle blocks from another table and started to stack them, but he said, “It’s kind of hard with the triangles.” I told him that triangles are actually one of the strongest shapes and that engineers use triangles to build bridges in real life. “Oh!” He exclaimed, “I could stack them on top of each other! I’m going to make a pyramid because triangles are strong.”

After placing the triangle blocks on top of each other and realizing that his plan was working, he proclaimed to his mother and siblings who were watching and helping him, “So that’s why they call this the discovery room!”

He placed the last block on the top and placed the original puzzle blocks over the triangles to form the bridge. The bridge held for a little while and then tumbled down, but he had a huge grin on his face. His mother said that it was time to leave the studio. As they left I asked if they had been to the Iway exhibit. The boy excitedly told his mother that he wanted to go there next so he could continue to discover new ways to build bridges.

This moment captures a window into the learning that goes on in an open-ended play environment and how children who visit Discovery Studio understand what it’s all about: discovering through hands-on exploration.

Click here to learn more about Discovery Studio and how it was created.

All Aboard! (Part II)

2011-07-22T18:53:00.007-04:00

The window boxes in the Museum’s atrium walkway have been transformed into circus cars transporting curious creatures and some seriously silly rhymes.

Limerick Train, a display created by AmeriCorps Museum Educators Jackie Frole and Kerrie Hoban, was inspired by Miriam Troop’s "The Limerick Book: A Collection for Young People." Jackie gave a peek into their process.

Why did you pick this theme?
At the start, Kerrie and I bounced around a lot of ideas, from nursery rhymes to outer space to stuffed animals. We definitely wanted to create some kind of story and began looking in the Museum's library, where we came across Miriam Troop's collection and illustration of limericks. We both fell in love with her cut paper style and the somewhat odd animal poetry. The Limerick Train evolved from that.

How did you choose the limericks?
We chose limericks from the book that were about animals that kids could recognize, but were still clever and humorous. There were a few funny limericks about amoebas and planaria, which we decided against because of their general obscurity. We also had help creating and editing a few limericks. Our friend and writer Matea Mancia created the warthog, chimp, and crocodile limericks for us to use.

Describe your materials and process for creating the scenes.
After settling on our 15 animal limericks, we began collecting wallpaper sample books (generously donated by Adler's Hardware) to use as our material. We really loved the unlimited textures, colors and depth we could create from flat images by working with wallpaper.

For each scene we made a few different sketches and remained flexible when the time came to actually build each box. One example of this was with the newt limerick. We originally had an idea of a sleeping newt in colorful pajamas dreaming about being an accomplished lute player. However, we really wanted to see what a newt would look like as a mime, so that idea won out in the end.

We also had help building some of the boxes from fellow AmeriCorps member, Rachel Schwartz, who offered her creative skills toward building the sad and sneezy rhinoceros.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Limerick Train is accompanied by a picture hunt designed by Jackie – see if you can find the worm hiding in each box! – and a challenge to complete this limerick:

Nori the dragon peered over the wall,
Atop the Museum, welcoming all,
“Have fun today, kids!”
And he knew that they did,

______________________________

Have a final line? Leave us a comment, and look for both of the train displays next time you visit the Museum.

All Aboard! (Part I)

2011-07-21T18:12:00.001-04:00

Two new train-themed displays recently arrived at the Museum!

In the lobby, AmeriCorps Museum Educators Dylan Joy and Sam Ratcliff sent an Amtrak model train traveling through some curious scenes. Dylan described their inspiration:

"We both enjoy traveling, different landscapes, different cultures. We attempted to create the sensation/phenomenon that occurs while traveling (on a train, in an automobile, by foot, on a bike, etc.), when the traveler is exposed to a new world, a new landscape, a new feeling.

In our scenes, the train goes from an ordinary town scene through a portal into a world that is unknown: one of large ants, worms, spiders, and flowers that dominate the landscape. It speaks to the possibility of discovering a new world after going through a tunnel or around the bend."

Up next, learn about the Limerick Train that just pulled into the atrium walkway!

And the winner is...

2011-07-18T11:09:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Marcela and Yael from Lexington, MA for suggesting Tortellini, the winning name for our Discovery Studio tortoise! And thanks to everyone who entered the contest – there were so many fantastic suggestions, you've left us wanting more pets to name.

We were eager for Tortellini to have a name and, like visitors to Discovery Studio, curious to learn more about tortoises. And so was Tortellini, as it turns out.

Tortellini "reading" a book about tortoises.
(No, this was not staged!)

So here are some excerpts from our tortoise fact sheet:

What kind of tortoise is Tortellini?
Tortellini is a sulcata tortoise, also known as an African spurred tortoise (Testudinae family). African spurred tortoises are found in hot, dry scrubland areas in a large swath across Northern Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. They live in deep burrows in which they seek refuge from the heat.

How big will he grow?
They grow fast and can grow very big! A tortoise can live over 50 years and its carapace (shell) can grow to be 18 inches across. Tortellini is 2 ½ years old.

What makes a healthy tortoise diet?
Tortoises like to eat grasses (buffalo, bermuda, orchardgrass, little bluestem, and western wheat grass). Tortellini enjoys lettuce leaves and carrot peels. Food treats are strawberries (with greens intact), hollyhock, roses (flowers only), chickweed, dandelions, hibiscus and geranium (leaves and flowers).

What about water?
Once a week, we dip Tortellini in an inch of filtered water and if he’s thirsty, he will drink. Otherwise, he gets all the hydration he needs from food. He is a desert tortoise so he holds all the water he needs in his body.

Thanks to Dave Marchetti of Animal Experiences for providing us with our tortoise and to Marcela and Yael for giving him a name!

We're Honored!

2011-07-15T16:20:00.009-04:00

The Museum has been recognized with several wonderful awards recently.

We were honored to receive the Michelle Norris Memorial Award from Children's Friend at their annual meeting – presented to an individual or organization that has provided extraordinary support and/or assistance toward their mission of improving the futures of Rhode Island’s most vulnerable children. The award is presented in memory of Michelle Norris, a Central Falls first grader who was abducted from her neighborhood and murdered over 10 years ago. We were selected in recognition of our service to children and families in need; the Museum partners with Children's Friend through our Families Together program and serves Children's Friend Head Start preschoolers through our AmeriCorps program.

Left to right: Kimberly I. McCarthy, Chairman, Children’s Friend Board of Directors; Janice O'Donnell, Museum Executive Director; Cheryl Lepre, Families Together Consulting Clinician; Nedria Greco, Families Together Clinician; Shannon Doherty, Families Together Visitation Specialist; Cassandra Kane, AmeriCorps Museum Educator; Mary Scott Hackman, Early Childhood Programs Coordinator; David Caprio, Children’s Friend President and CEO.

Museum director Janice O'Donnell, upon receiving the award: "Thank you so much for this honor. There are many reasons organizations have for not working together as partners – it's complicated, we're busy, we compete for attention, funds and prestige... But there are many much more important reasons for organizations like ours to work in close partnership – those reasons are the children and families we serve. Children's Friend understands that and is a wonderful partner, always cooperative and helpful, always aware that what's most important is the children. We are so glad to be friends with Children's Friend."

AND we were also recognized twice in the New England Museum Association's Publication Awards Competition, which "recognizes excellence in design, production, and effective communication in all aspects of museum publishing." We won first place for our previous year's annual report and third place for the "Life is a Carnival" gala invitation.

Thanks, Children's Friend and NEMA!

Discovery Studio is NOW OPEN!

2011-07-07T11:29:00.006-04:00

The verdict is in: kids – and grown-ups – LOVE Discovery Studio! We welcomed our first group of 11 children, ages 2 to 13, into this vibrant new art and science exploration space and they were all deeply engaged in imaginative play for a full hour, plus created pieces to help us decorate the Studio.

Some scenes from Discovery Studio:

Come see Discovery Studio for yourselves, and please leave us a comment to let us know what you think! Also enter the contest to name our tortoise – submit your suggestions here or on our Facebook page.

This Summer in Discovery Studio
Discovery Studio is open for self-guided exploration each Thursday through Monday, with some facilitated activities. Explore a different theme each week, with activities appropriate for a wide range of ages and abilities.

July 7 - 11 • Opening Celebration! Sample a selection of imaginative activities that will be offered in Discovery Studio.	August 4 - 8 • Animal Adventures Create critters, craft wild habitats and encounter live animals.
July 14 - 18 • Nature Investigators Create with and examine objects from the natural world.	August 11 - 15 • Light and Color Experiment with the art and science of color mixing.
July 21 - 25 • Block Builders Tackle engineering challenges with an assortment of interesting blocks.	August 18 - 24 • Texture Trace Experience sensory explorations from mild to messy.
July 28 - August 1 • Earth and Water Investigate the movement of water, scoop sand and sculpt clay.	August 25 - 31 • Re-Constructors Sculpt and build with an artful array of recycled materials.

Click here to learn about the inspiration for and process of creating Discovery Studio. And thank you to everyone who supported the Thrive Drive for helping to make this new space a reality!

Discovery Studio Finishing Touches

2011-07-06T15:57:00.009-04:00

We're finally ready to open Discovery Studio tomorrow! Here's a look at what's happened over the past week.

New sinks were installed, adult and child sized.

Graphic Designer Valerie Haggerty-Silva painted the Discovery Studio entryway – the portal, as we've come to know it!

Program coordinators Carly Baumann and Mary Scott Hackman began moving materials into the Studio, including program supplies...

as well as plenty of artful, inspiring objects to decorate the room.

We worked on the initial documentation wall display, which documents the process of creating Discovery Studio.

And Exhibit Designer Chris Sancomb and Exhibit Technician Hillel O'Leary installed panels and a canopy to create a cozy nook.

Activity supplies are ready to go!

A view of the full room - compare to the concept drawing!

Join us to celebrate the opening of Discovery Studio tomorrow and all weekend! Drop in from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM to sample a selection of imaginative activities that will be offered throughout the summer. Build with colorful blocks and prisms, create crafts that catch the sun’s rays, and explore the art and science of water, color and light.

We look forward to sharing it with you!

Discovery Studio Takes Shape

2011-06-30T11:32:00.008-04:00

Discovery Studio opens in one week! Now for a peek at the process of putting it together...

For months, Chris Sancomb (exhibit designer) and Hillel O'Leary (exhibit technician) have been hard at work in the Museum's shop building beautiful new cabinets, shelving and other Discovery Studio components.

Chris cuts materials for the entryway signage.

Hillel carves the "smock tree."

Meanwhile, program coordinators Carly Baumann and Mary Scott Hackman have been developing activities and getting supplies in order, while Valerie Haggerty-Silva (graphic designer) has been planning and prototyping Discovery Studio signage.

Prototype of entry signage.

Then came the work to disassemble the activity room,

get it painted with vibrant new colors,

and install new cork-patterned flooring.

This week, the cabinets and shelves were moved into place and the space is just about ready to be set up and stocked with an array of fabulous materials.

Also, our Discovery Studio tortoise arrived, courtesy of Dave Marchetti of Animal Experiences! More on this adorable creature later.

Check back for a look at the finishing touches!

A Conversation with Carly Baumann & Mary Scott Hackman

2011-06-29T14:53:00.007-04:00

Meet the educators responsible for Discovery Studio and other Museum programs: Education Programs Coordinator Carly Baumann and Early Childhood Programs Coordinator Mary Scott Hackman.

What’s your background?
Carly: I first came to the Museum to be part of the 2003-04 AmeriCorps team, from a background in education, and worked with Learning Clubs developing hands-on activities and after-school programs. After my AmeriCorps year, I worked in Providence after school and taught elementary school and returned to the Museum in 2007 as a staff member.

Mary: My background is in early childhood. Prior to coming to the Museum in April 2008, I spent a year teaching Head Start teachers at Ready to Learn Providence how to weave literacy into their curriculum. Before that, I was training early childhood educators and teacher assistants in the Providence school system.

Describe your role(s) at the Museum.
M: My focus is bringing information about early child development and things that appeal to children ages 1-6 to the Museum. I plan programs, oversee the AmeriCorps team that works with Head Start (ages 3-6) children, and think about what’s best for our youngest visitors.

C: Both Mary and I help shape the learning experiences children and families have at the Museum and identify learning targets. I design programs for kindergarteners and up and mentor our AmeriCorps members working in the after-school community to develop hands-on curriculum to Museum standards and philosophy while guiding their growth as educators.

M: Carly and I have also have a responsibility to the wider community of sharing the Museum’s philosophy about the ways children learn with other educators.

C: And with other staff, too – Experience Coordinators, Play Guides, interns. Not just procedures of what we do but the why.

In general, what’s the role of Museum programs?
C: Museum exhibits are designed to be handled and experimented with by thousands of children. Programs allow us to take the same philosophy of hands-on learning and expand it to materials and tools that are messy, risky, small, delicate in ways we couldn’t do in exhibits. They allow us to be more spontaneous and try out new ideas while offering activities, challenges and support for children to be independent and creative.

What’s the goal of having a dedicated program space like Discovery Studio?
C: We are creating an environment specifically designed to be an inspiring place to hold our programs. Currently we have flexible rooms that can be anything. Flexibility has been important to maximize our space, but it means hauling materials from the basement, moving tables and stools for every program. We want the experience to be more efficient for staff while giving visitors access to more materials. It’s really a learning space. It will always there – we can put things up on the walls and keep them there, or change it over time.

M: Components of the Studio that will help all of us are opportunities to store things there, to have sand and water tables available at any time as well as manipulatives and books. We’ll have a tortoise and living plants, to give children opportunities to observe. And a nook, a place to retreat to – a quiet space for a family to read a book, with comfy pillows.

C: We’ve thought about how design works with different ages. We wanted to play with levels in Discovery Studio – higher tables for activities designed for older children, lower tables for toddlers and preschoolers. When visitors walk in the door, they’ll instinctively know what’s appropriate for them. Of course anyone is allowed to explore any area of the Studio, but it allows us to better respond to the needs of visitors.

M: We’ll also have areas in the room where children’s work is displayed so visitors can see what happens there and the types of experiences they can have.

C: We also have the opportunity to try something new, to have ongoing art or creative projects that children can continue to come back to. Another piece of our learning is giving visitors access to these experiences as long as the Museum is open. Sometimes experiences will be facilitated, but other times they will be self guided, with hints and ideas.

What inspiration did you draw on in planning the space and the programs?
C: Primarily we drew on what we’ve learned from the programs that we run, that we respond best to visitors when we offer multiple ways in, when we invite them to experience materials in different ways.

M: And when we give a longer window in which to explore – we designed the space and program time so that children can drop in and leave and come back, that there’s no pressure to complete or finish. Open-ended time is important to the child’s process. I’ve also been influenced by the words of [Reggio Emilia founder] Loris Maliguzzi, who said that rather than teaching children anything, giving them materials to interact with is the way we should be educating. Children need the time and the space to manipulate materials.

C: Immersing ourselves in other studio environments, from art studio spaces designed for children to nature labs. Each of us involved in this project has drawn on spaces where we find inspiration.

Why and how are you documenting what happens in Discovery Studio?
M: The Museum is already documenting, through the blog and collecting great stories. The visitor experience has always been elicited, via exhibit “talk-back” boards, the “show-off” shelf in Shape Space and directly from the visitor. We want to continue that in Discovery Studio by capturing a moment a child has and making it come alive.

C: We’ll have a permanent place to show children’s work, photographs, quotes and tell the story of the learning happening in the Studio. It gives us a chance to develop our own professional practice, to talk deliberately about the kinds of learning we’re supporting and how we can do better.

M: Documentation also shows children how much we value what they’re thinking, and that’s a really important message we want to give our visitors.

Documentation wall prototype.

What are you most looking forward to once Discovery Studio is open?
C: For me, seeing where the visitors take it. We can only plan up to a certain point. What’s really going to make this space magical is what children bring to it, and we can learn from them.

M: I am so excited that the room will appeal to a very wide range of development and age – to see an 11-year-old alongside a 2-year-old in the same space, each doing an activity and being industrious, and that so much of an exchange will go on because of that.

C: Learning Clubs will also be held in Discovery Studio and I’m so excited to see this space used for the hands-on activities our AmeriCorps member develop for children who have such limited access to beautiful materials in their classrooms or community centers.

Marvelous Mud

2011-06-25T11:10:00.011-04:00

This article by Education Programs Coordinator Carly Baumann was originally posted on Kidoinfo.

A favorite childhood summer activity, my sisters and I used to spend hot days filling a little green plastic pool from the backyard hose to keep cool. But so much of the fun was what was happening outside the pool; we loved to splash the water straight to the ground, making muddy puddles. I remember how sun-warmed and sensational the mud felt on my bare feet, creating suction as I pulled them up and down. A Children’s Museum colleague shared an accidental mud discovery she made with a group of preschool children. Playing with a homemade slip-and-slide on a hill, children were just as drawn to the mud they made in the process, noticing the fascinating downhill rivulets being formed as the water and soil met, the kids changing the directions of the paths.

Despite its sometimes dirty reputation, mud stands strong with sand and water as an excellent open-ended play element for children to explore, allowing them to shape their environment while engaging their senses. Dirt and water can come together in endless combinations for mixing and molding, giving kids permission to dig in, experiment and make mistakes because of the endless supply. At the Museum, we’ve celebrated mucking around with mud using lots of topsoil, water and inspiring materials. Children used old kitchen pans and utensils to roll and form mud pies, each one uniquely constructed and adorned with toppings like gravel, dry beans and sprinkles of sand – some artfully arranged, others piled just for the experience of it. While most kids darted straight to the mud pit and other activities, not everyone was without hesitation. We loved how one mom pushed through her doubts, shook her head with a smile and said, “Why not go for it?”

When we asked Museum visitors to respond to the question, “What ways do you play with dirt and mud?,” they shared ideas from “make a restaurant that serves mud” to forming mud balls and muddy face paint. Mud play can be a messy, full-body outdoor experience but it’s also an art medium to explore indoors. We mix mud and sand for a gritty, spreadable texture, perfect for painting and stamping on paper with brushes with natural materials. Connecting with dirt and mud – basic elements of the earth – in different ways is wondrous, creative and just plain natural!

Celebrate International Mud Day on June 29! And dig in for some messy hands-on fun at the Museum during Mud Play programs on June 25 and 26. Also take home inspiration for outdoor play with the “Play in the Dirt!” kit in the Museum Gift Shop, packed with hands-on activities compiled by the Museum’s play specialists.

Discovery Studio is Coming SOON!

2011-06-21T19:34:00.002-04:00

Yesterday marked the closing of our second floor activity room (next to Littlewoods) for the installation of Discovery Studio, opening July 7. What was once an unadorned room will be transformed into a vibrant new space for children's open-ended art and science exploration over the next several weeks!

The painting crew hard at work.

Although the installation just started, the work has been under way for some time – many months have gone into planning what this new program space will look like and what activities will be offered, as well as fabricating new cabinets, shelving and other components.

Here's a look at the Discovery Studio inspiration boards created by the "X-Team" – the team that plans and designs the Museum's environments – for a prototyping meeting last fall (click to enlarge).

Program coordinators Carly Baumann and Mary Scott Hackman have a meeting to plan Discovery Studio activities.

Director of Education Cathy Saunders tests out some of our new blocks.

And a gorgeous concept drawing by Graphic Designer Valerie Haggerty-Silva.

Learn more about Discovery Studio in the Museum's summer newsletter, and stay tuned for a peek at the process of bringing the space to life.

And join the Thrive Drive, a new online fundraising effort, to support the creation of Discovery Studio!

Take the Children's Garden Challenge!

2011-06-20T19:08:00.006-04:00

Last month, we announced a new texture hunt, created by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Jackie Frole to encourage visitors to explore the Museum's great outdoors. This week brings Jackie's latest creation: The Children's Garden Challenge!

Get out and search, solve and play – try out these fun things to do all summer long!

Toddlers at Play

2011-06-14T14:36:00.003-04:00

I watched a team of toddlers busy in The Children's Garden as they filled cups with water at the fountain and carefully carried it back to the sand pit to mix with sand. Because they were only able to bring back small amounts of water and there is a lot of sand, it didn't produce much mud, but they were intent on the task nonetheless. One small girl had another idea. She dipped an archeologists’ brush into the cup of water and used it to “paint” the stone wall.

– Janice O’Donnell, Executive Director

I witnessed a great family play moment after a mom and dad followed their two young, excited daughters with these beautiful blonde curls into Littlewoods. The girls were sweet and cute, playing with the puppets, climbing the tree, and running through the cave. At one point, the parents were near the 2-year-old in the boat, while the 4-year-old put on the skunk costume. She walked over to her family, turned around, bent down, and sprayed them! They all cracked up and the parents were flabbergasted because they had no idea she knew that skunks sprayed! Then the girl just kept spraying them over and over again, and they all just laughed together. It was such a fun moment witnessing the parents learning something about their daughter and also taking part in and appreciating her play.

– Cassandra Kane, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

PlayWatch: When Grown-Ups Play

2011-05-31T19:24:00.001-04:00

The Museum's hands-on learning environments can entertain kids of all ages for hours – and grown-ups, too! We love it when we discover the "big kids" completely engrossed in their play, whether with or without their children. It happens regularly in front of the funny mirrors, when moms and grandmoms get lost in a fit of giggles together. Upstairs, in Shape Space, often a mom and dad will be completely absorbed by building with the Jovo tiles or wooden unit blocks – working separately or together. Then, after a while, the kids will interrupt: "Mom and Dad, are you done yet? We're ready to play somewhere else now!"

A great example of grown-up play happened on Friday, when a mom spent an hour or more building an elaborate dog in Play Power, captivated as she stacked the narrow wooden Kapla blocks in careful tiers. Staff and visitors were so impressed by the finished product that no one wanted to take it down! Meanwhile, her 3-year-old son played busily nearby the entire time, just as involved as his mom.

We love that the Museum can foster such focused play experiences, and that adults feel comfortable stepping back and giving a child the freedom to play on his or her own. Now that's great parallel play!

Gone Conferencing, Part II: Play!

2011-05-24T18:28:00.009-04:00

Before and in between InterActivity conference sessions, we filled our time with some excellent museum adventures and plenty of other fun!

Art Car Museum

Megan: The Art Car Museum is the only museum of its kind in the country, a mix of intricate, wacky art cars and gallery space. The story of how Houston artist Mark David Bradford created the current exhibit of (fully functional) art cars resonated with all of us: he used silverware that was abandoned by the airlines post-9/11. Reclaimed materials become beautiful, provocative art!

Janice: The best thing I saw in Houston – I love quirky museums and this is one of the quirkiest! Very much itself – obviously a meeting ground for art car aficionados. Staff was friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The art cars on exhibit were fantastic (in the true sense of the word), beautifully crafted, and had a great sense of humor. I loved the dragon car with hundreds of thousands of spoons for silvery scales. Biggest regret: Leaving the day before the BIG Houston Art Car Parade!

A distant relative of Nori, our rooftop dragon?

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Robin: I really enjoyed playing in Carlos Cruz-Diez's exhibition “Color in Space and Time.” The works encouraged us to experiment with optics and color by moving our bodies around the pieces – it was a bit science, a bit color theory and lots of fun. I especially liked sharing the exhibit with colleagues and learning favorite tricks from the MFA's docents.

Megan: The exhibit was really a playground of perception, inviting us to investigate how colors change and blend depending on distance and motion.

Children’s Museum of Houston

Our visit to the Children's Museum of Houston during a conference evening event revealed an amazing water play area, inspirational studio space, and great activity tables!

Robin, Janice and Carly shoot streams of water into a giant basin.

Carly: I wandered into the art studio, lured by rolls of duct tape in crazy patterns and colors. The volunteers leading a duct tape wallet-making activity were pre-teen sisters who told me about how they also serve on a kids' advisory, offering their suggestions and feedback for the museum in regular meetings. The girls radiated an empowered sense of belonging to the museum, while helping it grow with their own ideas. I love this!

Other fun stuff

• We went to the opening night Pecha Kucha event, led by Paul Orselli. Ten inspirational presentations and a perfect way to start the conference.

• Yes, it's true that everything's bigger in Texas. But we wished we'd turned that other slogan on its head by wearing “don’t mess with Rhode Island, either” t-shirts.

• Some of us enjoyed the aforementioned elevators more than others, zooming past floor after floor from top to bottom of the hotel!

• And we might have been spotted with children's museum folks from across the country carousing at a dueling piano bar…

A big thanks to all of our children's museum colleagues for the inspiration, ideas and FUN!

Gone Conferencing, Part I: Work(ish)

2011-05-24T17:26:00.007-04:00

Last week, several of Providence Children’s Museum’s staff headed to Houston, TX for a few days of fun and learning during InterActivity, the annual conference of the Association of Children’s Museums. This year’s conference theme was “Innovation is Child’s Play,” and we all walked away with plenty of new ideas and inspiration.

Here are some of our many takeaways:

Chris Sancomb, Exhibit Designer

I really enjoyed meeting fellow designers and peers and discussing the similarities to process, problems and solutions. The workshops that involved participation were opportunities to build spontaneous team chemistry, and explore multiple viewpoints and working methods. Sometimes it clicked and sometimes not, but it reinforced the bond our Providence Children’s Museum team has.

A pre-conference workshop on cognitive science and exhibit design was awesome! I also really enjoyed two workshops on inclusion and the museum environment – one on universal design and the other focusing on autism and the spectrum of visitors. Very informative and helpful in assessing what we have and what we can do for the future.

And of course I enjoyed the time out of the office with my peers, where we sometimes talked shop, sometimes we talked big picture and dreams. I think all go to building strength back at home.

Chris and other conference attendees at a workshop.
(Courtesy of Paul Orselli)

Janice O’Donnell, Executive Director

Keynote speaker Steven Johnson's concept of “the slow hunch” – let an idea grow gradually from inspiration. That's what we hope experiences at the Museum give our visitors – the beginning, the inspiration for their further learning.

Getting measurable ways to track moving from “Nice to Necessary.” Children's museums are nice places – no one argues with that – but we want to know we're addressing real needs, that we play a necessary role in our communities and beyond. Jeanne Vergeront said that being necessary starts with looking past our walls. We're pretty externally oriented – we work closely with Children's Friend Head Start, Providence Boys and Girls Clubs, DCYF and many other organizations to help them meet the needs of children and families in our community. I want us to look at these collaborations to make sure they are relevant and sustainable, which Julia Bland described as key to being necessary. She should know; she directs the Louisiana Children's Museum in New Orleans, which continues to be a major player in the city's recovery from the devastation of Katrina.

There has been tremendous growth in the number of children's museums over the past several years and a lot of museums have gotten bigger. Consequently, the market for hands-on exhibits has grown. More and more exhibit design firms have popped up, many of the larger children's museums are creating exhibits to sell or rent, and relatively fewer museums are designing and building their own unique exhibits. While this might be a trend toward efficiency, it's also akin to the “malling of America” – children's museums all over the country look a lot alike. I think we’re approaching a tipping point. There were several discussions and presentations about “the DIY alternative,” creating unique exhibits in-house (which was the norm 15-20 years ago). Paul Orselli showed images from several children's museum, including ours (thanks, Paul!), pointing out that all are examples of DIY museums – all imaginative, local, artful and themselves. In a session about “Courageous Design,” Brenda Baker from Madison (WI) Children's Museum and Nancy Stice from Phoenix Children's Museum presented on creating their museums in collaboration with their local communities and artists. The images of both Madison and Phoenix knocked me out – gorgeous places and you'll not find anything like them anywhere else.

Climber, © Children’s Museum of Phoenix

Two-story climber made with salvaged materials.
© Madison Children’s Museum

Robin Meisner, Director of Exhibits

The sessions and conversations I was part of have led me to thinking...

• that we and similar museums around the country have to think about the balance between encouraging caregivers to play with their children and encouraging them to be students of their children (learning from their kids by observing and celebrating their play and learning). We need to try different ways of communicating the value of the learning that happens through play to caregivers.

• that we need to consider children at the upper end of our age range carefully... what works for them about what we do and what might we do differently, perhaps even exploring the role new technologies might have in engaging them.

• that inspiration can come from anyone or anything, and that I truly enjoy working with our team in thinking about the design and development of our exhibits and environments.

Carly Baumann, Education Programs Coordinator

A favorite experience at the conference was riding the hotel’s glass elevators: one side facing downtown and the other creating the illusion of plummeting to the lobby. During our session about healthy risk, my co-presenters and I discussed the feeling of risk when riding the elevators as the ingredient that kept us involved in the play. It's typical for riders to silently face the doors in an elevator, but with the walls transparent, strangers came together in their love or aversion to the sensation – risk as "a social lubricant," as Aaron Goldblatt expressed it.

Speaker Dr. Milton Chen’s measurement of a great learning center: “Do the kids run in at the same rate they run out?” As much fun and learning as we had in Houston, I couldn't wait to see excited kids' feet flying up the entrance to Providence Children's Museum again!

Inspiring Outdoor Play Spaces

2011-05-18T10:36:00.006-04:00

This article by the Museum's Early Childhood Programs Coordinator, Mary Scott Hackman, was originally posted on Kidoinfo.

“In childhood play, it is a safe assumption that kids need more than a two-dimensional screen to gain competency. Children need free, hands-on play that is kid-organized, to maximize their potential. Nothing lights up a child’s brain like play.” – Stuart Brown, M.D., founder of the National Institute for Play

Years ago, I attended a workshop given by an architect of children’s spaces. One remark that struck me that day and lingers still was, “Next to food, the element that is essential to the health and well-being of our children is light.” I remember thinking, “Well, we should close down all childcare centers housed in basements!” And now I think it’s just another reason to advocate for getting our children out of doors and into the natural light of day.

Rhonda Clements, Manhattanville College faculty member and advocate for children’s outdoor play, did a study where she interviewed children ages 5 - 12. She cited this response from one youngster when asked whether he preferred indoor or outdoor play: “ I don’t like playing outdoors because there aren’t any outlets to plug a computer into.”

When I was a child, when the season allowed, we played outside all the time. One of my favorite play memories is when, after a rainstorm, the kids in the neighborhood gathered where two yards joined. One yard was at the top of a hill, the other at the bottom. We started at the top, got a running start, and careened down a stream of mud into the next yard, winding up in a huge puddle. It took a bit of courage the first time, then nobody hesitated – we just all lined up again and again. In fact, it was almost as much fun watching as it was taking your turn!

Things are admittedly different today. Kids have more competing for their attention. But given a bit of encouragement and a few props, a fun, free, magical experience in the outdoors awaits them. So what do they need? A wooden spoon or stick to tap out a rhythm on pieces of wood or stone. A cardboard box with a hole cut in the side for a door. Or better yet, discovering an opening in the base of a globe of vines or a forsythia bush for a secret get-away space.

My current guru on outdoor play is Rusty Keeler, founder and designer of Planet Earth Playscapes, who suggests that, “well-arranged plants for children can become playhouses, hideouts, castles…” One idea you might try is to scatter sunflowers in the shape of a square. Think about it, a living fortress of looming sunflowers. Intriguing for the children, a veritable feast for the birds and a grand, natural play space all for a few pennies.

When considering an outdoor play space for your kids and your neighbors’ kids, think about these things: freedom, opportunities for risk-taking, natural materials, a water source, ropes, things to dig with. Oh, and no adults!

Yes, that’s right. No adults. Kids need unstructured, unsupervised hours of time outdoors where there are no rules (except for the ones they create…and recreate!). No one telling them what’s what, so they have to negotiate with one another and figure it out.

Let’s think of outdoor play spaces where kids create – they create the things they play with, they create the rules they play by.

Where in the Wild?

2011-05-11T23:37:00.003-04:00

Museum visitors can explore our great outdoors as they wriggle and stretch through The Climber, tunnel through Underland, and try fun-filled outdoor challenges in The Children’s Garden all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays in May and June.

One of the playful challenges is a texture hunt, created by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Jackie Frole – check it out below. Spot any objects you recognize?

Stay tuned to learn about other outdoor explorations. Happy hunting!

PlayWatch: Water Wizards

2011-05-04T11:33:00.001-04:00

This post was contributed by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Rachel Schwartz.

As I was driving into work on Easter Sunday, the roads were empty, sidewalks vacant. Providence residents were not to be seen. When the Children’s Museum opened, subsequently few families came in to play with us. Regardless of the lack of visitors, it gave a certain family a chance to really get to know Water Ways.

The water pressure was especially high in Water Ways so the fountains were shooting further than normal. A father and his 6-year-old son started out by making fountains using pipe pieces. As time went on, their fountains became more and more intricate. Eventually, they came up with a jet design. They discovered that if they covered up one of the fountain holes, there would be enough water pressure to shoot the water from the big tank to the toddler tank.

Then the determined duo decided to move the jet so that it would shoot from the big middle tank to the long side tank. The family and I walked under the stream of water many times. It was a blast!

Thank you to the family that shared this experience with me. Now this is one of my favorite tricks in Waters Ways. You never know what can happen on a slow Sunday!

Let kids be kids!

2011-04-22T17:59:00.000-04:00

This post was contributed by Kendra Leigh Miller, Museum volunteer.

Let them run, play and make some noise! It’s all part of being a child and learning as they grow, said Dr. William Hollinshead.

Hollinshead is also a pediatrician, Vice President of the R.I. Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and former Medical Director/Chief of Family Health policy and programs for the R.I. Department of Health.

The doctor was the guest speaker at the Museum’s annual meeting held April 11. His topic, so relevant with today’s children, was “Playing with Our Future.” It focused on the importance of children engaging in unstructured, free-thinking play. He and the Museum make a perfect pair, given this is one of the main, most important messages the Museum advocates.

“Grandma always told the kids to go out and play and it turns out, she was right,” Hollinshead said. “Unstructured play is the way children figure out how the world works. It’s not just about human children, but it’s the way all young mammals learn language, math, politics AND they do it without much intervention from parents.”

He said it’s okay to be a little less vigorous in the way adults help children, allow them not be so organized with their play and let them do what comes naturally. Children can be so over scheduled these days with soccer practice, dance lessons, music lessons, school tests and other activities along with the modern marketing of video games (he called it a phenomenon) that simple, thoughtful play gets lost in the mix.

Hollinshead said studies have shown a great deal about how the brain is molded in the very early months by the natural process of learning and experiences children have, good or bad, can certainly have an effect.

“Give them true toys,” he said. “With blocks, sticks and fabric a child can bring their imagination to life and pretend these things are lots of other things, whatever is in the mind of a child.”

Hollinshead mentioned research done by psychologist Peter Gray at Boston College, who also promotes children’s free play. According to Gray’s work, a child will walk for hours if he can. He’ll fall down a lot but he’s learning how to be two-legged. It’s a process where he’s learning about his environment.

A child may pick up an object, turn it over in his hands a few times and probably bang it on the floor or ground to see what happens. Again, he’s testing the objects in his environment.

A group of 5 year olds can and will agree on what a castle will look like if they want to build one. They’ll learn how to listen to each other, designate who will do what, and work together to accomplish the shared goal. Little do they realize these are traits they’re learning for adult life.

Among Hollinshead’s basic points: play needs to be fun and largely free of adult intervention – unless, of course, children are harming each other. Adults should ensure children have a variety of spaces for imaginative play without intrusion.

“If grown-ups meddle or interrupt the free flow of fantasy, it breaks the spell and takes the fun out of it,” Hollinshead said.

Good, productive play is often chaotic and noisy and that’s alright, too. Hollinshead recommended we should “all work for a world in which kids play more,” and keep in mind that learning isn’t just about what children gain from being in school. Some of life’s most important lessons come from play.

Celebrating active play - inside and out!

2011-04-22T17:49:00.001-04:00

From the Museum's recent annual meeting, take a look at some of last year's highlights, in words and photos:

Click here to download our 2010 Annual Report and get the full story on last year's accomplishments.

PlayWatch: Creative Construction!

2011-04-20T18:31:00.002-04:00

This post was contributed by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Cassandra Kane, who documented a great play moment that happened at the Museum today.

An avid tree-house builder, 9-year-old Matthew loves a good building challenge. While he and his friends played in Shape Space this afternoon, he ambitiously decided to erect a structure using every wooden block.

With an architect’s eye for detail, the third grader first balanced two long, rectangular blocks on top of three others. He built his four-point foundation by repeating this step three times with the rest of the long, rectangular pieces.

Then, Matthew said, he “just kept stacking.”

After connecting the base with flat, rectangular pieces, he continued to slowly and meticulously pile on blocks of all shapes and sizes, creating jumbled tiers of carefully balanced triangles, arcs, squares, and prisms. He smartly placed heavier blocks near the bottom, and one lone cylinder atop the edifice like a skyscraper’s needle.

One hour later – after overcoming challenges like a younger child wanting to sit on the base during the construction phase! – Matthew proudly stood next to his sturdy structure and eagerly asked for more blocks. I think we’ve witnessed the early work of a future famous architect!

THANK YOU to Our Volunteers!

2011-04-18T11:44:00.005-04:00

Last week was National Volunteer Week, and the Museum celebrated with a special volunteer recognition board and festive dress-up days, planned by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Julie Burkhard.

Below, some volunteer facts and quotes compiled by Julie:

Did you know...?

Museum volunteers gave 11,698 hours of service in 2010 alone
The Museum has volunteers ranging from 1 - 69 years young
The Museum currently has over 30 regular volunteers, not including college work-study students
The Museum would not be able to open its doors without volunteers

Why we volunteer...

“I love working with kids.”
–Claudia, Play Guide

“I like being creative, I like helping out, and I like having FUN!”
–Allyson, Graphic Design Intern

“Because I love children. Their positivity truly influences me! They are magical!”
–Rachel, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

“As an AmeriCorps volunteer, I am able to do satisfying work, have fun, and be inspired every day by the children, by the professional staff, and by my fellow AmeriCorps volunteers.”
–Bonnie, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

“Because I love to make kids smile.”
-Amy, Education Intern

“We volunteer for a few reasons. We wanted to give our daughter a better connection to other children in the community, since she is getting older. We want her to understand volunteerism and what it means to give back to others. And we wanted to play at the Museum more! This gives us time as a family to focus on each other, as well as those around us."
–Amy, Family Volunteer

Why the Museum appreciates its volunteers...

“I love the fact that volunteers are here at the Museum because they choose to be. And (a big AND) we could not take care of our visitors without them!”
–Mary, Early Childhood Programs Coordinator

"Our volunteers are the BEST! I love their playful spirit and that we hear from visitors again and again how memorable our Play Guides and desk staff are!
–Carly, Education Programs Coordinator  

"Volunteering is not easy. You must have a big heart and willing to serve people without expecting anything in return. That's why we love volunteers, because they are a special kind of people."
–Diana, Experience Coordinator  

"Museum volunteers share their passion for play. They make exhibits and programs even more fun!"
–Cathy, Director of Education

“They remind me of how amazing it is to give your time to something you really enjoy, and this place couldn’t run without them!
–Lyndsey, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

“They help us ensure a quality experience for everyone who enters our building.”
–Joanna, Communications & Membership Assistant

“I enjoy chatting with the volunteers and saying hello when they are coming in to start their day with us. Thanks for the smiles!”
–Shannon, Visitation Specialist with Families Together

“They are ALWAYS willing to help!”
–Barbara, Office Manager

Unplug During Screen-Free Week!

2011-04-13T15:28:00.008-04:00

Shut down the video games, turn off the TV and step away from your screens – April 18-24 is Screen-Free Week! This national celebration, which coincides this year with school vacation, is presented by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and encourages children, families, schools and communities to turn off screen media for a week – to unplug, play, read, create, explore.
Excessive screen time has long been an issue, but the problem is growing as more kids have individual devices and near-constant media access. A national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 8-18 year-olds average more than 7½ hours per day in front of screens and consuming entertainment media, which adds up to more than 53 hours a week – nearly twice as much time as they spend in school.

And although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen use for children under 2 years, very young children also spend an astonishing amount of time at screens. According to Nielsen, preschoolers average more than 24 hours of television viewing each week.

Dr. Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and author of Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood, notes that while not everything on screens is bad, in general screen time encourages passive media consumption and limits the time children spend engaged in creative play. “Unlimited access to miniaturized screens means that even when children are out and about, we are depriving them of opportunities to engage in the world,” explains Linn. “They learn to look to screens rather than to their environment for stimulation, to expect to be entertained rather than entertaining themselves.” Among other implications, screen time can also make kids less physically active and more prone to attention problems, poor school performance and sleep disruption.
So take a break during Screen-Free Week and see what you and your kids can do without. Worried about screen time withdrawal? Here’s a list of fun-filled, playful alternatives, contributed by Providence Children’s Museum educators:

Go on a nature walk in a park or around your neighborhood. Take paper and crayons and do rubbings of the bark of different trees. Collect leaves and twigs for a nature art project.
Have a family game night. Make popcorn and play fun games like Uno or Cranium. With a deck of cards, learn how to shuffle and try building card houses.
Hold a family talent show. Plan a few days ahead for practice, props and costumes. Don't tell each other what talent you're going to perform so everyone's act is a surprise!
Take a dark walk – bring flashlights and explore your neighborhood at night.
Have a book-a-thon. Go to the library in the afternoon. Then, after supper, climb into bed and read aloud to each other. Don’t limit the number of books or chapters – just keep reading for as long as everyone stays awake!
Design a mini-golf course inside or outside using toys and things found around the house. Take turns with a real or plastic putter and golf balls.
A different hide-and-go-seek challenge: take turns hiding and searching for something small, like a stuffed animal.
Make outside obstacle courses using jump ropes, balls and chairs and have a relay race. Take turns designing new courses.
Have a toy carwash. Bring out cars and any toys that need a scrub and gather sponges and soapy water.

And don’t worry if kids whine about being bored without screens – let them figure it out! It’s amazing how boredom can inspire creativity if you allow the space for it to happen.

Have a wonderful UNPLUGGED week!

Other resources:

Screen Time Toolkit in English and Spanish from Kaiser Permanente
Media Use resources from the American Academy of Pediatrics
Center on Media and Child Health
Kids, Play & Digital Media resource sheet from Providence Children’s Museum

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

For more unplugged fun, visit the Museum during school vacation! Meet llamas, lambs and other Fleecy Friends. Fold and crease paper to create fabulous flying contraptions. See performances by the Pumpernickel Puppets and the State Ballet of Rhode Island. In celebration of Earth Day, watch No Time to Waste, an interactive family comedy about recycling. And for adults, get tickets to Unplugged, the Museum’s 2011 gala fundraiser, and support the Museum and child-directed play!

An Interview with Heidi Brinig

2011-04-06T19:00:00.016-04:00

This year, the Museum celebrates the 20th anniversary of Families Together, its therapeutic visitation program for court-separated families. Heidi Brinig, the program's director, came to the Museum as a volunteer in April 1991, working to launch the renowned program. She spoke about her inspiration and the program’s evolution.

What’s your background?
I have a bachelor’s in early childhood education and a master’s degree in human development and family counseling. I previously worked as a community mental health therapist, for a teaching hospital in Pennsylvania. My work was focused around children in foster care and mentally challenged adults. I was also working on a certification in play therapy, how to use play in a very clinical setting.

What was your inspiration for Families Together?
As a therapist, we spent all this time with kids, teaching them better coping practices, but we weren’t teaching the parents anything. We returned kids to families who were unprepared. The system didn’t help me understand the needs of the family and how to support them – and why they came back into the foster system so quickly. I didn’t believe it was helping people – they needed a better way to heal.
How did the program start?
With work in play therapy and early childhood education, and as a hands-on learner myself, I was fascinated by children’s museums. I went to Boston Children’s Museum and it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. To see kids’ learning process and joy just does something for my soul.

In the spring of 1990, I researched cities with children’s museums across the country to see if I could develop an internship. Rhode Island was my third phone call, and I was invited to visit to talk about the idea further. The Museum had already been thinking about engaging the social service community more formally, so by late fall they said, okay, we’ll do it. They offered me an internship researching the needs of the social service community and how the Museum could be helpful.

Family and friends questioned how I could go to a place where I knew no one and I thought, what an adventure! I was so taken by the care and the love that people at the Museum had for children and their welfare.

What were the early challenges in starting the program?
Working with DCYF to identify what the program should look like, I had to do lot of research on something that didn’t exist – there was very little written on visitation at that time.

I had to engage the Museum community in a way that supported the families. The staff was on board but I wanted them to invest in the idea, to embrace these complicated people and challenged families.

I believe the line between where I stand in life and where these families stand is very thin. Any one of us could easily be in a situation where we need help. These families’ challenges touch so much of what the Museum as an institution wants to change. Everyone can come here and be the same. We fight for social justice.
What about today?
Ever since I started this project, it’s been a balancing act on so many levels. The needs of the family – and not victimizing them. Understanding my strengths and limitations. At every stage, being mindful of the needs and mission of the Museum, DCYF, the court and the various levels of the child welfare system. That was challenging as the program was designed and grew and still is every day.

It’s a constant challenge to raise money and do the best we can for these families. There’s a limited amount of money and funding is changing.

Society has a desire to protect children but also respects parents' rights and privacy. Our biggest challenge is respecting the right of parents and helping those that make decisions about their lives. To protect children physically and emotionally and to actually raise them are different challenges, and there are parents who try so hard but just can’t do it. It’s emotionally taxing for Families Together staff and caseworkers.

What are you proudest of?
I’m proud of Providence Children’s Museum for saying yes, of all the individuals who stand and stood by me in this institution and those connected with it – funders, board, staff, DCYF – who agreed to take this risk and continue to do it every day. Of their passion and commitment to do what’s right and be respectful of deserving families.

We’ve taken visitation beyond the Museum and have elevated it to an opportunity for teaching, guiding and assessment– and not just for the immediate family. I like to think we’ve set the pace for other visitation programs, that we’re a model for other child welfare systems and museums. We’ve tried to raise awareness about the value of visitation and over 20 years, I think we’ve succeeded.

Families Together staff, left to right: Front – Amber Massed, Cheryl Lepre, Jessica Lima;

Middle – Mary Luz Arias, Paula Toland, Heidi Brinig, Cat McCaffery;
Back – Shannon Doherty and Amanda Grandchamp

Learn more about Families Together in the spring issue of the Museum's newsletter.

Play With Your Kids!

2011-03-31T17:31:00.001-04:00

This article by Executive Director Janice O'Donnell was also posted on Kidoinfo.com.

The big idea behind Providence Children’s Museum is that the best kind of learning happens through play. Kids learn all kinds of important things when they follow their own interests, make choices, try things out, solve their own problems, create their own characters and situations – by playing. As an educator, I am a true believer in this approach.

As a parent and grandparent and a friend of parents, grandparents and kids, I am also convinced that play serves an important role in family dynamics. I advocate for playing with your kids – not interfering in their independent play, but taking a playful attitude to parenting whenever you can.

A simple example of what I’m talking about: a few days ago, in the midst of the get up, eat your breakfast, get dressed, we’re going to be late routine, I said to 9-year-old Finn, “Brush your tooth.”

“My tooth?” he said, “Brush my tooth?” and headed off to the bathroom chuckling instead of complaining. It was just a moment of silliness but it softened the nag element. His giggles made me happy and my impatience dissipated. A playful attitude can change everything!

I highly recommend play as a hedge against irritation. You know those recurring trouble spots – fussing about going to bed, picky eating, sibling scuffles – that really frustrate you. Fend them off by getting playful before you get annoyed. Maybe your kid is pokey about getting dressed in the morning. Challenge her to a getting-dressed race and be really goofy about it. Act as if you are hurrying as fast as you can but make silly mistakes (like putting on your jacket inside out) that slow you down so that she wins. When you’re both laughing, it’s really hard to be angry at each other. Let’s face it, the only way you can win a battle of wills with a child is by not engaging in one.

Beyond keeping the peace, playing with your kids lets them know you’re paying attention to them. From their point of view, it can seem that your attention centers on keeping them safe and making sure they wash their hands and do their homework. When you play with them, you let them know you enjoy them and that feels really good – to the kids and to the grown-ups, too.

Parents are busy, but playing with your kids really doesn’t need to take a lot of time. You can fit it in with things you’re doing anyway. A car ride, for example, is the perfect time for singing together. My grandkids and I like songs that let the singers make up verses as they sing. “Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow” is a good one. The kids sing, “Did you ever see a giraffe…” and I rhyme it with something funny, “in a bubble bath!” They lead and I respond to them. We’re as silly as we can be and have a lot of fun.

Kids play all the time, so it’s easy to join them. Say you’re making dinner and your child comes in and roars. “Yikes! A lion!,” you say and, to prevent a lion attack, you give her a green bean. Or you’re sitting in a waiting room and he’s playing with his little cars. Take one and join his game. Vrooom! You can set a place at the table for her imaginary friend and include the figment in the conversation.

Why not play with your kids as often as possible? It makes life easier, it makes everyone happier, it’s good for them, it’s good for you – and it’s FUN!

For more playful tips, check out “Play With Your Kids! A How-To, Why-To Guide for Parents” by Providence Children’s Museum. The booklet was created to inspire families to play and learn together and is available in English and Spanish. Get your copy in the Museum Gift Shop for only $3.00; click here to learn more about the guide.

Toy Boxes

2011-03-21T17:40:00.012-04:00

This post was contributed by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Cassandra Kane.

Museum visitors – get ready to feel nostalgic!

In the new ramp box display Toy Boxes, co-worker Kirsten Thomsen and I showcase favorite toys children have played with throughout history. From wooden alphabet blocks to Beanie Babies^®, the exhibit features toys we gathered from Museum staff and friends or found in the Museum’s collections. The display works like a timeline, progressing by date from the bottom of the ramp to the top, and labels in each box show the year the toys were created.

To determine which toys to include, we consulted resources like the Strong Museum’s National Toy Hall of Fame and other toy history websites. Our project supervisors, Carly Baumann and Robin Meisner, provided wonderful insight and support as well.
We acquired some vintage toys, like a NERF^® ball with its original box (courtesy of Director of Education Cathy Saunders) and a variety of colorful Silly Putty^® eggs. For ones like Raggedy Ann™ and Mr. Potato Head^®, we used “newer” toys to represent the originals.
We enjoyed unearthing interesting stories about how some of the toys were created. For instance, did you know Silly Putty^® was a wartime invention gone wrong, and LEGO^® derives from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” meaning “play well”?

My favorite part of the project was rooting through the collection of toys the Museum has amassed over the years. Slipping on white gloves to look closely at tin toys with labels reading “Made in Western Germany” and to hold a 200-year-old chalkboard evoked feelings of wonder and appreciation for the role toys have played and continue to play in childhood.
Although we ended up not including those toys among the 17 in our exhibit, the experience reaffirmed our goal in creating the display – that everyone has a special toy in their lives. We hope that as caregivers walk up and down the ramp, they pause to reminisce about the playthings in their own toy boxes growing up and then strike up a conversation with their children about what toys mean to them. We look forward to overhearing those exchanges over the next three months.
An interactive talk-back board allows visitors to share their favorite playthings so during your next visit, be sure to post a memorable toy from your childhood or a toy that your child adores!

Tea Party!

2011-03-11T16:28:00.013-05:00

Last week, a delightful new tea party scene arrived in our marionette case, courtesy of AmeriCorps Museum Educators Rachel Schwartz and Lyndsey Ursillo. They described their inspiration as they worked with the Museum’s collection of Huestis marionettes:

“After first looking at all of the marionettes, amazed by their detail and beauty, we decided that our theme needed to be whimsical and fantastical.

We loved the animals, especially the monkey, and we also knew that we wanted to have a very lively and child-friendly scene. That is when we came up with the tea party idea because where else can you have a camel, a monkey, a bear and a giraffe sipping tea while a ballerina dances along a fence?

It was a pleasure playing with this idea and bringing Betty Huestis’s marionettes to life in a magical way!”

Stop by for a sip of tea next time you’re at the Museum! Click here to learn about our previous marionette displays.

Static Play!

2011-03-10T16:37:00.009-05:00

This post was contributed by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Jackie Frole, who works with kids in the Learning Club program.

On a blustery 20-degree day, after pulling my winter hat off my head and watching my hair fly up like the Bride of Frankenstein, I realized that cold weather is good for something…static! Static (cling and shock) occurs because of the build up of electric charge on objects. Lucky for us, static works best when the weather is dry, like during the cold winter months.

I could go on and on about the phenomena of electrons, but instead, here are a few fun indoor static experiments to try at home. These activities have been tested and approved by kids in Learning Clubs, the Museum’s after-school outreach program that leads hands-on science activities for elementary school-age children. These last days of winter are perfect for science exploration while staying indoors and out of the fickle March cold!
Bending Water
Turn a sink faucet on so that it has a light but steady stream of water. Rub a balloon against a piece of wool or on your hair. Hold the balloon close to the stream of water and watch as it bends towards the balloon!

Can Racing
Use tape to create start and finish lines on the floor. Line up empty soda cans on their sides at the start line. Each racer gets a balloon and rubs it on a piece of wool or their hair. Hold the balloon in front of the soda can (no touching!) and watch it roll toward the balloon See how fast you can get your can to roll, or experiment with different size balloons and cans.
Static Sparks
For this experiment you need a small Styrofoam tray and a small aluminum tray (a pie tray or tin foil both work). Rub the Styrofoam tray with a piece of wool or on your hair and place it down on the ground. Pick up the aluminum tray and drop it on top of the Styrofoam tray. Turn off the lights, slowly bring your finger close to the aluminum tray, and watch a small spark jump from the tray to your hand!

Electrified Powder
Gather different types of powders (flour, detergent, salt, pepper, rice, sprinkles, etc.) and lay them out individually. Charge a balloon by rubbing it against a piece of wool or your hair. Then hold the charged part of the balloon an inch above the powders and watch as they fly up and stick to the balloon. Test out other powders and see what works best.

PlayWatch: Block Builders

2011-03-08T09:56:00.008-05:00

This post was contributed by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Cassandra Kane.

My favorite part about working with children is that I’m constantly in awe of their creative powers and imaginative play.

I was recently struck by one girl’s ability to transform a pile of ordinary blocks into an inventive “royal palace” scene during the Museum’s Block Builders program, which invites children to build with a variety of blocks and interesting materials. I watched as 7-year-old Cassie wandered the room, inspected each kind of block, and meticulously selected supplies for her project. She picked a spot to build and let her imagination run wild as she created an elaborate castle, block by block.Wood blocks stacked two or three high served as the outer frame, and a pyramid of additional wood blocks towered in the back, topped with a wood rectangle featuring a spinning flower “because princesses like picking pretty flowers,” according to Cassie.

She turned pink, green, and yellow plastic cylinders into soaring towers on the left and right sides of her castle. Blue and red tinted blocks instantly transformed into the vigilant and stern “guarders” John and Austin, who kept close watch on movement by the witch’s army from the “evil place,” another structure Cassie built a few feet from the castle’s grounds. There, a “mean old witch” trapped princesses in a red plastic cylinder covered with a large hardwood tray.
Cassie also used wood blocks to build items outside her castle, including a moat, a tree house, a refrigerator, and a table – created by placing a purple circular block on top of four Lincoln logs.

Inside the elaborate edifice, two princesses (pink and purple tinted blocks) named Cassie and Haylee ate a nourishing lunch consisting of their favorite foods and drink: donuts, ice cream, and chocolate milk. (Haylee is Cassie’s 6-year-old friend, who focused her attention nearby on balancing colorful acrobats on top of each other’s shoulders).

After her caregiver suggested it was time to move on to another area of the Museum, Cassie exclaimed, “I want to stay here and play!”

They left a few minutes later, though, and I couldn’t help but wonder how the tale would have continued and what else Cassie’s creative mind would have conjured up!

Scenes from Vacation Week

2011-02-28T16:29:00.008-05:00

Last week was an extra-eventful school vacation week! Museum staff and volunteers shared some great moments seen and heard as families played, explored and discovered together:

As I was walking to the Admissions Desk, I spied a fabulous threesome walking through the parking lot. One princess, one superhero and one adult starlet entered the Museum for a day of decked-out fun. Turns out the princess and her entourage were visiting for her birthday. It was so wonderful to see ALL of the family celebrating in a fun and special way!

–Liz Leahey, Experience Coordinator

A woman told me how much she loved one of the engineering programs, and that it was a wonderful way to introduce her young daughters to opportunities in science. She really appreciated that the program captured their interest and that it gave them ideas for what they might do when they grew up.

–Bonnie Platzer, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

A girl wanted to play in Water Ways but all of the aprons were being used. She took her dad by the hand and led him to the coatroom. She came back wearing her raincoat! She said, “Wasn’t that a smart idea?” Yes it was!

–Cynthia Calabro, Experience Coordinator

In Iway, three boys and one girl were playing with the big purple and yellow blocks. I showed them how to build an arch bridge and then the young boy asked, “Can I show you how I build my bridge?” The older boy then pointed to the collage of bridge pictures from around the world and proclaimed, “Yeah, there are all kinds of different bridges!” A few other kids joined in too, showing me so proudly all of their innovative ways – each one completely different – to build a bridge!

–Cassandra Kane, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

I saw two boys wearing the construction vest and hardhats from Iway, so I asked them how the construction was going. It took them a moment to catch on but then they said it was going very well and that the bridge would be done in a few weeks. I told them that I was very relieved and let them know that there was some construction that needed to happen immediately on the ship because I was setting sail that evening. They quickly went "back to work" on the ship – especially after I told them that I would pay them $100/hour!

–Rachel Schwartz, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

While greeting visitors at the Admissions Desk, I watched a little girl and her grandma get ready to leave. I bent down and asked her, “Did you have fun?” She looked at me and said,“YES!,” then put her hand close to her mouth as if she was going to tell me a secret. She whispered, “Next time I’m bringing my grandpa, too. He’s going to have a blast!”

–Carolina Roberts, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

Free Friday Reflections

2011-02-22T11:10:00.003-05:00

This post was contributed by Lyndsey Ursillo, AmeriCorps Museum Educator. Lyndsey is part of a team of 13 dynamic and diverse individuals who have dedicated a year to working with underserved children and families. AmeriCorps members design and implement enriching activities for Head Start; create and conduct after-school Learning Clubs at local community centers; recruit and coordinate Museum volunteers; and receive training in museum education, learning theory and public service.

I worked during Free Friday last week and had a really great night that reaffirmed my belief in kids and play and the Museum in general. Over the winter, I was losing some of the enthusiasm I had when I first started at the Museum and found myself watching kids instead of really engaging with them.

At Free Friday, however, I was completely surprised at how new and exciting the Museum could become for me and the kids I was interacting with! The night started off with a local marching band coming through the Museum and playing for everyone, which reminded me that there is so much creative energy in this city that is not shared enough. It really pumped me up for the night and I think it did the same for the visitors. I led the program "Stack ‘Em Up” – building towers from paper cups – and I was amazed at how much fun it was to build a large tower and then knock it down with kids. It also brought to light a fact that I already knew but hadn't really acknowledged: kids love to play with simple every day items, they do not need fancy technological toys all the time. The program lasted two hours but the time flew and I was sad to see it end.
At the end of the night I helped a few parents coax their children out of the Museum by promising to show them Nori the dragon's tail outside, which I have never done before. And it worked! Kids actually wanted to go outside and see the tail. As I was racing a little girl down the ramp to go outside I thought to myself, "We forget as adults how wonderful it is to be a kid and I'm glad I can be around kids for my job!"

Click here to learn more about the Museum's AmeriCorps program. Click here for more information on the Museum's free MetLife Family Fridays, sponsored by MetLife Foundation.

Kids are Engineers!

2011-02-15T14:44:00.007-05:00

This article was contributed by Program Developer Carly Baumann and was originally posted on Kidoinfo.com.

A favorite Children’s Museum activity, Puff Mobiles are made by constructing simple wheeled cars with paper sails, designed to catch the stream of air a child blows through a straw. I’ve seen kids innovate with many creative constructions over the years: wide sails, double sails, weighted bases.I observed Puff Mobiles in an after-school Learning Club and noticed a child who appeared to be disengaged. Instead of huffing and puffing on her vehicle, she rested it on the floor while her eyes wandered the room. Overturning a Styrofoam tray of paper, she fanned the tray in her face, blinking in the wind. Then she waved it rapidly at her sail, sending the vehicle steadily forward. Just as I began to tell her how excited I was and that I had never seen anyone try that technique before, she picked up a carpet square and flapped it at the Puff Mobile, launching it halfway across the room!

This 8-year-old girl was an engineer – applying imagination and analytical thinking to solve a problem, pulling herself so far out of the box she transcended the problem of the sail and changed the air itself! In our day-to-day lives, we overcome challenges by thinking like engineers all the time: assessing the situation, testing and re-testing solutions to make the best of the resources we have available to us. The more practice children (and all of us!) have stretching our problem-solving muscles, the more flexible and creative our thinking becomes.2011 marks the 60^th anniversary of National Engineers Week, February 20-26. Volunteers from the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers will lead engineering activities with Children’s Museum visitors this month. I asked several of the engineers what types of play they were drawn to as kids, and how the adults in their lives supported their interests. Not surprisingly, fort building and creating cities and bridges with blocks and other open-ended construction toys was echoed by each of the engineers. But I was also struck by the common theme of having time and space to figure things out on their own and bring their imaginations to their play.

Jen DiStefano benefited from a balance of sports, which helped her get comfortable with her position in a team dynamic, and child-driven, unplugged play – “finding ways to occupy our time… outside from early morning to sunset.”
According to Chad Morrison, “Any sort of toy that involved building and understanding how the parts go together really appealed to me.” (Chad is now designing stairs for the LEGO facility in Enfield, CT!)
“I would keep all my LEGOs in one huge bin and then just start building an idea and figure out what I needed to do to get there,” Doug Martin remembered.
“We constantly designed stadiums and houses,” said Matt Pitta. “My parents were supportive and positive, even when supplying constructive criticism on the designs.”

Kids are engineering whenever they dig a moat for their sandcastle or arrange a fort of sofa cushions – special supplies aren’t required. Ideas for engineering challenges using every day materials, like designing catapults or animation toys, are a fun and interactive way to shake up play routines at home. Some great resources the Museum uses are from the PBS shows “FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman,” “Design Squad Nation” for 9-12 year olds, and the now-cancelled “ZOOM”; also Things to Make and Do from the Exploratorium, an incredible San Francisco museum of science, art and perception.

Have fun scratching your heads and discovering “Eureka!” moments as engineers at home!

Join Providence Children’s Museum to celebrate National Engineers Week AND February school vacation! Be An Engineer and experiment with electrical conductivity and oobleck on February 19. Block Builders tackle construction challenges on February 23 & 25. And Young Engineers learn how civil engineers plan buildings and bridges on February 26. Visit the Museum’s website for details.

The Carousel is BACK!

2011-02-04T09:52:00.025-05:00

Longtime friends of the Museum will remember our colorful carousel, which has been out of commission for a while because, like all well-loved Children’s Museum components, sometimes they need a little extra care! Young children especially have always been drawn to the cheerful music as the carousel rotates to reveal some unexpected creatures. So we’re thrilled to have it back and in its new location, right in the lobby, where we know it will once again get a lot of attention.

In honor of the carousel’s reappearance, here’s a blast from the past: an article announcing the carousel’s arrival in the Museum’s January/February 2000 newsletter!

Local Group Carves Out New Exhibit
Gnomes, bears, birds and clowns abound as the Museum hosts a fascinating exhibit of wood carvings done by a local circle of friends who call themselves “The Splinter Group.” The nine men in the group meet every week in a Bristol basement to carve intricate and charming figures from wood. The best examples of these carvings have been brought together and are on display at the Museum.

One of the most whimsical creations in the exhibit is a colorful carousel that six members of the Splinter Group made and donated to the Museum [in summer 1999]. The working carousel is accurate down to the last detail: it has tiny horses that move up and down, a popcorn stand with real popcorn and a brightly striped cloth canopy on top. “Even the music that plays as the carousel rotates is a recording of the Looff Carousel in East Providence,” explained Dan Elkins, Splinter Group secretary and long-standing member...

Hand-carved animals and exotic animals prance around the
Museum’s model carousel, a gift of the Splinter Group.

Check out more of Dan Elkins’s carvings in the circus case in the stairwell. And look for more information about the many artists whose work is featured in the Museum in future posts. What artist or artwork do YOU most want to know about?
Related posts:
The Story of Estrella
Puppet Masters!
(About our marionette collection - look for a new display coming next month!)

Junk Music!

2011-01-21T19:16:00.006-05:00

Last weekend, RISD junior Max Frieder brought an incredible infusion of creative experiences to the Museum’s Paint Play program. Visitors made some joyful noise as they grabbed drumsticks and explored the sounds of Max’s colorful “Foundstrument Soundstrument,” an interactive percussive sculpture created from a motley mixture of found materials and reclaimed junk.

A project developed over a series of four RISD courses, Max describes the Foundstrument as a wonderful interactive teaching tool that “makes sounds of all kinds, from bops of plastic pipes, to chimes of casted glass, to the bing of reverbarating metal. The different scales have different tones, and there are objects on it of all different kinds of mediums.”

As children explored the beat, Max also led them in a collaborative mural-making activity, while Museum play guides facilitated a printing activity with a vibrant array of paints. Check it out:

Museum staff and AmeriCorps members shared some of their observations and impressions of the program’s magical sights and playful sounds:

To the soundtrack of banging, binging and tapping filling the air, a mom and her son's faces both lit up with smiles – he engaged in painting the background of the mural with an array of colors and moving with his whole body across the floor, she engaged in watching him. I loved what she said to me: “I feel so stimulated right now!”

A group of older boys were painting, playing music, and hanging out with Max, learning more about the making of the Foundstrument. Max told that them that, as an art student, THIS was his homework. Four pairs of eyes widened and the boys said in unison, “Awesome!”

On Sunday, Max invited a friend of his who works with ¡CityArts! – a musician and experiences percussionist – to play on the Foundstrument with visitors. It brought a new dimension to the music to have her sustain an inspiring bold beat while kids and grown-ups began adding their own rhythms, fleshing out the sound and morphing it. It was like a junk drum circle, but you weren't limited to one “drum,” you could change the instrument as you went along. And two of Max's Big Nazo friends came as their creature alter-egos!

–Carly, Program Developer

Kids were shocked when they were handed a stick and told to go at it and then Mom or Dad joined in, too! “This one makes a cool sound,” said a 10-year-old girl as we banged and made rhythms on a tin kettle, wooden cylinders, and old plastic toys that were drilled into a wheel barrel. Experimenting with different sounds and trying to join in the beat with the artists was my favorite part. I felt that I was making something with children that was purely original that would never be repeated or heard again.

–Kerrie, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

The thing that really stuck with me was the kids’ faces when they saw the Foundstrument – it was a look of wonderment and shock. Some kids weren't sure if they could really hit everything with the drumsticks and others just jumped right in and encouraged the shy kids. It was great! The painting activity went along with it really well because it was two very creative, unstructured experiences in the same place.

–Lyndsey, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

Two children made the biggest impression on me. One young artist, about 7 years old, was playing in front of the funhouse mirrors – she and her mom with their hands full of her beautiful paintings. It was clear how hard she had worked as she told me the paintings’ descriptive names and about her inspiration. And 6-year-old Ethan explored the Foundstrument so seriously, testing all of the parts and sounds, moving to the beat, and breaking out into infectious laughter as he discovered some of its funny details – like a set of plastic teacups and a pair of roller skates. Next, Ethan moved to the painting activities, focusing intently as his bold patterns emerged. It was truly inspiring to see children – and Max! – so engaged in various forms of creative expression, and that the Museum was the setting for this multisensory adventure.

–Megan, Communications Director

Celebrating MLK

2011-01-20T17:56:00.004-05:00

Each year, the Museum presents a day of special programming to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Storytellers and actors Rochel Coleman and Valerie Tutson bring history to life through songs and stories in compelling performances of “M.L.K.: Amazing Grace” as they portray well-known Civil Rights activists and ordinary Americans who changed the world.

Families also explore an exhibit of photographs, words and books describing Dr. King's life and work and can choose to participate in an interactive anti-discrimination activity, during which they wear a red or green tag and encounter “red only” and “green only” labels throughout the Museum – on lunchroom tables, bathroom doors, water fountains and more. The activity and performance inspire reflection and thought-provoking conversations.

Monday day’s program was full of powerful moments and provocative comments, shared by Museum staff and AmeriCorps members:

I overheard a mom say to her daughter – wearing green, approaching a red fountain – “Don’t you use that, it’s red!” Girl: “But where’s a green one?” Mom: “I don’t know, maybe there isn’t one, how would that feel?” She stuck her tongue out and gave an exasperated look, “Blaahh!” I told her there is one somewhere in the Museum. She said, “It’s confusing being green.”

Three children who came to the Museum together all chose red signs. When asked why they chose that color one of the children said, “So we can be together.” Another child remarked, “Also we wanted to be able to drink from the water fountain upstairs and it has a RED ONLY sign.”

“I’m lucky enough that my friend is also green.”

How does discrimination feel? “Not so fun. Not fair because if people have family members that have a different color, they can’t sit together. Not fair because I can’t sit next to my little brother.”

A grandmother and her two grandkids. Boy, age 7: “In CCD my teacher told me the blacks had to sit in the back of the bus and the whites in the front.” Girl, age 10: “I think that he was right to stand up for all of the blacks and he was brave.” Grandmother: “She wants to do a dance performance of cultures with her dance teacher to fight racial discrimination.”

Conversation with a mother: She said her son is a minority in his school even though he is white and she thought it was important to teach kids acceptance at an early age. She thought it was great the Museum does this type of activity.

Another mom commented that it’s a spectacular event – she and her child plan ahead and have come for the last three years.

A boy, age 6: “MLK helped people with black skin and with white skin go to school together. I’m glad this happened.”

A girl, age 6, and I were looking at and talking about a book about MLK. She put her hand next to mine, looked at me and said, “Are we white? ‘Cause I really think I’m more…tan.” I replied, “Skin’s not really white or black – and what does it matter anyway?”

A mom shared that her 6-year-old daughter “has been feeling really sad since she learned about MLK in school. She keeps asking why someone would kill someone who only wanted to do good in the world. The performance today at the Children's Museum put it all in context. So exciting to see her mind absorbing the world...”

And some wonderful responses left on our Talk Back board, to the question, “What will you do to fight racial discrimination?”:

And what will YOU do?

Thanks to Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and Herman H. Rose for their support of this event.

"Mistakes are the Portals of Discovery"

2011-01-06T14:44:00.002-05:00

This article was contributed by Director of Education Cathy Saunders and was originally posted on Kidoinfo.com.

When I started working at the Children’s Museum five years ago, I quickly realized that no matter how neat my hair was or how smart my outfit, it all became irrelevant when I walked past the Museum’s “fun-house” mirrors. It was pretty hard to take myself too seriously when I saw short rounded legs and an elongated neck reflected back to me.

Adults and children can get caught up in doing things right, fitting in, being super student or super parent. There are pressures to get the homework done, have the right toys, and be as good at everything as your peers. It’s easy to forget the fun-house-mirror view of the world – that the irregularities and mistakes can be joyful opportunities.

Think about our evolution from birth into adulthood for a moment. An infant doesn’t know what a mistake is. There are no “shoulds” in his world; everything is an open-ended exploration. A toddler will topple over, and unfazed, get right back up and continue on to her destination. By nature, preschoolers interpret the world creatively. A pencil is so much more than something to scribble with; to them it is a drumstick, a magic wand, a stick to dig in the dirt with, or perhaps a wriggling snake.

Too often though, as we get older, we lose this aptitude for divergent thinking. We start seeing a stick as a stick, not as an invitation into imaginative inquiry. But this kind of creativity is at the heart of the skills that experts agree are needed for the 21st century and there is much concern that we are raising a generation of children who are not adequately prepared to meet the complex challenges the future holds. (This has been a hot topic of discussion recently, and for those of you who want to check some of it out, I suggest Daniel Pink’s 2005’s bestseller “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future“; YouTube videos of creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson’s lectures about divergent thinking and the education system; and Newsweek’s recent article “The Creativity Crisis”).

I think our discomfort with mistakes is one of the key elements to this crisis of creative thinking. We have been so trained to look for the right answer that we’re afraid to see any other choices. I see it in children who tell me what they think I, the instructor, want to hear rather than interpreting their own discoveries. I find it in myself, too, as I fret over buying a birthday present or planning a workshop schedule (or writing a blog post!).

In the heat of trying to be superhuman, I can forget the wise words of Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” I was able to embrace this attitude of welcoming mistakes with new relish recently when I discovered “Beautiful Oops!“ In this clever and artistic pop-up book, Barney Saltzberg encourages us to see a stain or a rip as starting point for creativity and inspires the imaginations of both children and adults.

So I ask of us parents, educators and citizens of the world: Can we teach our children – and ourselves – to find the meaning in our mishaps? To laugh and say, “What are we going to try next?” when things don’t go according to plan? I certainly hope so because it is much more fun than feeling defeated!

James Joyce is credited with the quote used for the title.

Happy 2011!

2011-01-03T17:14:00.003-05:00

This weekend, we invited Museum visitors to share their wishes for the coming year and add them to our New Year's tree. Here's what some of them – both kids and grown-ups – had to say:

Best wishes for a 2011 full of FUN and packed with PLAY!

Vacation Anticipation!

2010-12-22T10:31:00.012-05:00

School vacation week is fast approaching, so we asked our staff, “Why should families be excited about vacation week? What are YOU most looking forward to?” Here’s the scoop:

"Puppets! If there's anything I've learned from our visitor surveys, it's that people LOVE puppets - and there's a plethora of puppet fun over vacation week, with Toe Jam Puppet Band and two days of different performances by Sparky's Puppets. I'm also really excited that the Museum is once again a venue for Bright Night, that we're able to support Providence's vibrant, important arts and family-focused New Year’s Eve celebration!"

– Megan, Marketing & Public Relations Manager

"Starting off the week with snow-stormin', toe-tappin' Toe Jam Puppet Band will provide the usual giggle-gush. And yes, I am also looking forward to Sparky’s Puppets, but we have two new groups to enjoy: Rick Morin with his Rhythm Room percussive workshops for one. I envision a rocking room with kids banging on all sorts of percussive instruments AND of course I am looking forward to seeing our own Kate Jones in Rock-a-Baby! They should bring in the new year in the sweetest, most peaceful way."

– Mary, Early Childhood Program Developer

"I am looking forward to all of the awesome performers that will be sharing their talent with us over vacation week! They are always amazingly entertaining!

And while I am zooming through the Museum, I look forward to catching all those little pieces of conversation between families – "Check this out!" "Come see what I made!" "This is soooo cool!" – that remind me everyday why I love my job!"

– Liz, Experience Coordinator

"I am looking forward to sharing the fun by bringing family and friends to play and enjoy what I get to see everyday."

– Shannon, Families Together Visitation Specialist

"I'm looking forward to helping out when it gets really busy… to putting on an apron and PLAYING in Water Ways and Littlewoods for an hour here and there - and reminding myself how fun this place really is and how sweet little kids are."

– Denise, Development Associate

"Like Denise, I'm looking forward to the joyful noise and busy fun of the Museum full of happy families and to having a good excuse for getting out of my office and playing with them! And also to old friends knocking on my office window as, home for the holidays, they've brought their children and grandchildren to play at the Museum."

– Janice, Executive Director

Learn more about vacation week here. What are YOU excited about?

An Interview with Jessica Holden Sherwood

2010-12-21T20:13:00.004-05:00

Meet Jessica Holden Sherwood – a Museum member since 2004 who joined the Board of Directors in 2007 and became Board president in 2009.
How and why did you get involved with the Museum?
My children, now ages 6 and 8, went to the Museum for about a year before I ever did. My husband always returned raving about what a great place it was. I eventually learned it myself and checked the “interested in volunteering” box. I am a member of the Museum because it’s a great place to bring my children: an active, engrossing, commercial-free, educational great place. I am a supporter of the Museum because of its social services and its commitment to all children.

How has the Museum changed since you first became a member?
The obvious answer is the three new exhibits. Less obvious: small changes virtually every time we visit – under the admission desk, the window boxes of the ramp, toys on the floor with the blocks. Also, the environments are so rich, it can seem changed with each visit even if it isn't – you notice or focus someplace you never had before. Even less obvious: have successfully completed a $1.5 million capital campaign and we're deep in the black!

You’ve been part of the Museum’s long-range planning. What do you hope for its future?
That the Museum continues to serve families who can't afford to come, expands service to kids in Head Start and after-school programs and changes exhibits. That everyone in Rhode Island respects the Museum as a resource and advocate for children's well being.

How do you spend your time when you’re not busy with your Board duties?
Work as a sociologist, for URI and for Sociologists for Women in Society, an international association of a thousand feminist sociologists.

As a sociologist, what’s your perspective on the Museum’s work?
I am sensitive to the many ways in which inequalities get reproduced – or sometimes interrupted. I'm really pleased that the Museum is an "interrupter" rather than a "reproducer." On class, the Museum is available to poor and near-poor families, not just those who can afford the admission fee. On race: 1) the Museum teaches about our history of immigration, and 2) it's one of the few places that kids from all different backgrounds and neighborhoods mix it up together. On gender, the Museum is a welcome respite from the sexism that infuses way too much of children's recreation and even their education.

What about the work around play?
I think that American parents are typically anxious these days, about their children's futures. Let's not dismiss this as a sort of group neurosis. It makes perfect sense, given the socioeconomic insecurity that Americans confront. With fewer social supports than most other developed countries, in America much more (e.g. health care dependent on current job) is riding on individual achievement. The stakes are high.

So, parents feel they are serving their kids' best interest by scheduling almost all of their time. In disadvantaged neighborhoods, this can be to keep kids safe from threats. In affluent neighborhoods, this can be – consciously or unconsciously – the start of a lifetime of resumé-building, to get into a good college, in order to have a successful adulthood.

The message of the American Academy of Pediatrics and of the Museum is that unscheduled time serves the kids' interest, too. The Museum is helping play to get the respect it deserves! This message is healthy for both children and adults.

What is your kids’ favorite exhibit and why?
I don't think my kids have a favorite exhibit, although when they were younger it was Water Ways. Like I said, we find ourselves focusing on different places on different visits. This works best, of course, when I follow rather than try to lead – I stop myself from directing them. One day Abigail spent almost an hour sitting at the table of interlocking plastic shapes, working diligently until she had made a … dodecahedron, I think.

What’s yours?
I don't have a favorite exhibit, I have a favorite element: grown-up seating in each exhibit. Sometimes – especially in the most exhausted years of early parenthood – I just want to sit there and do nothing, comfortable knowing that the children don't need vigilant supervision while they're in the Museum.

I like how the Museum welcomes grown-up involvement in kids' play but doesn't require it. I was at a children's museum once where a sign instructed parents to put away their cell phones and play with their children. I understand the motivation for that message, but at the same time, I appreciate that Providence Children's Museum is also a guilt-free zone.

***

Thanks, Jessica! What do YOU think about Jessica's sociological perspective? About growing parental anxiety and overscheduling?