So back to looking at museums and their exhibits, and the great learning that takes place there. Recently I went to the Boston Children’s Museum, which I last visited when I was 6 years old. I don’t remember a whole lot from that last trip except that it was fun – at least that hasn’t changed in the years that have passed. I had a great time, and since the Boston Children’s Museum is aimed at children 10 years and under, it naturally is full of terrific opportunities for active learning inside its walls and for inspiring creative play beyond. These are just some of my favorites:
· Bubbles, located in the Science Playground on the first floor, is one of those exhibits that attracts kids and their parents alike. Here you find many adults laughing, playing, and getting just as wet as their little ones. Visitors will find a variety of objects to use to blow bubbles, including hoops, cone-shaped and star-shaped objects, and circles of rope. There is also information about bubbles, including answers to frequently-asked questions like why are bubbles round, why do they pop, and why do we see colors in them. The recipe for making a bubble solution is 1 part dishwashing liquid and 8 parts water, and the museum suggests adding glycerin to help make the solution last longer. What a simple and inexpensive way to have fun at home!
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| "Bubbles," located in the Science Playground |
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o Instead of buying bubble wands, see what you and your child can find around the house to use for making bubbles, particularly in the kitchen. A couple of ideas: a slotted spoon and the plastic rings used for 6-packs of soda.
o Colorful bubble art – a fun idea is to take the bubble solution and pour a small amount into several cups. Add either 4-5 drops of food coloring to each cup or some tempera paint (you need a good bit of coloring in the solution). Dip bubble wands in and blow bubbles onto plain white paper. Let the bubbles land and then pop on their own to create colorful artwork!
· Body Power is all about encouraging families to be healthier. It is a great place for kids and parents to get active and learn about the importance of exercise by pedaling bikes, showing their moves on an interactive dance floor, shooting hoops, pushing and pulling things, and trying out the climbing walls. The nutrition activities help visitors learn about creating a healthy breakfast, balancing the food that goes into our bodies with the equivalent amount of exercise needed to burn it off, and identifying “Superfoods” through a matching activity. For parents there is a ton of information all around the two floors of this area about food, exercise, serving sizes, TV watching, and games. “Power Tips” and signs, some geared to children and some to adults, present healthy suggestions like going to the playground, building an obstacle course in the living room, taking the stairs, eating fruits and vegetables, and drinking water instead of soda. Given the childhood obesity epidemic in this country, an exhibit like this one is so valuable for how it gives simple and fun ideas for how to make healthy living a fundamental part of our lives.
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| Kid Power |
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Here a few books about nutrition and healthy food you might enjoy:
o Gregory the Terrible Eater, by Mitchell Sharmat – a funny story about a goat that has unusual eating habits, this book will encourage children to think about what food is healthy
o Showdown at the Food Pyramid, by Rex Barron
o Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Guide to Food and Nutrition, by Lizzy Rockwell
o Get Up and Go!, by Nancy Carlson offers a positive message about the virtues of exercise
Get your child in the habit of eating healthy now! One of the best ways is to
involve him or her in preparing food, particularly nutritious snacks. Do you
have any suggestions for fun and easy-to-make snacks that kids can help
prepare? Also, what are your favorite ways to get out as a family and exercise?
Post a comment to this blog with your ideas!
· Construction Zone, which can be found on the third floor, contains all sorts of activities for budding construction workers. There are 2 Bobcats and some climbing equipment that kids will enjoy crawling on and over, as well as hard hats and vests for dressing up. In the middle of this spacious room are ramps, bridges, tunnels, plastic construction vehicles, and signs for creating roadways. Inside the “construction trailer” visitors can use manipulatives like Kinex, peg boards, and wood blocks to build things. This exhibit supports children’s growth and learning in many ways, particularly with fine and gross motor skill development. But it also involves kids in using their imaginations to create something, as well as critical thinking and planning as they design structures. As they manipulate the blocks, in particular, little ones also learn about size and shape, weight and balance, and height and depth. Additionally, with so many children here, they may be learning to play with others.
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| Construction Zone |
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Although I know children (and many adults!) will enjoy using the fun stuff in this exhibit, I think that the museum missed a chance to really take advantage of this topic and teach children even more about the range of jobs in construction or to extend the experience even further. Perhaps they could have included plastic or cardboard bricks, used bricks as a launching point for teaching about the concept of patterns, had things to make fences (craft sticks and glue?), introduced kids to electricity, or offered a place to make construction safety signs. Setting aside a place to display samples of children’s pattern work or safety signs would serve as a rewarding and motivating way to encourage participation. I also think that setting aside a quiet spot here with puzzles and books about construction would be worthwhile.
o If your child is into building things, there are lots of different toys and manipulatives, including Legos, Duplos, Tinkertoys, wood blocks, and Lincoln Logs. Include props like people and vehicles so that your child has the opportunity to create stories while or after building. It would even be fun to write down or record these stories. Take photos to remember these creations and use them as a comparison with future projects. And keep in mind that these things don’t need to be cleaned up right away. Sometimes the best and most imaginative creations I saw in my kindergarten classroom were ones that students built over a period of days as they added, changed, and even periodically wrecked what they had made. It’ll be well worth having a little bit of a mess.
o The Boston Children’s Museum website includes a page with some “Science at Home” ideas, two of which deal with construction – Paper Bridges and Newspaper Towers. Check them out for some fun and challenging activities to try: http://www.bostonkids.org/grownups/science.html#top
o Do you know of any websites with fun construction-related games or activities? Let me know!
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