by Annie Savinon

Did you know that the month of April celebrates National Garden Month, Keep America Beautiful Month, and Earth Day?! These are all wonderful additional reasons why we should look around when we are outdoors and appreciate the natural beauty the world has to offer us! 

National Gardening Month originally came from one of our past Presidents, Ronald Reagan, who declared April 12th -18th as National Gardening Week. Keep America Beautiful Month was founded by both the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America.

And last but not least, Earth Day was first celebrated in the year 1970, when a US senator from Wisconsin organized a national demonstration to raise awareness about environmental issues. I love the different history between all of these holidays, all celebrated in the same month! I know this is fitting for us Buffalonians, as we long for the April sun after getting through another chilly winter!

In honor of an amazing month, what can we do to recognize these special holidays with our little ones?! Here are some no-preparation ideas you can plan into the month:  

• Visit a different park once a week. While there, make up a scavenger hunt! This scavenger hunt may include finding rocks, pinecones, and leaves! 
• When recycling, explain to your little one what you are doing, and why you are doing so. Explain how our garbage can be separated into different groups, and how some groups can be reused, and others cannot. 
• Take your lunch to-go! Put your lunch in a to-go bag and eat outside. Observe the temperature, weather, and animals you see while eating. 
• Windy day? Fly a kite! 
• Break out that chalk from last summer and draw spring flowers all over the sidewalk.
• Come celebrate Earth Day with us at the Museum, with fun activities to kick off your spring, on Saturday, April 22nd!

Dear Friends,

Play encourages your child to push the limits of the world they know. Unstructured play, like interacting with exhibits and environments at Explore & More – The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr Children’s Museum, where there is no prescribed way to play, is particularly important in helping children foster essential skills for making their way through life: emotional coping, problem-solving and planning. Through creative play and chances to direct their own actions, children learn to solve problems, make decisions, express ideas, and recognize boundaries.

Play is a child’s context for learning. Here are just a few examples of how children learn and develop at the Museum:

Cognitive skills – like early math concepts (collecting, sorting, and counting) in Farm to Fork and the basic geometry of circles, spheres and globes using the BEAM in the Playing Together exhibit and science skills by testing sink and float and using the Erie Canal locks to investigate how water rushes, gushes and flows in Moving Water.

Physical abilities – like leaping from tree stump to tree stump, tiptoeing over the rope bridge, gliding down the slides or climbing up the giant hill in The Person Centered Services Community Treehouse, which is accessible to everyone, including guests in wheeled mobility devices. Families can run, move, crawl and see what it feels like to be a part of the sports teams that make Buffalo great in Playing Together.

Communications techniques and new vocabulary – like figuring out signals to let another child know they are ready for her to pull into the Delta Sonic Car Wash or encourage friends to generate energy to the Main Power Panel in the Lighting Buffalo’s Imagination exhibit.

Social skills – like learning to play with other children at exhibits like Building Buffalo where using play tools, siding, electrical wiring and plumbing to build a wood frame house has so many rewards.

Early literacy skills – like exploring the alphabet and engaging in storytelling as we have books galore on every floor of the museum.

Global awareness – like seeing firsthand how food is prepared in other cultures in the Cooking Galley and having a chance to role-play using special techniques, tools, and costumes in the Puerto Rico House in Being Good Neighbors.

And play is an important part of the relationship between a parent and a child, too. There are so many moments of fun, excitement, fascination, and laughter that happen between families when engaging with Explore & More’s interactive exhibits. These moments build wonderful memories and long-lasting trust and resilience. Join us for a day of play!

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Lisa Chrapowicz
Director of Strategic & Community Initiatives

With March here it finally feels like there is some reprieve from the grasp of winter, as warmer temperatures inch ever so close.  This change brings a newfound optimism and draws the people of Western New York out of their homes.  Perhaps the biggest reflection of this is the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across our community. 

Where hundreds of thousands of people flock to restaurants, community, and cultural centers, and the streets to celebrate all things Ireland.  At Explore & More we will be hoping to mirror this excitement by educating and encouraging Irish cultural celebrations within our walls. 

For many, St. Patrick’s Day is truly an important marker of cultural diversity and acceptance.  New York City hosted what many consider the first-ever St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 17th, 1762 (although, some historians credit church representatives in Spanish Florida, in the early 17th century), and from there an international tradition would be born.  Keeping up with that tradition Buffalo celebrated the holiday throughout the 19th, 20th, and now 21^st centuries. 

Celebrations have evolved over time though maintain their value as a marker of an acknowledgment of Irish cultural influence and pride.  Buffalo consistently ranks as one of the most densely Irish population cities in America, and the pageantry of the parade reflects that.  So this March while watching the parade, remember that centuries of Buffalonians have taken part in this tradition, and your participation not only shows your Fenian pride but connects you to past generations.  At Explore & More, it is our hope to continue that connection and continue the rich history of celebration of all things Irish.  

By Silvia Steele

March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month! Every year, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), highlights the many ways in which people with and without disabilities come together to form strong, diverse communities. Their campaign seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities still often face.

In order for everyone to be able to participate in everyday community activities, practices and policies need to be designed to identify and remove barriers. These can include physical barriers that prevent accessibility, communication barriers and people’s attitudes toward how disabilities are perceived.

It is important to not define people by their disability or what they are unable to do. Instead, the priority should be fixing physical and social environments to meet everyone’s needs. An example of this type of shift in thinking would identify “small print” and “stairs” as barriers, not vision issues or the use of a wheelchair. Solutions such as magnifiers, elevators and ramps assist many people at different times in their lives. This change in focus toward universal accessibility can benefit everyone in the community.

This month, take time to reflect on how you can impact your community toward becoming more inclusive.

Become more informed about developmental disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) website provides information about specific developmental disabilities. They also have links to screening information, developmental milestone charts and other resource materials.

Explore on-line diversity awareness trainings and disability etiquette. United Spinal Association distributes a booklet that provides tips to help promote positive interactions between people and raise everyone’s comfort levels. It also reinforces how important it is to respect people as individuals and to not make assumptions about their needs. The guide is free as a download through the link below.

The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) has a resource guide to promote National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Their website also provides DDAM 2023 logos and artwork to download and share through social media during the month of March. 

A fun way to bond during the muddy month of March is to prepare a rainbow snack platter together. When kids take part in preparing food, they’re more likely to sample the foods! Our kiddos can be part of every process in this preparation. Let’s start!

Step one: Make the grocery list. We want this to be a rainbow dish, so be sure to pick a food your child is familiar with (“safe food”) and foods they’re not familiar with, a challenge (“new food”)! Here are some ideas, what can you come up with?

• Red- tomatoes, red peppers, strawberries
• Orange- tangerines, carrots, cheese
• Yellow- yellow pepper, pineapple, summer squash
• Green- grapes, sweet peas, seaweed chips
• Blue- blueberries, blackberries, concord grapes
• Purple- figs, prunes, eggplant

Step two: Go to the store! Have your children help you pick out the snacks. Depending on the age of the child you can discuss budgeting, sticking to a list, and the location of the different types of food.

Step three: Rinse and prepare the snacks appropriately. Rinsing veggies and fruits is an important and easy task that most kids should be able to help with! A lot of veggies can also be cut with a butter knife, or a child safe practice knife. If you feel comfortable, show your child a safe method to chop different fruits and veggies.

Step four: Arrange. Have your children set up the plate! Talk about color, sizes and shapes. This is a really fun part of the activity!

Step five: Snack! I hope your whole family tries all the different foods you prepared. It’s ok to like or dislike what you taste. That’s a part of trying new things!

Happy snacking!

Ms. Jackie