Happy New Year to all! Bringing in the New Year, the Education team has some exciting new camps for 2023 we are in preparation for. The second school-age day camp of the year is Monday, January 16th, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and in honor of this important holiday, I have decided to share some insights about this special day!  

At Explore & More’s STEM-Tastic Tinkering Camp, students will be able to complete a few special STEM experiments throughout their camp day. This will include building robots and the students very own Alka-Seltzer Rocket Car, that I am especially excited for! After building, students will be able to create artwork with their very own built robots and race their cars to test their speed. Of course, students will also have time to explore the museum floor as well. It is sure to be an adventure-packed day.

It is also important to remember the reason for this day off. Students who attend camp will also receive a read aloud story time, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. craft, to honor this day. To kickoff this holiday, I thought it would be fun to share some fun facts about Dr. King:

• His birth name was Michael. Martin Sr. changed it when he was 5 years old.
• Dr. King was a very intelligent and hard-working student. He skipped 9th and 12th grade and was enrolled in college at 15 years old.
• Dr. King’s famous ’I Have a Dream’ speech was not his first speech at the Lincoln Memorial. He delivered his first speech at the historic location six years prior about the topic of voting rights. 
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was happily married to his wife Coretta Scott Junior, and raised four children together: two girls and two boys. 

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to all!

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were full of friends and family, joy, and laughter.

Is there any happier sound in the world than a child’s giggle? Nothing entertains me more than hearing children playing in the museum, and letting out a good laugh (especially if I’m the reason for it).

Playing a little “peek-a-boo”—occasionally hiding a simple object, instead of my face—is always good for a laugh or two. Of course, “peek-a-boo” helps infants develop “object permanence,” the understanding that something exists even if they can’t see it. What’s surprising to me about the game is that we’re laughing, but there isn’t anything jokey or witty about our play. According to scientists like Dr. Robert Provine, laughter isn’t about humor; it’s about relationships between people.

So how do we promote laughter at Explore & More – The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Children’s Museum? Instead of viewing laughter as merely the end result of amusement, we realize that laughter is a vital means for extending play, fostering social bonds, and promoting learning. All of which are essential to Explore & More’s mission.

If you have any suggestions about how we can inspire more laughter for families at Explore & More, at home, in school, or wherever you think it belongs, please let us know! Feel free to share on our Facebook or Instagram page. Your voice is important, and we want to make sure you are heard.

Sincerely,

Lisa Chrapowicz
Director of Strategic & Community Initiatives

By Silvia Steele

December is the ideal month to teach children about generosity and sharing! It is helpful to remember that teaching social skills will vary by age and cognitive development. Expecting your toddler to share willingly or a 3-year-old to wrap presents for others without wanting to keep something for themselves, is not always realistic. Still, parents can teach sharing and encourage generosity by flipping the focus from receiving to giving this holiday season. Here are some tips!

• Talk to your child about who will be receiving the gift and why that person is special. Explain that gifts are just one way to acknowledge others and to show our appreciation that they are in our lives. 
• Discuss how special it feels to give. Talk about the positive emotions that it stirs up inside of us (warm fuzzies!) and how good it makes us feel to bring happiness to others.
• Emphasize how gifts are even more special when they are personal, and how cost is not what is important. A larger more expensive gift does not measure how much a person means to us. Emphasize how homemade gifts, simple notes or kind gestures are often more meaningful than anything that can be purchased. One of my favorite ideas for young children is to gift others “warm fuzzies.” These are loose multicolored pompoms and a heart shaped “I Love You” note, simply boxed up and wrapped! 
• Give children time to process the idea of sharing. Give them choices instead of coercing them. Model sharing within simple, everyday routines. Praise your child when they share and show generosity. Sharing is a skill that is learned over time and should be taught with patience.
• Finally, books are an easy way to introduce and reinforce caring and sharing! 

Thank You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt will help your younger reader learn the importance of showing appreciation of others and their unique gifts.

We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palaccio is a beautiful book for inviting discussion with children about the importance of being open to spreading kindness to everyone — however they look, wherever they live, and no matter how they are different to you.

When CJ expresses disappointment with elements of their life in Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, his grandmother patiently helps him see the beauty all around them. There are many important messages woven throughout the story — not least of all, the importance of helping those less fortunate.

Mouse & Lion by Rand Burkett is a wonderful retelling of Aesop’s classic fable of kindness and friendship between a truly unlikely duo. It’s a great resource for showing kids that even those who are small can help others around them.

Fantastic for sparking conversation with children, Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo is a thought-provoking story of compassion, as a small, empathetic girl shows great concern and thoughtfulness for those in her community who are in need.

The Rain Came Down by David Shannon is the story of an unexpected rainstorm that turns a cranky and selfish community into one filled with kindness and generosity. The tale cleverly teaches children how just one caring person can change an entire community.

In the retelling of the well-known folktale, Stone Soup by Jon J. Muth, three traveling monks teach a village about the importance of giving generously and sharing with others.

For many in our Explore & More community, December means it’s time for the holiday season. However, no matter which holiday is being celebrated, everyone not only in our community but across the globe has their own unique traditions that bring a sense of joy and nostalgia. This month, the ‘Culture Corner’ write-up sheds some light on some fun international holiday customs, to showcase the variety of cultural practices, and perhaps lead your family to start a new holiday tradition! 

One of the most lighthearted international holiday traditions comes from Spain, and more specifically the Catalan region. Here locals celebrate with the “Tió de Nadal,” or Christmas log, “Tio” as it is referred too as, is a log that has a face drawn on it, and wears a blanket, that pops out gifts. ‘Tio’ is fed snacks throughout the month of December in anticipation of Christmas Eve when children hope it will pop out gifts. 

Contrasting the lovable Spanish ‘Tio’ celebration is the Eastern and Central European (Austria, Bavaria, Northern Italy, Czechia) celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas. On December 6th Santa Claus is accompanied by the Krampus, while Santa delivers the familiar presents, the Krampus comes to reprimand children who have misbehaved. 

Traveling to Japan one can observe Ōmisoka where on December 31^st the Japanese people prepare for the upcoming New Year by cleaning, and tidying their homes and themselves, in hopes to start the year with a clean slate. This New Year’s Eve tradition is often accompanied with a meal of udon or soba noodles, as the eating of the long noodles symbolize the action of crossing into the new year. 

These are just 3 examples of interesting and fun holiday traditions from around the world. Highlighting these holiday customs was intended to be a lighthearted showcase of global cultural traditions while encouraging reflection on the oddities that our families may partake in during the holiday season. 

Happy Holidays! 

Playdough is an invaluable tool for creative, open-ended play. Children can engage in sensory play with playdough, building nerve connections in the brain, and developing language and fine motor skills during the process. You and your child can make December-themed playdough together with this special no-bake playdough recipe. What makes this recipe special? For extra sensory play, we’ll be adding cinnamon, peppermint extract, or cocoa powder for a winter-scent sensory experience.

• 1 bowl, measuring cups & spoons, 1 mixing spoon  
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ cup salt 
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• 1 tablespoon oil (vegetable, baby oil, or coconut oil)
• A few drops of food dye (optional)
• ½ to 1 cup hot water 
• Now, for the extra sent I would add: 
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, OR
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon, OR 
• ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract 

To be clear: I do not recommend mixing all these smells in one batch!

Mix all dry ingredients: flour, salt, cream of tartar, (cocoa or cinnamon). Then add oil, food dye, (peppermint extract) followed by the hot water. Mix the water in. If your dough is sticky, add a little extra flower. If your dough is too dry, add a little extra water. Kneed the dough once the consistency is ideal for a minute.

I’ve also made a tray with cookie cutters, cotton balls, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and different spices to expand play as well. Learning how to use scissors with playdough is great too!

Have fun!

-Ms. Jackie