With Spring in full swing in Western New York, the Education Team at Explore & More is excited to offer a multitude of programming centered around both our home region and the world as a whole! Aside from our typical playful and fun-centered art, science, and history projects and lessons, our Education Team will be focusing on recognizing the cultures of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

This focus has been chosen because May is Asian American and Pacific-Islander Heritage Month and to honor the over 20 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; Explore & More will be featuring activities that highlight these cultures. Honoring Asian American cultures ties directly to the identity of our area. For, Buffalo and Western New York are home to populations of immigrants from within Asia, with large populations from countries and regions such as Burma, Vietnam, China, and across the Middle East. People who immigrated from these regions have made valued contributions to our community, and having our children learn about these cultures will positively impact our entire population. It is our goal that through play we can help to raise citizens who are knowledgeable about various cultures, thus bringing more kindness and acceptance to our community and our world. 

Let’s make a splash with this month’s activity because May is national water safety month! While playing with water it’s very important to make sure you’re being safe. While swimming with your kids, it’s important to always be alert and within arms reach of your little ones. Even older kids need active supervision while in the pool and should always swim with a buddy. Weak swimmers should always have a coast guard approved life vest that is brightly colored, too! For this month’s activity, we’ll be using a sensory bin with water, so although you won’t need a life vest, grab your buddy and some fun water play supplies.

Here are some ideas:
A straw/plastic tube
A metal bowl
Recycled water bottles
Cups and spoons
A smock if you don’t want to get too wet

Of course you’ll need plenty of water and a bin to fill it with. You can use a sink, the bath tub, a shallow plastic bin, even a portable pool will work. Just remember that active supervision is essential for water safety, even in shallow water. Fill up your vessel with your preferred temperature of water and have the other supplies readily accessible.

Let’s have some fun with music and sounds that water can make. Use the straw and blow into the water. What do you hear? What happens if you hum? Be careful not to suck in during this activity. You can also try this with just your lips too. Do you notice a difference in noise? Once you’ve hummed and made plenty of bubbles, move onto the metal bowl. Put it in the water and hit it with one of your spoons. Fill it with water and repeat. Listen for the sounds it makes.

Next, grab your water bottles. Can you blow over top of the water bottle? What kind of noise does that make? If you have a few bottles, fill them with different amounts of water, see how the noise changes. Can you make a new song with the different notes? Can you copy a song you already know?

Finally, with cups and spoons you can scoop out water and pour. Try pouring water in different amounts and different heights. Make splashes with your spoons and test how the tension of the water surface feels. Splash with your fingers and hands, too! As long as you’re having fun and being safe, there is no right or wrong way to play in the water. I hope you have fun with my water play ideas, and always feel free to put your own spin on these fun activities.

“Water” you waiting for? Grab your supplies and have some fun!

Here is a link for more water safety information.
Happy water safety month!

Ms. Jackie
Lead Play to Learn Facilitator

Dear Friends,

Mother’s Day… I woke up today trying to figure out what that means to me. Not in a Hallmark kind of way, but truly, as the person I am today, in relation to my children, what does that mean?

I have always felt that there are two birthdays to be celebrated the day my oldest daughter was born. Her birth itself, and the birth of Lisa, the mother. They both happened at the same time, so celebrating Mother’s Day is, in a way, celebrating the relationship that was created that very day.

I have worked with young children for over 25 years, and I was always proud of being kind of a chameleon as far as mimicking their parents’ preferences and parenting styles are concerned. I saw my role as an extended, hopefully enriching, version of their parents. Theirs were the decisions, the worries, the major dilemmas. I rarely questioned other people’s choices, because I knew they were doing the best they could and knew how. I was just to bring into their little worlds, experiences that helped expand those choices or supplement them in my own way, not contradict them. I was a temporary guardian of the most important thing in those people’s lives. It made the choices I made while with them, much easier for me. I could spend time having fun with them, caring for them, and teaching them without any of the worries that come with motherhood.

I waited until I was truly ready and willing to have a complete life change and become a mother. I had been around kids for so long, that I had been blessed with the chance to observe many amazing parents I could draw ideas and experiences from. I had changed plenty of diapers, I knew not to panic when my child threw up or had a slight temperature because she was teething, and I was never intimidated about bringing her home.

There is though, a double-edged sword to having been around kids so much, and there were many other concerns that would keep me up at night. I knew exactly how quickly they grew up, and how incredibly important each and every choice relating to them could be.
 
So that day, when my daughter was born, another person emerged – Lisa, the concerned parent. The one who would make choices she thought silly before, who would repeatedly question and re-evaluate even the smallest mistake, and the one who would learn that sometimes we just ride the wave the best we can, no matter where we had planned on going before the wave hit us.

So, what is Mother’s Day to me? It is a celebration of a gift. It’s not (just) about getting spoiled and going out for lunch because we have the “hardest job in the world” (although getting spoiled is a lot of fun). It is so much bigger than that.

It is about celebrating the privilege of being given an opportunity to be the one who helped shape the life of the most incredible little girl, who is now a 26-year-old woman! It’s about being kissed by the sweetest baby and watching a smile that lights up the world whenever I made her laugh. It’s about testing my patience and compassion not only at 3 in the afternoon, but also at 3 am, when she decided she would sing as loudly as she could for 2 hours straight because she was teething and couldn’t fall asleep. It’s about being thankful that I can call my own mother to wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. It’s about trying to hold on to every single moment (and accumulating thousands of pictures in the process) because I know they will vanish quicker than I can imagine it.

Celebrate all you have been given and embrace the journey of motherhood. Slow down to “child time,” and take the time to play and learn with your child. Visit us at Explore & More during Mother‘s Day weekend for special activities to honor the amazing women in “our” children’s lives, and don’t forget to take pictures to capture those fun moments together in the museum.

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone!
Lisa Chrapowicz,
Sr. Manager of Strategic & Community Initiatives

Play to Learn Facilitator

Meet Dylan, a Play to Learn Facilitator here at Explore & More. When Dylan isn’t on the floor ensuring families are having fun, he enjoys riding his bike (when the weather is nice!) He also enjoys working out and going out to dinner with his family. His favorite thing about working at Explore & More is meeting all the people that visit and getting to know his co-workers. Welcome to the team, Dylan!