With the start of January comes a new year, and new opportunities to advance our minds, bodies, and brains. For many, January can be a time that brings renewed hope, as many create resolutions hoping to positively impact themselves and those around them. This optimism is shared by the Education Team here at Explore & More, as we prepare for 2022, what we know will be the best year yet for our organization.

Our team has worked extremely hard over the past year, having laid the foundation for success in the years to come. Over the course of 2021, we created a multitude of new and engaging programming, that can be used for years to come; created programs such as Study & Play, which has been foundational in providing day-long education and care to elementary school students. Our outreach programming has progressed greatly as we now offer schools, and other educational organizations a variety of lessons and activities that meet a wide range of educational needs.

The Education Team accomplished this while being burdened by the ongoing pandemic and all the challenges that accompanied it. It is with this experience under our collective belt that we firmly believe 2022 will be an even better year for Explore & More and our guests.

For those of you who have continued following this newsletter, we thank you for taking the time to check in with us every month and we’re excited to continue to bring an inside look into the happenings of our museum.

From everyone here at Explore & More, we wish you a healthy and happy new year and look forward to continuing to provide our community with impactful programming and activities!

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, let 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? This is a question that staff and I have discussed as part of our new strategic planning process. 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…wherever you think it belongs, please let us know! Feel free to share on our Facebook or Instagram. Your voice is important, and we want to make sure you are heard.

Lisa Chrapowicz
Senior Manager of Community & Strategic Initiatives

Did you know there are four different types of learning in Education?  Every child has a learning style that suits them the best and can help them blossom as they discover all educational subject areas. The four types are:

1. Visual learning – learners who thrive when information is presented to them visually. For example, they may enjoy using different visual aids such as patterns and shapes, diagrams, and maps.
2. Auditory learning – individuals who learn better when they take in information when it is heard or spoken.  Auditory learners learn best when information is presented to them via strategies that involve talking, such as lectures and group discussions 
3. Kinesthetic learning – those who prefer to learn by doing. They enjoy a hands-on or tactile experience to understand something better.  The best way to present new information to a kinesthetic learner is through personal experience, practice, examples, or simulations.  
4. Reading/writing learning – these learners consume information best when it’s in words, whether that’s by writing it down or reading it. To them, text is more powerful than any kind of visual or auditory representation of an idea. These individuals usually perform very well on written assignments.

Here at Explore & More, you will find learning opportunities that span all four of the different types of learning for your little ones! Whether that is following written directions on how to create a knot on our Knot Board in Moving Water, creating a parachute in our Tinkering Tank to try in the new “Fun is in the Air” exhibit, listening to a storytime in the Tree House or creating a block pattern in our West Side Bazaar, different ways to learn are endless when you visit! We hope you’ll join us to start off this new year!