Dear Friends,

Fall is in the air here in Buffalo and Western New York, and it feels so refreshing! The trees, the weather, the football– all just make you want to enjoy the beautiful outdoors! Fall is a great time to talk with young children about concepts that are important for them to learn. One is the idea of “change”—about leaves changing color and dropping from trees, mornings becoming cooler, and night arriving earlier. Children see changes but may not have a sense of the four seasons or that the seasons cycle every year. Another concept is before and after, which changes in the day can help define.

Some trees stay green, but others change the color of their leaves and even lose those leaves. Taking a walk through the leaves and trees gives you many opportunities to notice that some stay the same, but some are different because of the changing season.

“Before the sun goes down, let’s go for a walk. After it goes down, it will be dark outside, and we’ll play inside.”

If a child has a limited vocabulary, you may need to use visual aids, such as photos of the trees in the summer and in the fall. You can help them sequence the seasons and add more photos for winter and spring. Talk about the sequence—before and after—and talk about the changes—same or different. Expand their vocabulary by adding examples of why something is different. (“The tree looks different because the leaves are gone.”) This game can be played at the table or if you’re an early childhood educator, during circle time and is limited only by your imagination and photos or objects that can be sorted.

There are many ways to expand on the concepts of same and different, such as using materials from home and the classroom and sorting them into two sets (socks vs. T-shirts, Legos vs. wooden blocks). Likewise, there are many ways to talk about what comes before and what comes after. A visual schedule of the day is a convenient way to practice before and after and helps young children understand what activity will happen next. It will help the child to predict daily routines. Visual schedules again can be made with photos for home or for school. A home schedule for the morning may have a photo of waking up, getting out of bed, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and leaving home. A school schedule likewise may start with a photo of entering the classroom, followed by the next activity or routine. For children who have difficulty learning a sequence, make it simple and start with two or three photos. Once the child recognizes the early sequence, you can add more photos before and after.

Concepts such as same and different are abstract until you help a child identify what (color, shape, function, size) makes something the same as or different from something else. It can take repeated practice for children with learning concerns to grasp that same and different can apply to many characteristics. It’s best to start with what is happening in the child’s life and is visible in everyday activities. Then build upon the initial learning to help the child recognize that there are many ways of “sorting” items or pictures into same and different categories. Children gain a sense of mastery when they learn to sort.

Concepts of time also are challenging for young children. Again, most young children are not aware of ways to measure the passage of time (whether by clock or by season). They can learn the sequence of their day, however, if the routines are stable and recur each day. For example, children in some families learn that breakfast comes after dressing, while others learn that breakfast comes before dressing; likewise, they learn that outdoor play at school comes after circle time and before snack time. Learning before and after helps children to understand schedules in their day and to predict what comes next. What a sense of confidence they have when they know before and after!

Come learn, play, and grow with us! Bring a friend with you next time you visit the children’s museum and share the benefits of how Explore & More is impacting your family.

Looking forward to seeing you at Explore & More very soon,

Lisa Chrapowicz
Director of Strategic & Community Initiatives

October recalls memories of apple picking, pumpkin patches, and flannel shirts, though for most the first thought that comes to mind when thinking about October is Halloween!  For many it is a time to feel like a kid again, and for many children it is time to embody the spirit of their favorite scary or not-so-scary character. 

This October at Explore & More, children (and adults) will have plenty of opportunity to do trick-or-treating, dress-up, and many other Halloween themed crafts and activities.  If you’re like me, you love this and look forward to these traditions every year; though have you ever pondered why we partake in these rather peculiar traditions in the first place.  Dressing up, scaring people, begging for candy, and thinking of witchcraft, ghouls, and goblins, seem like rather strange activities for a holiday.  So how did we get here?

There is not one simple answer, but historians agree that the origin of Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic pagan holiday of Samhain, which was often celebrated between October 31^st and November 1^st; the time that the harvest would end.  During Samhain those celebrating believed “that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world break down,” – (via the BBC) with this you can start to see how the notion of the supernatural became associated with this time of year.  Participants would also dress in costumes mimicking spirits. 

Fast forward centuries to when Christianity spread through Europe, and the Christian holidays of All Saints Day November 1^st and All Souls Day on November 2^nd, morphed with centuries old pagan traditions such as Samhain.  Participants would dress up as saints, and angels.  This celebration would come to be called Hallowmas, which eventually would come to be Halloween – (via History.com).  Medieval Christians during Hallowmas would often go door to door in their communities in a quest for soul cakes, (think biscuits), these cakes would be exchanged for prayers and people (especially children) would partake in this throughout the holiday. 

Advancing multiple centuries again, we come to the newly created colonies, especially in the middle and south, where pieces of Halloween celebrations were brought with them into the Americas.  Colonial festivities would be again centered around the late fall harvest.  It was not until the flood of immigrants in the 1800s that Halloween would really take hold, these new Americans coming from areas such as Ireland brought with them their Christian and pagan traditions. 

As the decades rolled on Halloween grew with the nation, parties were common, and trick-or-treating became a way for communities to encourage togetherness, especially as the suburbs began to draw families further apart.  Halloween today is a multi-billion-dollar holiday, as people across the globe, and across WNY, celebrate.  This Halloween take a minute and think about the history of this holiday, you might get inspired for a new costume!  

Happy Halloween!

Fall is in full swing here in WNY, and we’re excited to welcome guests back to Explore & More to share some new and exciting things to play into possibilities!

Did you know that October 21st marks our 2nd Annual Family Fun Fall Fest Event?  What better way to enjoy some quality family time playing and making memories together? Get ready for a jam-packed event full of fall-themed fun to celebrate the changing of the seasons at Explore & More. You might even find some pumpkins on our 4th floor!

If you’re looking for an extra opportunity to have your little one dress up in their costume, come and play during Explore & More’s Spooktacular celebration beginning October 25th all the way through October 29th. We have lots of spooky (and safe) fun to be had by all!

Looking for a new class to try? Try out our Explore Even More class for some Halloween fun featuring 5 little pumpkins story time, special Halloween themed crafts, songs and games! This class is designed for 3–4-year-olds and purchase includes one adult/caregiver per paying participant. Click here for more details.

Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble… some wicked witches are BACK at Explore and More!  For ages 4 and up join the silly, mysterious, and only a little bit scary 3 Salem Sisters from Wonderland Character Entertainment who will be sharing Halloween themed snacks, crafts, and stories fit for every witch and ghoul! This class will be hands-on and immersive, and filled to the brim with fun activities. Don’t miss out! 

By Taylor C Derringer
Access & Inclusion Specialist

We can’t believe it either, but it’s October already! It’s time for pumpkin spice, raking leaves, and wiping spiderwebs off our sideview mirrors. October is also National Disability Employment Awareness Month. For 2023, NDEAM has chosen “Advancing Access and Equity” as their theme.

The Civil Rights Act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, and sex. It wasn’t for another 26 years until people with disabilities were offered similar protections, when the American Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was passed. 

Explore & More takes pride in providing career and volunteer opportunities for all people of every ability level. Hiring individuals with disabilities can help businesses meet their needs while strengthening their competitive edge by expanding their pool of talent and creating a culture of diversity. 

Take a moment to reflect on small things that you and your family members do to make the world a little more inclusive. Small shifts will expand future generations’ comfort zones. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler is a beautiful introduction to the ideas of Diversity, Access, Inclusivity and Equity. I recommend kicking off the fall season by reading this book with your family. Enjoy!

Resources:

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)

Disability Resources | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)

AskEARN | Inclusion@Work: A Framework for Building a Disability-Inclusive Organization