Thursday, January 22nd, 2009...10:56 am
Literacy Centers for a Children’s Museum
This post is kind of exciting for me because I am hoping to involve some of the super smart people in my class in this project.
I got an email from my first principal the other day. He was a wonderful principal. He challenged me and supported me and answered any question I ever asked with these five words: ”Is it good for kids?” If I said, yes, then his answer was yes.
He is now the Executive Director of the Children’s Museum in a southeastern North Carolina city. (I’m going to link to the museum here instead of naming it because I don’t really want strangers googling this museum to find my blog if I can help it!)
This is some of what he said:
I “dream” that there may be a possibility of somehow making interactive hands on literacy concepts into a play center or centers for children. To me this is where we could assist early age preschool children and their caretakers, develop a prescription on how they may “play” or do children’s work to improve their literacy readiness for school. If play is a child’s work, there must be a way to structure a play center in our interactive museum to assist them in literacy and have fun in the process!…
Because I know you and how determined you are, I know you will begin immediately to explore new interventions with your students, or collaborate with researchers or educators to improve literacy in our young people. Maybe you would be interested in exploring the idea of developing interactive centers to improve literacy in the name of play and or use the Children’s Museum as a research site?
As a 501c nonprofit we would want to write or be a part of any grant you might write; but , certainly a place for you to send your future educators to practice…
I would very much like to explore new ideas with my students or collaborate with some of you to improve literacy in young people. Would anybody in this class be interested in exploring the idea of developing interactive centers to improve literacy in the name of play using that museum as a site?
I can imagine this being a class project… Perhaps it can be the Inquiry Project for a group (or two groups)? Maybe one group might write a grant and another might design the centers? Would the PhD students in the class like to get involved with this is some way?
I am open to ideas… Any thoughts?
7 Comments
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Hi Julie,
This definitely interests me. I have always had an interest in children’s museums. When I was younger we would visit them whenever we traveled to a new city. I also always check them out when I happen upon one on the web or in person. I would lean more towards the area of designing learning centers/exhibits at a children’s museum (as I don’t have any experience with grant writing). Well, I look forward to seeing where this goes. I guess it will depend upon the group I am in and if anyone else is interested. I love designing hands-on environments/choosing materials and have an interest in working with a children’s museum someday.
-Michelle Tuttle
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Hi Julie,
I tried posting once, and I don’t think it showed up, so I will try again. However, if it goes twice, you’ll know why! This caught my eye as I have always had an interest in children’s museums. When I was a child and my family traveled, we would always visit children’s museums in different places. Since then I have visited many on the web and in person when I get the chance. I also have been intersted in the possibility of working with a children’s museum in the future. I would be interested in the design of hands-on learning centers (more so than the grant writing part, which I don’t have any experience in). I also really love the design of early childhood environments and choosing materials. Well, I guess it will depend on what group I am in and what they are interested in. However, I wanted to let you know this is definitely something I would be interested in pursuing.
-Michelle Tuttle
January 26th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Julie, I love the idea of creating literacy centers for the museum. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to expand love of literacy to young children and to expose them to literacy in new ways. I would love to be on a team for this project. I hope you will bring it up in class. -Jackie
January 28th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Julie, I am interested also. I have a collection of pamphlets I have collected from various museums that accompanied exhibits.
Helen
January 28th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I would be very interested in working with a group. I love going to children’s museums. I always get ideas to bring back and incorporate into my own classroom.
Lucretia “Lucy” Wheeler
January 31st, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I think this sounds like a great and exciting experience. I have already written my proposal for my Inquiry Project, but this seems much more fun and exciting. Does this have to be a group project or could interested students from different groups (Michelle, Jackie, April, etc.) do this as their Inquiry Project?
February 8th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Julie,
I always encouraged my children to embrace literacy as an important skill in life that they must have if they desired to pursue unlimited dreams and goals in life. They were read to before being born, and I used various techniques to encourage them to enjoy reading. As I have learned about the term “play” as an instrument to teach literacy to young children, I am excited about the opportunity that has been extended for my peers to participate in developing an effective literacy center.
Phyllis
Leave a Reply