I wonder what...? Why did...? How can...? What if...?
These are the questions parents are encouraged to ask their children when exploring the upcoming Science in Play (SiP2Go) exhibit at the Covington branch of Kenton County Public Library open March 5th through May 28th. The exhibit is designed to engage children 8 years old or younger to explore, create, and share science to gain an appreciation of how learning is a playful activity using fundamental concepts. The creators of the exhibit encourage parents to ask their children questions and encourage them to think while playing with the exhibit’s engaging toys.
The exhibit includes:
Blue Blocks: Large blue foam blocks that invite children to build and create structures both real and fantastical. These large blocks include bricks and cylinders, accented with chutes, channels and parts that suggest motion or connectivity. They inspire and engage children to design their own inventions, environments, and activities. Easy to stack, line up and move around, children and caregivers both practice building simple to complex structures while strengthening collaborative and communication skills as they imagine, design, and invent an endless variety of shape-inspired structures.
Roller Coaster: It's like supersized Hot Wheels with orange balls instead of cars where children can assemble track pieces to create their own roller coaster. Can you get the ball to travel all the way to the end of the track? An exploration in physics and engineering, roller coaster sections and parts can be manipulated in countless designed and configurations. Discover the forces that push, pull, and make things move as you build your own roller coaster. See what happens when you change the starting height, shape of the loops, or length of the track.
Shapes and Stuff Store: A unique shopping experience that involves dramatic play while learning shapes, colors, patterns and more. a gender-neutral shopping experience that includes family and group activities and interpretive materials. Shopping for shapes encourages inventiveness and flexibility as children explore shape attributes such as color, texture, and geometric and numerical skill-building.
Shopping for shapes invites a variety of play and learning behaviors that strengthen mathematics and computational thinking skills. Through shapes, children practice using number concepts, connect numerals with their quantities, explore and describe spatial relationships with patterns and shapes, and sort and classify by shape, feel, or color.
Even the smallest shopper finds Shapes & Stuff a learning experience. From fine motor skills that come with grasping and placing to working with space, shape and size, the colors, textures, and shapes help them strengthen visual discrimination and communication skills such as seeing, naming colors, shapes, and textures, and matching and comparing.
Light Bright: A large wall, with colored pegs that appear to light up when inserted, allows children to explore their creativity while making pictures and patterns with light. This station is a favorite for children and grownups alike, lighted colored pegs let everyone create imaginative designs. From complex patterns to outlining words and phrases, LIGHT BRIGHT invites planning and predicting skills while designing and developing patterns and shapes.
Ball Fall: A large Velcro wall with tubular track pieces and spinning wheels that challenge small hands to construct a pathway for small colorful rubber balls travel. Young children find it easy to create pathways, falls and ramps using easy to manipulate chutes and tunnels. Exploring cause and effect, patterns and prediction, BALL FALL also invites problem-solving and collaboration skills.
Science Depot: The most programming intensive piece, this experience is based on the tried and true model of Explore, Create, & Share. Topics change weekly, and children are provided with the opportunity to be little scientists and learn about an array of topics. This fully integrated program encouraging exploration and experimentation. Depot activities encourage family interaction with hands-on applications of real science tools for young children and it is changed out monthly to encourage parents and students to return to this fully functional learning center.
Why is this Important?
When children acquire knowledge through play and discovery, they remember what they have learned. In addition, play develops the ability to think through problems and find solutions. Learning the why makes doing more meaningful. Moreover, Science-in-Play2Go is designed to take advantage of a child’s natural curiosity and it is rich in loose parts so it can be something new every time you visit. But one of the biggest bonuses, it encourages parents and children to rediscover wonder, forget Googling the answer and find it out on your own!
So come EXPLORE, WONDER, IMAGINE, TRY, COLLABORATE, FIGURE IT OUT, AND TALK ABOUT IT at the Kenton County Public Library.
The exhibit will be open during regular library hours March 5th-May28th. School and community groups are encouraged to visit Science in Play2Go exhibit and can book field trips by contacting Kari Jones or Laurence Webster at 859-962-4077 or via email at scienceinplay2gofun@gmail.com.
Science in Play2GO is made possible with support from PNC Grow Up Great and Genentech, and in partnership with the Kentucky Science Center & Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.
Have fun with science.
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