Today we each shared one thing that we hope that the school kids who visit the Exploratorium get out of their day. Here’s what we’re hoping:
- To have a stong, positive memory of a unique experience–a personal story to tell their friends and family.
- Fun, enrichment, good memories.
- They figure out something new. An “ah-ha!” moment. A spark of interest. Something they can relate to a previous experience.
- A sense of curiosity, a sense of wonder, respect as learners.
- I hope kids find an exhibit experience that feels magical or exciting to them.
- I hope that they feel confident about knowing how to use at least one exhibit themselves.
- I hope they have a moment to observe something, anything, on their own, by themselves, and take as much time as they need.
- I hope that the kids that are usually shy come out of their shell a little.
- I hope they see playing, learning, and looking at things in a new way.
- I hope they see the cow’s eye and/or decomosition exhibits.
- I hope that the students leave with a better understanding of science and learning as it exists beyond the classroom, that they see how ideas can be turned into physical examples.
- I want kids to remember that the orange vest Explainers are awesome!
- I hope for one day they can be the experts at trying things out and being curious.
- I want kids to get fun out of field trips here, and also get a fun experience out of science and technology.
- Fun, an empowering experience, skills both hard and soft–communication, exploration, self-esteem, a break from the everyday, releasing the need to know and the power of wonder.
- To experience amazement, interest in something that sticks with them.
- I hope that they leave curious about why one exhibit worked.
- I want to make each kid feel comfortable and intelligent.
Hi Splainers! I loved activities like this during Explainer training. As it happens, this is also our week of training at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, and the Guides did a similar exercise this morning! As you probably know, we serve much younger children, and our mission includes connecting them with the environment – you can see that reflected in many of the Guides’ wishes for the children who visit us:
• I want to give children a joyful experience filled with: knowledge, excitement, gifts, thrills, creativity, newness, laughter, education, growth.
• I’d like to be a facilitator of fun and help broaden their understanding of their physical surroundings, i.e. the Bay Area and marine life.
• I want to give children the chance to explore their surroundings.
• I hope to connect with a child, so when they leave the museum, they feel they have made a new friend. Help a child experience and explore something they haven’t before.
• Inspire them to an interest in storytelling and creation of tales.
• I would hope that the child would feel like this is their museum. They could feel safe and happy and have fun here every time they visit. They would have a sense of ownership to this museum.
• Have fun with everything and explore.
• I want to help children feel good about themselves — build their self esteem.
• I wish to the children that through our music we share here they continue to harvest their talent through days to come in their lives.
• A place to feel safe being themselves.
• I would like children to leave the museum with the experience of having been really involved in the process of creating, so that they’re excited to go home and have that experience again later.
• A feeling of connection to something, whether that be to a place or another person.
• To learn more about the environment around them, for example nature, native plants, respect for nature, principles of mother earth and how she needs our help, endangered species. Experience the artistic process, learn discipline and patience in order to achieve their project goals, different mediums, self expression.
• Confidence! I want to children to know that they are scientists or artists or explorers and they have all the tools they need to go confidently and create in that direction.
• One thing that I would love to leave a child with is simply a smile. Knowing he/she had fun means I did my job. To me that is the most important thing.
• A greater sense of both wonder and understanding of the world.
Hi Sarah! Thanks for sharing your Guides’ wishes. It’s funny that we were doing the same exercise at the same time! Aside from the ones that are specific to young children or BADM, the overall spirit of them is very similar.