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Making the Most of Your Children's
Discovery Center Visit
The Hawaii Children's Discovery Center is a
place where children and families learn and grow together through
purposeful play. What children get out of their visit is, in large
part, determined by the amount and quality of time spent together
in meaningful activities with their parents. Clearly, parents are
the primary teachers in their child's life. Here at the Children's
Discovery Center, we encourage and nurture those learning opportunities
between parent and child by providing them with a stimulating and
engaging learning environment where parents and children can explore
and discover together.
Following are a few ways that you can help
to enrich your Children's Discovery Center experience, ones that
will involve the whole family.
Before Your Visit
Allow your child to take part in planning for
your Discovery Center visit. It is very empowering for a child to
take part in planning family activities. Not only does this provide
the child with decision-making responsibilities, but also it enables
him to become an active participant in family affairs. Ways to include
your child in planning your visit to the Children's Discovery Center
include:
Talk together with your child about
what a children's museum is, and discuss what similarities or differences
there are between a children's museum and other types of museums.
For first time visitors, this may include what they think they might
see or do in the Center. For repeat visitors, discussing what the
child remembers about his last visit, or what he might like to spend
time doing this visit, will help to capitalize on prior experiences
and learning, thereby enhancing the upcoming visit.
Research a little about the Children's
Discovery Center. Involve your child in looking through our web
site and spend some time checking out our Kids Page section designed
especially for him. Let him help you plan what time to visit and
on what day. For older children, have them call and find out information
relating to your visit.
Review personal safety and behavior
reminders. Here at the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center our primary
focus is making sure that each child has a safe and fun visit. In
order to accomplish this, we ask that you go over with your child
our "House Reminders" before each visit.
1. We strongly encourage parents to actively
experience the Center's exhibits with their children. Your visit
will be more enriching and memorable when it is shared as a family.
2. Our exhibits appreciate gentle handling.
We encourage touching and exploration, however, with tender loving
care, the exhibits will give lasting pleasure to all of or guests
who visit.
3. For the safety of our guests, we ask that
you park strollers before entering the exhibit galleries.
4. Please enjoy food and drink before or after
your visit so that we can keep the facility clean. Food and drinks
of any kind (including gum) are not allowed in the exhibit galleries.
5. Help us take care of this Center so everyone
can enjoy it for generations to come.
During Your Visit
The more parents allow their child opportunities
to succeed with "grown-up" responsibilities, the more the child
feels empowered. A wonderful way to start your visit is by giving
your child the money to pay for your ticket purchases. This is also
a way for him to learn to "value" the experience and to appreciate
your efforts in making it possible for the family to do special
things together.
Be flexible and follow your child's
lead. The Discovery Center wasn't designed for your child to see
and do everything all in one visit. Young children, especially preschoolers
and those in early grades, usually learn best in 10- to 15-minute
sessions, and they can be overwhelmed by too many choices at one
time. Go at your child's pace and stick with an activity that has
caught his attention. If you rush your child, in an attempt to see
and do everything, then he will not get as much out of the visit.
Remember, each time your child comes back he will get more out of
the experience by building upon what he has accomplished in prior
visits!
Play! There is nothing more beneficial
to your child than playing together with him. Play is serious business
for children. It is how they learn about the world around them and
how they learn to relate to others. By joining in on your child's
play experience you are enhancing the educational value of your
visit and creating memories together that will last a lifetime.
Discuss things with your child and comment
on activities as you are playing together. Be ready to discuss any
questions or any areas of interest that your child has. If you don't
know the answers that's okay, it will just provide you and your
child with another learning opportunity to extend outside of the
Center. Perhaps a visit to the library will help to answer lingering
questions that arise from your visit.
Relate things about the exhibits to
your personal life. Whether this means activating your child's prior
knowledge of a particular area, or providing your child with a bit
of your own personal history, you can help him establish connections
between real life experience and knowledge. For example, while you
are in the Hawaiian Plantation House listening to the stories of
the immigrants who came to Hawaii, talk with your children about
where their ancestors came from and what their life might have been
like. Children will begin to develop an appreciation for who they
are and where they came from.
Visit the Museum Gift Shop. Our gift
shop, "Just For You Kid!," has specially selected educational items
that will enhance your museum visit. You will find books, posters,
toys, games, and other mementos that can remind children of what
they saw during their visit and expand their interests.
After the Visit
It is our hope that you and your child continue
the magic and discovery of learning outside of the Center. This
would be a good time to reflect on your visit and look for opportunities
to learn more about areas your child took particular interest in.
Reflect on what you saw and did. This
will give you a good idea as to what your child has learned from
his visit and what areas he is interested in. Use your community
as a resource for extended learning opportunities. A trip to the
library or other museums will provide your child with more tools
for learning.
Visit Our Web Site. Use our website
as a resource. We update it with new activities and special events
at the Center.
Create a memento of your visit. Have
you child write, draw, or sculpt something related to his museum
visit. This will not only be a great reminder for him about his
visit, but will be one way you can continue to nurture his creative
spirit at home. If you have a special activity, idea or memory that
is a result of your visit to the Discovery Center, please take a
moment to share it with us. We would love to hear from you and to
be able to provide other parents with ideas about how to make a
visit to the Children's Discovery Center a special one, each and
every time!
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