Saki Iwamoto The moment of meaningful interaction is when children realize that there are various ways to approach a task. What happens if you try it one way? Are there other ways to approach it? What can you do to make it even better next time? My job is to give pieces of the puzzle and keep challenging children to be inquisitive. It’s the children’s job to solve the puzzles, and I’m here to scaffold their thinking, but not to build it for them. I believe that my role as an educator is to help children be critical and creative thinkers and empower them to keep trying various methods to solve problems while having fun! When I work with children who have special needs, I often try to remind myself, as well as visitors, that all children are capable of learning, but the process of learning can take different forms. Play is an awesome way to approach learning beyond what’s considered typical. I’m happy when I see children of all abilities discover their own learning capabilities. Saki Iwamoto is the Museum’s multitalented Health and Wellness Educator. She develops and manages programs that promote the health and well-being of children through developmentally appropriate play. She is also the leader of the Museum’s Morningstar Access program that welcomes children with special needs and their families to visit the Museum at times when there are few other visitors. 1 Tim Porter Prototyping is at the core of our exhibit development work. It enables us to build exhibits with confidence, knowing that they are both compelling and effective. When we prototype at the Museum, the project team identifies the areas we’d like to explore: Is the experience intriguing to children? How about to adults? Does the given component align with the goals of the larger exhibition? Can we build it so that it will survive the vigorous use that children promise to put it through? Prototyping is as much about the visitor as it is about the exhibit. It shifts the emphasis from the Museum point of view to the Museum learning about the visitor. It defines our visitors as stakeholders in the process and as part of the team. It infuses many voices, and many points of reference into the final product. And it keeps us in touch with what children and adult caregivers need. In short, it brings into focus why we do what we do. Tim Porter is Project Director at Boston Children’s Museum. He leads projects in areas of exhibition development, program development, grant writing, curriculum development, and more. 2 3 Nickolas Nelson Think back to when you were a child. Imagine the joy that was brought on by the simplest things. That joy and simplicity is what drives me every day. My position provides ample opportunity for fun and unique learning experiences for both children and myself. When working with Oliver, our royal python, I often get the question ‘Why isn’t he biting you?’ My favorite moment is to see that smile developing just after I answer, ‘Well, why aren’t YOU biting me?’ What follows is a noticeable change in perspective when they realize that just because Oliver can bite doesn’t mean that he has to. This encourages children to develop their own ideas about the world around them. I love to see those qualities in the faces of the children that I work with, knowing that they are being provided with the same amazing opportunities for a happy, playful, and productive life as I was. The rewards are immeasurable. Nickolas Nelson is a Visitor Experience Associate at the Museum. He serves as a mentor for the Art Studio, Native Voices, and Japanese House exhibits, and he works on the Museum floor with families to ensure maximum fun and learning. He also works with the Museum’s animal staff, which includes Watson, the bearded dragon, and Oliver, the royal python. 4 5 Alice Vogler I try to provide a sincere and unique art experience for every visitor—young and old. In the Art Studio I try to expose children to new art-making materials and tools, and to the idea that there are many ways to solve a problem. I always love sitting and talking to visitors about what they are doing and why they have made the choices that they have made. The best moments are when I see true interest, true engagement, and true discovery happening through art making and material exploration. I am fortunate to witness these moments every day. I have seen so many children running to the studio, excited that the door is open and that they can come in. I have big and little visitors insisting that they have to stay longer in the studio to complete whatever they have been working on. If we can help visitors discover the artist and maker within them, we have made a visit to the studio a special and memorable experience. Alice Vogler is the Museum’s Arts Program Manager. She loves every aspect of what she does—from planning art projects for the studio, to organizing hands-on workshops with artists in the studio, to finding art- ists to exhibit their work in the Museum’s Art Gallery space, and being an advocate for the power of art to spark imagination. 6 7 Antonio Méndez The best learning experiences for children come from experiences shared with significant individuals in their lives. If I can be one of these adults, supporting a child’s learning and self-esteem by engaging them with lan- guage, music, art, and science, then I am making a difference. Social-emotional development is also one of my priorities. Adults play a key role in their child’s development, and we try to support and engage parents in their learning experience. What is rewarding for me is to see the welcoming, in- formal learning setting of the Museum inspire children to discover their gifts and potential. Seeing children react to a new experience, or try to solve a problem they have not seen before, allows them to build their confidence. I am constantly making eye contact with the children during circle time, story time, or in a program, and I am amazed at their active response to opportunities to talk, play, respond, and laugh. They are having fun and learning at the same time. Antonio Méndez is the Museum’s Countdown to Kindergarten Educator. He works on school readiness programming and on strengthening the Museum’s presence in the community. 8 9 Year in Review The Museum hosts the exclusive Boston screening of The Land, a film by Erin Davis that explores Volunteers from an adventure play- MIT’s Society of ground in Wales. Black Engineers participate in Boston Ballet visits the kickoff to the Museum with Engineering Week Nutcracker charac- at the Museum. ters and music to 8,571 visitors attend celebrate Ballet Day. the Free Fun Fridays program sponsored by the Highland The Institute of Street Foundation. Museum and Library Boston Mayor Services awards a Martin Walsh and Gallery exhibit No The Museum’s National Leadership 1,355 parents and the Richard family Planes, No Trains … Boston Marathon Grant to the Museum children attend the Native Voices exhibit announce a new Visitors bring their Fort building extrav- Just Cranes, created runners Mary to further strengthen Countdown to opens and invites park to be built at ideas to life using aganza challenges by Fort Point artist Langevin, Garrett and expand the Kindergarten visitors to explore The Museum Hundreds of Children’s Wharf to recycled and surplus the creativity and Andrew Neumann, Lau, Carolyn regional network celebration for the history and celebrates Hispanic supporters gather honor Martin Rich- materials as the imagination of documents the Mahoney, and Liam of museums and 5,404 people children entering culture of diverse Heritage month at the Museum for ard, the youngest popular Pop-Up thousands during change and growth Patrick raise over libraries that deliver attend four Grown- kindergarten in Native American with music, dance, The Wonder Ball victim of the Boston Recycle Shop February vacation in the Museum’s Fort $43,000 to support school readiness Ups Museum nights. Boston. communities. and stories. fundraiser. Marathon bombings. returns for 10 days. week. Point neighborhood. the Museum. programs. Harvard Professor Sara Lawrence- Lightfoot discusses JULY 1, 2015 JULY her book The Essen- tial Conversation: 2016 JUNE 30, What Parents and Teachers Can Learn Developmental Cog- from Each Other. nitive Neuroscientist The Museum Performance art JUNK Fest and Mimi’s Family, a The Museum The Museum creates KidsJam, the The Museum Ensembles from the Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Adele Diamond launches its school exhibit Knots National Grid Tinker photography exhibit receives the Inter- an artist-in-residence Museum’s all-ages announces it will Boston Symphony, Road Ensemble addresses the topic readiness website Landing highlights Tent offer challenges that depicts Mimi national Lifetime program and dance party, cele- host Boston’s first Boston Youth visits the Museum of increasing self- with tools and infor- habitat destruction for visitors who love Tobias (a transgen- Achievement Award announces Eve L. brates community, Maker Faire with Symphony Orches- to explore music, regulation, creativity, mation for families and the endangered to create and build. der grandparent) from the European Ewing as the dance, music, and sponsors Google, tras, New England history, and culture. and problem solving and educators. shorebirds known and her family, Museum Academy program’s first movement on the Vertex, Autodesk, Conservatory, through play. as red knots.