EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT GUIDE:

Educational Matrix Exhibit Goals – Definitions of Categories

Early Learners: exhibit concepts and interactive that support the social, cognitive and psychological development of the museum’s youngest visitors. Interactive exhibits and experiences will support concrete cognitive learning objectives. Children will be exposed to the age-appropriate risk to foster healthy attachment and children can explore their world in a safe, developmentally appropriate manner.

Kinesthetic Gross Motor: exhibit concepts and interactive that support a child’s innate need to move through physical spaces. Climbing, crawling, bending and even running (safely) will be encouraged in these types of exhibits.

Kinesthetic Fine Motor: exhibit concepts and interactive that foster the development of hand/eye coordination and that supports acquiring skills to become more dexterous.

Social/CollaborativePlay: exhibit concepts and interactives which foster collaboration and relational team-building. Throughout childhood, children require opportunities to build social skills and interact with peers as negotiation and resolution become key skills to develop. Children realize that they no longer exist solely in their own universe. Exhibits will encourage cooperative play and creative problem solving as a means to discover that “two heads are better than one”.

Individual Play: exhibit concepts and interactive which allow children to work alone to solve a challenge or experience a new skill without distraction. These exhibits will foster focus and concentration as well as support cognitive development in an age appropriate manner.

Intergenerational: Moms, Dads, Grandma and Grandpa can all join in the fun. From story telling to building the family’s race car; everyone can join the fun and play together. Remember play equals learning.

Cognitive/Problem Solving: exhibit concepts and interactives that focus on age appropriate skills such as thinking, reasoning and remembering. The development of critical thinking skills is at the forefront of the model for 21st century education.

Sensory: exhibit concepts and interactive that leverage ones senses to learn, explore and discover an environment. What animal is that, it feels strange? Did you hear that noise? Our youngest children first use their senses to gain knowledge of their new world. Our older children and adults also acquire information and use a different set of “tools” to solve problems or experience a learning opportunity.