Pop-Up Museum Exhibits
In partnership with the Bitterroot Discovery Children’s Museum, we are working to bring a series of early learning “pop-up” museum exhibits to the community. These mini children’s museum exhibits are meant to connect children and their caregivers in meaningful ways focused on communication skills, hands-on learning, and intentional play.
Play is one of the most important aspects of early childhood education. It is through play that children first engage, explore, and interact with the world around them. Play gives children access to a safe space for mastering the world around them, which aids in the development of confidence and resilience to face future challenges. Play allows children to learn to work with others, to share and negotiate, as well as to practice conflict resolution and self-advocacy. In addition, play can lead children to discover their own areas of interests and aptitudes.
The importance of creative play in a child’s healthy development has been well supported by decades of research. 90% of brain development happens before the age of five, and one of the most important ways young children learn is through the foundational building blocks of play. Play contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children.
In addition to the many positive aspects it has on a developing child, play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to fully engage with their children in meaningful ways. The interactions which occur through play communicate to children that their parents are fully paying attention to them, which can strengthen and encourage strong relationships. Parents who play with their children often learn to communicate more effectively and nurture their children in ways that are often overlooked during day to day life.
The Car Care exhibit is located in the waiting area of a busy oil change shop in Hamilton, MT, and includes a reading nook, role-play activities, gross-motor activities, signage for caregivers with ideas to keep the learning going at home, and resources from the MT Department of Transportation and ParentingMontana.org.
