INSPIRING CHILDREN’S CURIOSITY AND IMAGINATION.
The importance of quality early childhood education in children's learning and development is clear. By age three, the brain has developed to approximately 80 percent of its adult size and has up to twice as many synapses—or connections—as it will have in adulthood. High-quality science learning opportunities in the early years foster children's curiosity and enjoyment in exploring the world around them.
Kohl Children's Museum understands that young children are intrinsically curious and innately imaginative. The Museum provides hands-on learning opportunities through research-based programs, such as its Science Sleuths program, to inspire that curiosity and imagination.
Science Sleuths is an innovative program designed to make science learning fun and accessible to young children. Astellas USA Foundation has funded this program since 2015 and is pleased to continue its support of Science Sleuths in 2016.
Thanks to the support of Astellas USA Foundation, Science Sleuths is reaching more than 900 children each year, helping lead to a population of critical thinkers, negotiators and problem solvers.
In Science Sleuths, every other Friday, a Museum educator leads visitors through interactive experiments throughout the Museum using specialized carts. Astellas scientists will be invited to assist in conducting developmentally appropriate, yet challenging, scientific experiments that will engage children in the educational process. The one-of-a-kind carts were designed to engage groups of children in a wide variety of activities, with an overhead mirror, sink and whiteboard for making predictions and surfaces at multiple heights so guests of all ages are able to participate.
Throughout the year, children at Kohl Children's Museum become young scientists and learn to make predictions, test their ideas and observe results. The Museum has built a portfolio of Science Sleuths experiments designed to engage children in the scientific process in an exciting, hands-on way. All experiments are expertly designed using learning standards for children ages birth to eight and feature critical adult connection components to engage parents, caregivers and teachers. Some of the experiments include:
- Magnificent Magnets: Push and Pull. Explore the world of magnets by experimenting with objects.
- Sandbox Eruption: What bubbles, fizzes, and oozes all over? Join us as we use simple kitchen ingredients to make BIG eruptions!
- Dandelion Discoveries: Why do dandelion seeds fly? Where do they go? Learn about dandelion seed dispersal and air resistance during Science Sleuths.
Together, Kohl Children's Museum and Astellas USA Foundation are helping children develop skills in observation, reasoning, logic, math, problem solving and critical thinking, which are essential to empowering the next generation to participate in an increasingly scientific and technological world.
