Recently there has been a renewed concern and controversy about how our
children should spend their free time.  On the one side, the Society of Research
in Child Development (SRCD) reports (“The Benefits of Busy,” Newsweek,
October 2, 2006) that the more kids are involved in structured afterschool and
enrichment activities, the better kids are on measures of educational
achievement and psychological adjustment.  In contrast, the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) ("Harried parents urged to let their kids
just play," Associated Press, October 9, 2006) recommends unscheduled
family time and free, child-centered play to build creativity and emotional
resiliency in children.

Several factors are driving this concern for how children make use of their
time. More families rely on outside childcare or afterschool programs while
parents are at work. More families are aware that the first years of life are
essential to future learning and want to make the most of their child’s time. 
More families feel pressure to prepare their children for the competitive
preschool, private school and college admissions process.  Additionally, many
families believe that unsupervised outside play just isn’t safe anymore.

On the upside, what has also changed is the resources available to children
and families.  Take for example children’s museums.  In 1975 there were
approximately 38 children's museums in the United States.  Eighty new children's
museums opened between 1976 and 1990 and today there are more than 300.  The
Central Wisconsin Children’s Museum opened to the public in 1997.

Children’s museums have successfully reinterpreted play for today’s
families.  We keep the best of traditional approaches to play—child-centered,
hands-on exploration for the whole family—while offering both organized and free
play opportunities.  We offer services such as Toddler Music time, our drop in
art room, and monthly Healthy Family Night.  We also provide recommendations on
how parents and caregivers can be play mentors at the museum and in everyday
situations — as well as tips on when it’s best to step back and just watch the
children play. We exist to provide families with fun, engaging exhibits and
programs in a healthy and nurturing environment.

For many families, visiting a children’s museum is a chance to get away
from household distractions, to meet friends and to spend quality family time.
When caregivers and children enter a children’s museum they leave the
adult-centric world behind and step into a place designed with the child in
mind. This is how it works at our museum: a family visits, for example, our
grocery store exhibit.  The youngest, a child of three grabs a cart and begins
grabbing items off the shelves thrilled to be “in charge,” for once, of the food
choices.  After mom sees him choose a box of cookies, she says, “Let’s see if we
can pick out a whole rainbow of fruits and vegetables from the produce section.”
  His older sister then “checks him out” using the cash register, scales, and of
course she asks, “Paper or plastic?”  Afterwards, the father points out the
nearby garden and asks if the children know how the carrot they just purchased
grows – above the ground or below the ground.  Sparked by the exhibit’s murals
portraying local produce, the grandmother shares a memory about harvesting
potatoes as a child.  This represents the type of family learning through play
available at our museum.

One of the best outcomes from SRCD and AAP reports is that the
concept of play—structured and unstructured—is receiving national attention. 
For many years play has been taken for granted as something that just happens
and something separate from learning.  Children’s museums everywhere believe
that play is an invaluable medium for developmental and emotional learning. And
we celebrate it everyday.  Though times are different; the opportunity for peer,
family and community interaction, creative expression and discovery is still
available.  And luckily for our community, it’s just around the corner.  As the
late Fred Rogers said, “Play is the real work of childhood.” And this children’s
museum couldn’t agree more. 

There are five important components of early childhood learning that are
developed through activities at the Children's Museum.

Creativity, Invention and Imagination
For children, the ability
to create, invent, pretend and imagine is an essential form of play. Art
projects, creative expressions and role-playing are great ways for children to
build their self-esteem, express their emotions, and learn openness to new tasks
and challenges. Encouraging children's imaginative play and curiosity will open
the door to enhanced learning experiences in all areas of their development and
foster initiative to direct their own learning. 

Mathematical, Scientific, Logical and Problem Solving
Encouraging conceptual thought and the development of
problem solving skills in the areas of math, logic, and science helps children
build a strong foundation for future learning.  These activities develop
abilities to acquire, organize, and use information in increasingly complex ways
to satisfy that curiosity.  For example, playing with building blocks enables
children to acquire an understanding of basic math and physics skills and also
develop fine motor skills.
 
Social and Emotional Development
Children develop their
understanding of cooperation and social interaction through activities that
engage several participants in a high level of interactive fun.  These
activities develop children’s feelings about themselves and others, their
ability to form relationships, skills needed to maintain positive relationships,
ability to understand the perspective of others, and skills needed to succeed in
group settings.  There is a direct relationship between a child’s social and
emotional well being and overall success in school and life.

 Language and Communication
These activities help
children acquire language skills in the areas of listening and understanding,
speaking and communicating, and early literacy.  Language has an essential
impact on the development of a child’s brain during the first years of life. 
This development can be nourished by engaging in meaningful experiences with
adults and peers that require children to effectively express their ideas and
feelings, listen, and understand others.  Even before children can read and
write, they are acquiring basic understandings of concepts about literacy and
its functions. Regular and active interactions with print, in books and in the
environment, are essential for later development in reading and writing. 
 
Physical Health and Motor Development
These activities
promote and develop children's physical abilities, and emerging knowledge and
practices related to health, safety, and nutrition.  Children’s future health
and well-being are directly related to the development and strengthening of
their large and small muscles, sensory experiences, and practicing healthy
behavior.  Good physical health and motor development allow for full
participation in learning experiences. 
Information excerpted from the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Model. 
Quotes
Brain research has shown that nurturing in the earliest years is crucial
for emotional and social, as well as intellectual, development. While research
shows that people continue to learn throughout life, there is no doubt that the
earliest years are those of greatest growth – and those most susceptible to
influence by external factors. In effect, the first years of lay the foundation
for educational – and life – success.- “Seven Things Policy Makers Need to
Know about School Readiness: Revised and Expanded Toolkit”
Nurturing, responsive, and individualized interactions build healthy
brains that provide a strong foundation for future growth and development.   -
Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. 

If you think about it, scientists learn mostly the same way children
learn. The way [scientists] have to learn is by really being driven and trying
lots of things, and doing lots of experiments and having lots of fun doing it.
And then they try to make sense of what they find out. And that seems to be the
same processes that are involved with children.  - Alison Gopnik, Professor
of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of California,
Berkeley