Learning Through Play Conference on March 6!
Click here to download the full schedule.
Are you interested in youth nutrition, productive parenting or getting your child ready to read? Well these topics and dozens more will be covered at the second annual Learning Through Play Conference on March 6, 2010.
The concept for the Learning Through Play Conference evolved when, in late 2007, Museum Center partnered with Heidi Kloos, Ph.D., assistant professor of Psychology at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Kloos was interested in conducting research with her students in Duke Energy Children's Museum that would examine how children learned through play in the Waterworks exhibit. These conversations, and the research that followed, were very exciting. They led to more conversation with colleagues at other museums, and the desire to make Museum Center the learning through play resource in the Cincinnati community.
The first Learning Through Play Conference was held in March 2009. It was presented with the support of eleven community partners including Beech Acres Parenting Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Community Action Agency, Every Child Succeeds, Success By Six, Strive, United Way, 4C for Children, to name a few, and attracted more than 400 attendees. Community partners contributed financially, but they also served on a strategic planning committee to help develop content for the conference. The conference consists of an Information Fair, which is free and open to the general public, and paid sessions that engage adults, as well as families, in discussions on relevant topics like school preparedness, brain development and using play as an effective tool for learning. These sessions are led by experts in their fields, and are offered at a nominal fee to ensure accessibility.
With the success of the first conference, we’ve seen an increased interest from area universities and early childhood educators. Museum Center has taken steps to achieve that initial goal, to be at the center of the learning through play community, by becoming a resource for parents and educators. In 2009, a number of the sessions were Step up to Quality approved which allowed Cincinnati teachers to earn professional development credits. This year, all of the sessions are Step up to Quality and Stars for Kids approved, which means teachers in both Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky can earn credits.
Check it out. It’s the Learning Through Play Conference, March 6. You can register online at regonline.com/cincymuseum.
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