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Love of Learning

Love of Learning

By KidsQuest Children's Museum

Join KidsQuest Children's Museum as we explore the power of play!
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KidsQuest Explores the Arts with Sadie Bowman, co-founder of Maththeatre

Love of LearningFeb 17, 2021

00:00
15:01
Did You Know: Museums For All Makes Play Accessible to Everyone

Did You Know: Museums For All Makes Play Accessible to Everyone

KidsQuest participates in Museums for All, a program that encourages individuals of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits. Through Museums for All, those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits) can gain free or reduced admission to more than 600 museums throughout the United States simply by presenting their SNAP EBT (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefit Transfer) card for up to four people per card.
Every single visit, no blackout dates. Come on in and you’ll get the $3 rate.

In 2019, KidsQuest saw 5,288 patrons who used Museums for All to enjoy the museum. Finances should never keep a child from playing and learning at the Museum. Lauren Belmonte, KidsQuest’s Director of Visitor Services talks about the importance of making cultural institutions accessible for all visitors.

Jun 30, 202114:59
Did You Know: BizQuest Supports Play AND the Community
Jun 15, 202117:20
Did You Know: The History Behind KidsQuest’s Doll Exhibits
Jun 01, 202117:17
Did you know: KidsQuest Offers Low Sensory Fun!
May 18, 202116:40
KidsQuest Explores Math with Shana Beckwith, Director of Curriculum at Stem Paths Innovation Network

KidsQuest Explores Math with Shana Beckwith, Director of Curriculum at Stem Paths Innovation Network

STEM Paths Innovation Network is a nonprofit working with partners in King County, Washington to design and lead STEAM opportunities to students who otherwise wouldn’t have access to them. According to their website, they’ve served over 800 girls and youth of color through their programming with over 20 community and school partners in the greater Seattle area. Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Shana Beckwith talks with host Allie Cheroutes about creating a future in which all students can see themselves in a STEM field and have the support they need inside and outside the classroom to get there.

Check out their website to learn more about their incredible curriculum and programs:

www.stempaths.org

Visit KidsQuest’s website to learn more about their online and in-person STEAM opportunities:

www.kidsquestmuseum.org

KidsQuest wants to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy a day of play at the Museum. Through the Museums for All program, they are able to offer discounted daily admission rates with proof of EBT, Chip, Provider One, or WIC.

Invite your family over to listen to this episode’s Audio Postcard segment! Host Allie will guide you through making your very own straw rocket in honor of Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician whose calculations were used in the first moon landing and in the development of the Space Shuttle program. As a Black female mathematician during 1950s and 60s, she was truly a pioneer who broke barriers of gender and race and inspired generations of future STEM leaders.

Mar 02, 202116:05
KidsQuest Explores the Arts with Sadie Bowman, co-founder of Maththeatre

KidsQuest Explores the Arts with Sadie Bowman, co-founder of Maththeatre

This episode is all about the Arts in our Full STEAM ahead series exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. What’s the deal with the A in STEAM? Traditionally, the arts and sciences were viewed and treated separately. Now, the wider understanding is that the arts’ role in STEAM is to encourage application of creative thinking and ignite imagination. STEAM is meant to engage both the analytic and creative sides of the brain. Liberal arts, language arts, and physical arts all help prepare kids for an increasingly interdisciplinary world. What innovation would we have without someone first following a creative spark?

In this episode we’ll hear from Sadie Bowman, co-founder and performer in the musical theater group,  Matheatre. Their mission is to get students (and adults!) excited about math and science through comedy. Bowman shares how a musical about calculus turned into a mission to make science and math accessible and fun to all audiences. Fifteen years later, Matheatre tours worldwide performing four shows in schools, museums, and planetariums.

Head over to their website to learn more about their shows, digital offerings, and their own podcast, History Science Theater:

https://matheatre.com

In this episode’s Audio Postcard we put our creativity to work in a fun hat design challenge for kids from the KidsQuest educators. Take a listen with your family and see what they come up with!

Matheatre Music Credits

MAXIMA & minima, icanhasmath

Physics Extravaganza, icanhasmath

I Believe in a Power Rule! , icanhasmath

Feb 17, 202115:01
KidsQuest Explores Engineering with Gever Tulley, Founder of Tinkering School

KidsQuest Explores Engineering with Gever Tulley, Founder of Tinkering School

In 2005 Gever Tulley accidentally stumbled into starting his own engineering-based summer camp in his backyard called Tinkering School. In this episode we’ll hear about the philosophy behind this remarkable program and what can happen when you give kids real tools to solve real problems. Hands-on designing, fabricating and constructing empowers kids and helps them test their theories about the world around them. Giving tinkerers tools, autonomy and space has resulted in some unbelievable projects, like a gondola re-imagined as a dragon flying across their warehouse workspace!

This week’s Audio Postcard comes to you from Orcas Island, WA!  The SeaDoc Society is doing some incredible research and conservation work to ensure the health of the Salish Sea, an inland sea encompassing Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and the waters off of Vancouver, British Columbia for generations to come. Their Junior SeaDoctor program gives kids the tools to become their own nature detectives in any ecosystem they explore. You can sign up for free to become a Junior Sea Doctor today and receive your very own laminated nature guide in the mail!

Head over to Tinkering School’s website to read more about their programs, and find training workshops for educators and some awesome online opportunities for students: tinkeringschool.com

And if you’re interested in Tulley’s book, Fifty Dangerous Things (you should let your children do), you can find more information here: fiftydangerousthings.com

You can register as a Junior Sea Doctor and read more about the conservation efforts of The SeaDoc Society here: juniorseadoctors.com

Feb 02, 202118:47
KidsQuest Explores Technology with Educator Chris Cunningham

KidsQuest Explores Technology with Educator Chris Cunningham

KidsQuest’s science educator, Chris Cunningham talks about the T in STEAM.  Technically, the T is for technology, but let’s not forget the very foundation of technology: Tools!  Often, we’re quick to narrow our focus to computers and other instructional devices when we think about technology. Chris and podcast host, Allie Cheroutes discuss expanding how we define technology, especially as it relates to hands-on learning in early education.

During the school year Chris and the other educators usually spend a lot of their time bringing STEAM programming to classrooms, libraries and after school programs.  This year may look a little bit different but that hasn’t stopped KidsQuest from making sure kids have access to the Museum activities they love most. He’s currently in the process of preparing a giant batch of circuit kits to distribute at some of the Museum’s partnering Boys and Girls Clubs of King County locations.

The episode wraps up with a fun activity introducing kids to the basic concepts of programming.  All you need is a partner, a piece of graph paper and a writing utensil. Turn your artwork into a "program" and then challenge your partner to draw it out.  We'd love to see what you create!

Jan 12, 202116:13
KidsQuest Explores Science Through Cooking with Dr. Ashie Bhandiwad

KidsQuest Explores Science Through Cooking with Dr. Ashie Bhandiwad

First up in our STEAM exploration series is SCIENCE! Throughout the season we’ll be investigating our way through each of the STEAM concepts. Specifically focusing on the positive ripple effect that happens when we actively engage with our children’s early STEAM learning.  Dr. Ashie Bhandiwad is the founder and CEO of an experiential science education startup called STEMChef. The philosophy behind STEMChef is influenced by her own childhood science education, subsequent career in bioenergy, and especially through moments shared with her young daughter while preparing dinner. 

Start pointing out and initiating science-based conversations during your family time together. Kids will start making connections between the concepts they’re learning in school and situations they come across every day. Developing that emotional connection results in stronger retention and deeper understanding throughout the rest of their education and even into their careers. At the end of the episode Dr. Bhandiwad guides us through a really delicious activity you and your family can try (and then snack on!) together.

KidsQuest is powered by STEAM learning! Check out our YouTube channel for more science-based activities to do with your family:

https://www.youtube.com/user/KidsQuestCM

If you’d like to explore the awesome online escape room experiences STEMChef has to offer, you can visit their website here:

https://www.stemchef.com

For more information watch Dr. Bhandiwad’s TEDxSanFrancisco presentation, “Teaching Science Through Cooking to Kids”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G3Ml2MRu5Y

Dec 22, 202016:05
Full STEAM Ahead!

Full STEAM Ahead!

It’s full STEAM Ahead for Season Two!

KidsQuest is powered by STEAM learning. Our exhibits, classes and home learning activities are all designed to engage kids in Science, technology, engineering, art and math through play. Opportunities for STEAM learning are all around us. I’ll be introducing you to individuals and organizations who are doing some incredible work to shift the perception that science and math can only be found in the classroom or in a lab, or that it can only be done by someone in a white lab coat. Regardless of your age, your gender, your experience level, STEAM learning is for you!

In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Dana Winters, the Faculty Director at the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media. Their mission is guided by Fred’s core belief that the foundation of every child’s healthy development is the power of human connection. We don’t need fancy gadgets or any special training to encourage and participate in science-based play. The key is to create an environment of inquiry-based thinking that celebrates a child’s natural wonder and discovery. Let’s recognize the STEM and STEAM learning potential in everyday moments happening all around us!

If you’d like to learn more about the Fred Rogers Center and the Simple Interactions Initiative Dr. Winters discusses in the episode, check out their website here: https://www.fredrogerscenter.org

Did you know that KidsQuest has a great series of STEAM-based learning videos on our YouTube Channel? I’ll share one of my favorites at the end of episode. Here’s a link to our YouTube channel if you want to check out the rest: https://www.youtube.com/user/KidsQuestCM

Dec 04, 202017:18
We're All In This Together!

We're All In This Together!

In this episode we’ll hear from three local community leaders about their experiences responding to the COVID-19 crisis.  Bellevue School District Superintendent Ivan Duran shares what it was like facing so many unknowns when the school district went remote in March and the new systems the district has developed to make sure all kids have access to education from home.

Tina Vincent, District Director of Youth and Family Programs with the YMCA of Greater Seattle, and Nicole Jackson, Director of Program Operations at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue share how their teams leapt into action. Within days of the school closures their teams had developed programs ensuring families had childcare, and kids of working parents had support in online learning. These organizations rely on each other and other community partnerships to continue providing services. Nobody can do this work alone! We are all in this together.

KidsQuest is a proud partner of the Bellevue School District, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue and, The YMCA of Greater Seattle. We have also been working around the clock to continue providing our awesome programs to families at home in creative new ways.

We are so proud to have this incredible group of guests on the podcast. The work they have done for kids and families during these challenging times is truly lifesaving! If you’d like to learn more about any of the programs you hear about on the episode today, I encourage you to check out their websites below:

https://bsd405.org/

https://www.seattleymca.org/

http://www.bgcbellevue.org/

Oct 16, 202013:24
Meet the KidsQuest Educators!
Sep 30, 202015:32
Creating Collective Impact
Sep 15, 202014:11
Celebrate Diverse Books!

Celebrate Diverse Books!

KidsQuest wants a future in which all kids can see themselves reflected in the pages of their books. In this episode of the Love of Learning podcast we’ll introduce you to We Need Diverse Books, an awesome grassroots organization advocating for change in the children’s book publishing industry. Let’s produce and promote literature that reflects and honors all young people! Project Director, Caroline Tung Richmond recommends WNDB’s free online app called OurStory. They aim to help families and educators easily find books with diverse content and by content creators from marginalized communities. Link to the OurStory App below!

Our local King Country children’s librarian, Robin Howe catches us up on all the new, innovative digital programs KCLS has been working on this summer. They’re doing incredible work to make sure everyone in our community has access to all the reading and educational materials they need to succeed. Visit their K-12 Education, Caregiver, and Student Support page and you’ll find great ebook recommendations supporting conversations about race and social justice.

Copy this link to check out the MyStory App on the We Need Diverse Book’s Website:

https://bit.ly/2Ge7bUb

Copy this link to check out the KCLS K-12 Educator, Parent and Caregiver Support Page:

https://bit.ly/32AIQiO

Copy this link to check out the KCLS story time companion tool, Tell Me A Story:

https://bit.ly/2GdWe4Y

Rudine Sims Bishop, The Ohio State University. “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” originally appeared in Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom. Vo. 6, no. 3 Summer 1990.

Audio Postcard From KidsQuest To You!

Invite your kids to listen in on this fun, participatory segment.  Each episode we’ll hear a surprise message from someone in our community. Who will it be this week?

KidsQuest would love to receive an audio postcard from your family! Here’s how you and your kids can send one to us:

Use the audio memo app on your cell phone to record a short message to KidsQuest. Hold the phone about four inches away from the speaker’s mouth, with the front of the phone facing the ceiling, as if they were talking on speaker phone. You can use your name or name or keep it anonymous.

What is a message you’d like to share with KidsQuest? Do you miss playing there while the building is closed? What is a happy memory you have from a time you visited? Remember: postcards are short and sweet so keep the recordings to one minute or less.  Submissions will be shared on the next episode!

Email your recordings to host, Allie Cheroutes at allie@kidsquestmuseum.org

Aug 31, 202015:29
Connecting Through Compassion

Connecting Through Compassion

In this episode we’ll hear from three early learning professionals about supporting our kids in their social emotional development.

Nick Terrones and Mike Brown from Hilltop Children’s Center in Seattle point out that it’s not just about the kids. As adults we should be challenging ourselves to examine our own lifelong learning process. They produce their own incredible podcast called Napcast. Check out Hilltop’s website for more information on the Reggio Emelia approach discussed at the beginning of the episode. They also have a great blog post about of social emotional learning (SEL) activities for families to do together.

Ray Soriano, MSW, is an early childhood and school-age trainer, parent educator, program consultant, college instructor, teaching musician, and drumming event facilitator. A relentless advocate for children, Ray draws from 30 years of service to children and families. He joins us in this episode to talk about fostering compassion within each other. He performs a song for us called, “We’ve Been Waiting for You originally by Bev Bos, Tom Hunter and Michael Leeman.

Audio Postcard From KidsQuest to You!

Invite your kids to listen in on this fun, participatory segment.  Each episode we’ll hear a surprise message from someone in our community. Who will it be this week?

KidsQuest would love to receive an audio postcard from your family! Here’s how you and your kids can send one to us:

Use the audio memo app on your cell phone to record a short message to KidsQuest. Hold the phone about four inches away from the speaker’s mouth, with the front of the phone facing the ceiling, as if they were talking on speaker phone. You can use your name or name or keep it anonymous.

What is a message you’d like to share with KidsQuest? Do you miss playing there while the building is closed? What is a happy memory you have from a time you visited? Remember: postcards are short and sweet so keep the recordings to one minute or less.  Submissions will be shared on the next episode!

Email your recordings to host, Allie Cheroutes at allie@kidsquestmuseum.org

Links from the episode:

Copy this link to check out Napcast: https://bit.ly/3fxDhGf 

Copy this link to check out HIlltop's SEL blog post: https://bit.ly/2PyV5WR

Copy this link to visit Ray Soriano's website: https://bit.ly/3frSxEE

Copy this link to purchase the KidsQuest Summer Activity Book: https://bit.ly/32cBUtx

Aug 05, 202014:36
Let's Talk About Play!

Let's Talk About Play!

KidsQuest’s Director of Education, Jamie Bonnett discusses the intentional design behind the museum’s galleries. Each exhibit was built for multidimensional play, taking into account a wide range of ages, abilities and engagement levels. Jamie and her team have created a series of educator-led videos that bring some of our favorite programming right to your dining room table.

Autumn Young, Director of Community Engagement at Imagination Playground talks with us about their blue block mobile playscapes (a KidsQuest favorite!) and the value of focusing on process rather than outcome while engaging in play. She gives some great tips for families and educators to help us encourage child-directed play through our language and actions.

  • Check out Imagination Playground’s Learning Library to read more about loose parts play.
  • Autumn invites you to join their Facebook group, Imagine That! for more conversation about child-directed play and other resources from their world-wide community of educators and parents.


Audio Postcard From KidsQuest to You!

Invite your kids to listen in on this fun, participatory segment.  Each episode we’ll hear a surprise message from someone in our community. Who will it be this week?

KidsQuest would love to receive an audio postcard from your family! Here’s how you and your kids can send one to us:

Use the audio memo app on your cell phone to record a short message to KidsQuest. Hold the phone about four inches away from the speaker’s mouth, with the front of the phone facing the ceiling, as if they were talking on speaker phone. You can use your name or name or keep it anonymous.

What is a message you’d like to share with KidsQuest? Do you miss playing there while the building is closed? What is a happy memory you have from a time you visited? Remember: postcards are short and sweet so keep the recordings to one minute or less.  Submissions will be shared on the next episode!

Email your recordings to host, Allie Cheroutes at allie@kidsquestmuseum.org

Links from the episode: 

KidsQuest Children's Museum HomeQuest videos: https://bit.ly/32bRJkk

KidsQuest Children's Museum Remote Learning kits: https://bit.ly/32cBUtx

Imagination Playground Learning Library: https://bit.ly/2DDX5dY

Jul 06, 202016:33
Introducing the Love of Learning Podcast

Introducing the Love of Learning Podcast

KidsQuest Children's Museum is excited to announce that we're launching our own podcast! Each episode features interviews with educators and community partners who share great resources and tips to keep families connected through the power of play. Keep an eye out for the first episode coming soon!

Jun 18, 202000:45