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NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE |
“FOCUS IN PLAY!”
DUPAGE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
Release date:
March 23, 2007
DCM Contact: Lynne Jele, Marketing & Membership
Phone: (630) 637-8000 ext. 2600
E-MAIL: ljele@dupagechildrensmuseum.org
Playing to Learn is the heart of the topic of a
national conference at DuPage Children's Museum
Recent concern about how our
children learn best has become a hot topic for parents, educators, caregivers
and students of early childhood development.
A number of sometimes competing alternatives about the role of play in
children’s lives have come out of this debate.
FOCUS in PLAY,
a special national conference for museum professionals and educators will be
hosted by DuPage Children's Museum (DCM), in
Keynote
speakers, Drs. Roberta Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, will discuss their
recently published early childhood research compilation called Play=Learning: How Play Motivates and
Enhances Children’s Cognitive and Social-Emotional Growth. They will
also serve as part of an invited panel that will discuss research in play with
the conference participants. Other
panelists will include Dr. Laura E. Berk, Dr. Lorrie Beaumont, Gaye Gronlund
and other university researchers, early childhood educators and experienced
museum professionals who will expand on the keynote presentation and the
implications of current research.
Universal
Design consultants and experienced museum exhibit staff will explore developing
accessible, deeply engaging experiences for everyone, across cultures,
languages, physical abilities and developmental levels.
Participants
in this one-day FOCUS in PLAY
conference will explore how to create productive play experiences. The sessions will begin at 10:30 a.m. and
review the current research base on the impact of play and its implications for
children’s museums, tested models for observation and documentation of visitor
engagement, plus practical ideas for how to make exhibits physically, cognitively
and culturally accessible as possible to serve a broader spectrum of community
needs.
DuPage Children's
Museum is a regional and national leader in importance of play in childhood
development, and serves as the western campus for Erikson Institute. In 1975
there were only about 38 children's museums in the
Please call DCM for further
information.
DUPAGE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM:
DuPage Children’s Museum, a
top-10 Chicagoland cultural attraction, is a not-for-profit organization
celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2007—an imagination celebration
of the importance of play, as envisioned by our founders.
On any given day, about 1000
visitors come through the Big Red Door of DuPage Children’s Museum and engage
in three floors of open-ended activities. It is a playful, fun environment
where children and the important adults in their lives learn and play together
in thoughtfully planned “neighborhoods” designed to promote skill development
in math, science and the arts.
Thank you for all you
do! The Museum depends on over 40% of
its budget through donations and sponsorships. Your support helps make a
difference in the lives of thousands of children!
Location:
Phone: 630-637-8000
Hours*
Monday: 9 am - 1 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 9 am
- 5 pm
Thursday: 9 am - 8 pm
Sunday: 12 - 5 pm
*Call for special seasonal hours.
General Admission: $7.50 per
person, ages one through 59.
$6.50
per person, ages 60 and over.
Admission
is never charged to shop the Explorer Store.
Free Parking. Wheelchair
Accessible. Quick walk from
Annual Memberships: Several types
of memberships and gift memberships are available. Please visit www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org or call 630-637-8000
for more information.
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