Highlighting the importance of play and learning at the Strong National Museum of Play

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Meteorologist Liam Healy had the chance to explore some of his inner kid, and delve into the science behind play and learning during a visit to the Strong National Museum of Play’s “Play Lab”.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Liam Healy: Hi everyone, I’m here at the Strong Museum today and their play lab with Corrina Mullins. She’s one of the public program coordinators here and she’s been doing a lot of really great activities here. So tell us a little bit about what you’ve been doing this month with the kids.

Corrina Mullins: Yeah, so in our play lab we have a theme that encompasses every month. So this month our theme is wind power and then every week we kind of have a different activity within that theme to really explore it a little bit deeper.

Liam Healy: So what are some of the education goals that you’re trying to get out of working with these windmills and showing kids how wind power works?

Corrina Mullins: Yeah, so the Play Lab is our maker space. And it’s meant to be a space where kids can really explore their creative side as well as maybe those engineering and math sides and so with the wind power, we’re kind of encouraging our kids to really explore what that might look like.

Liam Healy: Do you tend to focus on more STEAM-based activities like science, technology, arts, and math or is it just kind of anything that comes to mind that you think is going to be constructive?

Corrina Mullins: We want to make sure that this space is super hands-on and super immersive. We try to keep that STEAM mindset so that we’re also learning in this space. We did a simple machines month, things like that. But we also want to make sure that the kids feel comfortable to explore however they want to. So even if they go outside of the theme and grab some of our miscellaneous materials or manipulatives, there’s always that learning part that comes with just using your hands and creating something that’s physical and in space.

Liam Healy: I’ve always been someone who learned best with my hands and getting to do hands-on activities. So is this something you hope to see more of and outside of even just here in the future?

Corrina Mullins: Oh yeah, I absolutely think that the the best way for kids to learn things is to be able to get a chance to do it themselves and see what that looks like because like with the pinwheels, I can tell them that the loop catches the wind as much as I want, but it’s going to stick in their heads more when they do it they see it they get to create that whole process.

Liam Healy: Thank you Karina for taking some time with me today here at the play lab building pinwheels and learning a little bit more about some of the best ways to learn a little bit more hands-on and how it could be beneficial for all of us.

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