Outdoor Play and Activity are Key Components at Award-Winning Children’s Museums

To: STATE EDITORS

Contact: Maureen P. Mangan of Long Island Children's Museum, +1-516-224-5828

- Long Island Childrens Museum Receives 10th Annual MetLife Foundation and Association of Childrens Museums Promising Practice Award 2008 -

WASHINGTON, May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Go outside and play, and dont come in until I call you! These words, so commonly repeated by parents and caregivers to their children decades ago, are spoken seldom these days. And the fallout of less active, outdoor play, its correlation to childhood obesity and adverse developmental behavior has been well-documented by researchers and journalists. Childrens museums, champions of informal learning through play, are making strides in connecting children to the outdoors as well as promoting fitness and healthy eating. In recognition of these promising efforts, MetLife Foundation and Association of Childrens Museums (ACM) presented the 2008 Promising Practice Awards to the Long Island Childrens Museum on Friday, April 25, at ACMs international conference held in Denver. Kidspace Childrens Museum (Pasadena, CA) and The Childrens Museum of Brownsville (TX) also received unrestricted Promising Practices grants.

The outdoor play opportunities that these childrens museums are offering strike a positive emotional chord with kids, said Sibyl Jacobson, President of MetLife Foundation. Research indicates that children playing outdoors are more motivated to interact, to learn and to be active

Informal and free play encounters found inside childrens museums are expanding to green spaces. This is important because outdoor experiences in natural settings reduce stress, produce a general feeling of well-being and encourage healthy, vigorous play in children and adults alike, said Janet Rice Elman, ACM Executive Director.

Long Island Childrens Museum (Garden City, NY) received a $7,500 Promising Practice Award for its Our Backyard exhibit and programming. The museum transformed an unsightly alley adjacent to its doors into an innovative green space, Our Backyard, as a means to extend the museums indoor exhibitions featuring the familiar ecosystems of Long Island to the outdoors. Our Backyard helps children to develop a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world and an interest in observing their surroundings. Exhibit components and outdoor programming teach children about solar heating; birding; the identification and role of insects; the what and how to of composting; as well as a touch, smell and taste garden; weather information stations; and areas for playing with and manipulating dirt, sand and water.

Notable during the prototyping of Our Backyard, the museum learned that some parents didnt encourage outdoor play due to fears of disease, animals or unhealthy sun exposure. Preliminary evaluation indicates that Our Backyard is changing those perceptions that playing in natural environments is less risk-filled and indeed necessary for children. LICM is expanding its outdoor activities further this year with the addition of a water play area, exploring waters properties and the water cycle.

Developing innovative programs that inspire community engagement and deepen our reach and impact is an institutional priority at Long Island Childrens Museum, said Executive Director Suzanne LeBlanc. Earning a Promising Practices Award, which rewards programs and management practices that serve to inspire others in our field, is validation of our efforts. We applaud MetLife Foundations dedication to supporting pioneering activities that establish standards for the museum field.

Also receiving 2008 unrestricted grants were:

    --  Kidspace Childrens Museum received a $7,500 Promising
        Practice Awardfor its 2.2 acre Outdoor Learning
        Environment.

     o The Childrens Museum of Brownsville (TX) received a Promising
       Practice Award for $5,000 for its Circus Extravaganza Fitness
       Program.

The MetLife Foundation and Association of Childrens Museums Promising Practice Award was established in 1999, and provides recognition and inspiration for childrens museums to develop programs that are inclusive, meet community needs, encourage community partnerships and promote lifelong learning. A 10-year commemorative summary of all Promising Practice Award recipients is posted on the ACM Web site, www.ChildrensMuseums.org.

MetLife Foundation was established by MetLife to continue the companys long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. The Foundation supports programs that improve education, promote health, encourage parental involvement and family engagement, help revitalize neighborhoods and stress accessibility and inclusion. The Foundation supports museums across the country because of the important role they play in educating people of all ages and the valuable resources they provide for schools and communities.

ACM is a professional service organization for childrens museums around the world. ACMs mission is to build the capacity of childrens museums to serve as town squares for children and families where play inspires creativity and lifelong learning. There are approximately 350 childrens museums internationally. The museums complement efforts in schools, childcare centers and homes, enriching the lives and education of children. Childrens museums reach more than 30 million annually. Visit www.ChildrensMuseums.org for links to ACMs international list of museums and tips on making the most of the childrens museum experience.

Photo Caption: (l-r) Janet Rice Elman, Executive Director, ACM, Suzanne LeBlanc, Executive Director, LICM, and Rohit Burman, Program Manager, MetLife Foundation

http://www.licm.org/eblast/press/2008%20Promising%20Practices%20Awards%20Presentation.jpg

SOURCE Long Island Children's Museum

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