LICM Opens New Exhibit
Building Boom with KEVA® planks – New exhibit invites children to use their imagination to design and build structures
(Garden City, NY) As video games become more realistic and movies improve their special effects the need for children to provide their imagination is slowly disappearing. Building Boom with KEVA® planks, the new exhibit opening at the Long Island Children’s Museum, is working to solve this problem. The exhibit which is sponsored by Astoria Federal Savings will open on September 21.
KEVA® planks are a construction system in which participants use gravity” to build structures using precision-cut 4½-inch wood planks that become surprisingly stable when stacked together. The planks encourage children to use their imagination which is a critical aspect of creative problem solving and abstract thinking. Children can conceive then build the design project of their dreams while developing an understanding of principals of balance, proportion and geometry. Fifty structures are also on display in the exhibit to inspire young and old alike as they work together or independently to build their creations.
“We chose this exhibit because exploration with simple blocks builds an intuitive understanding of mathematics and physics. Children learn balance, geometry, and even collaboration while they play.” comments Erik Schurink, LICM Director of Exhibits. “Children learn by playing, and it is known that playing with blocks builds mathematical understanding and creative thinking.”
Since 2008 Astoria Federal Savings has supported nine exhibits covering a range of themes and experiences from cultural exploration to science inquiry. Exhibits have included: Kangaroo Crossing; Global Shoes; The Big Adventure; Monkey King: A Story from China; Night Journeys: An Adventure into the World of Sleep and Dreams; Toys: The Inside Story; Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body; Dragons Fairies: Exploring Viet Nam Through Folktales and most recently Framed: Step into Art™.
The exhibit will run through January 6 and is free with museum admission. Special workshops will be presented during the exhibit’s three-month stay at the Children’s Museum to provide enhanced educational experiences. The schedule includes:
Construction Junction
Saturday, September 22 and October 20 from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Friday, November 23 and Sunday, November 25 from 1-3 p.m.
Did you know that you can build with just about anything? Come help us construct bridges, towers, houses and more with an assortment of colorful recycled cardboard. With enough engineers, we can even build an entire city!
All ages. Free with museum admission.
Build-It!
Sunday, October 14 at 3 p.m.
How do architects design buildings? What makes a structure stable? Discover the answers to these questions as you explore the scientific principles and physical forces behind structures such as bridges, towers and geodesic domes. Learn why the Leaning Tower of Pisa got its name and how gravity affects the building process through a series of demonstrations. Apply building design concepts to construct a freestanding structure out of modeling clay and toothpicks.
Ages: 5 and up. Fee: $3 with museum admission ($2 LICM members)
The Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) is a learning laboratory where hands-on exhibits invite visitors to experiment, examine and play. Through lively interdisciplinary activities, children and adults can share in the excitement of the learning process as they explore the world in which we live. The museum is designed for infants through 12 and their grownups. LICM is a not-for-profit institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. For more information, visit http://www.licm.org/.
