On Tuesday, June 3, Brigham Young University’s Museum of Peoples and Cultures will begin its program ‘Mornings @ the Museum’ providing families in the community with fun summer activities.
The program is designed for children ages 3-12, accompanied by an adult, who are invited to the MPC for an hour of cultural presentations, stories and hands-on, take-home activities. Because interaction with the museum’s educational exhibits is encouraged during each session, specific topics have been chosen to highlight the museum’s current exhibits, “Touching the Past: Traditions of Casas Grandes “and “Kachinas of the Southwest: Dances, Dolls, and Rain.” Reservations are required before attending any given session.
Due to the program’s high demand last summer, the program will now be offered twice a week Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. running through Aug. 7.
The program is free of charge, but space is limited. For a full schedule visit the education page at mpc.byu.edu and call (801) 422-0022 for reservations.
"Parents are always looking for fun cultural and educational opportunities for their kids during the summer," said Kari Nelson, curator of education at the MPC. “’Mornings @ the Museum’ is a great way to teach children about peoples and cultures in a unique, hands-on setting.”
Three to four themes will be presented on a rotating basis each week during the summer months. This summer’s planned topics include pottery, kachinas and archaeology. Special edition topics, including a dance program, will be offered occasionally as well. Each session will focus on one theme and will include presentations (accompanied by exhibit objects and other visual aids), stories, music and a craft that relates to the specific topic.
“At each session, the kids will be creating a craft with their own hands which makes it easier for them to understand and appreciate a culture,” said Jordan Chamberlain, an education intern at the museum. “The crafts are something that they can take home to show others what they’ve learned about at ‘Mornings @ the Museum.’”
“’Mornings @ the Museum’ will expose children to different peoples and cultures and increases their awareness of what we all have in common,” Nelson said. “For this program we chose to focus more on our similarities so children are able to see just how much our cultures share with each other.”
Writer: Erika Riggs
