Learning opportunities present themselves to us in everything we do — from grocery shopping to getting take-out.
That’s the premise of an arts and culture project created by Expect More Arizona — a statewide nonprofit education advocacy group — which helps families create memorable and educational experiences at arts and cultural venues.
The arts and culture project is an extension of the organization’s “Today” project, which gives families a new activity to do every day, through prompts on Facebook and its website.
Expect More Arizona has partnered with 24 venues across the state — five of them in Tucson — which have each created a “Today I Will” sheet with site-specific activities for families to do together on their visit.
The sheets are free but regular admission charges apply.
“There are so many opportunities to teach the kids, that we don’t even think about,” said Melissa Lempke, the organization’s vice president of marketing and communications.
Not only does the project promote unique ways to learn, but there’s also a chance to win tickets to a participating venue. Families are encouraged to take a picture while completing the activities and upload it to expectmorearizona.org/activities. Two winners will be chosen randomly each month.
The project will run year-round for a minimum of two years. However, taking advantage of these learning opportunities can be especially useful during summer as a way to stave off summer “brain drain,” Lempke said.
“Things like these fun learning activities, we hope, are great tools to keep the kids learning over the summer,” Lempke said.
The activities help bring more families to venues they might not otherwise visit, said Morgan Wells, curator of education for the Tucson Museum of Art and historic block.
“I think a lot of parents stay away from the museum. It can be intimidating,” Wells said. “Especially if you don’t know about art, how are you supposed to teach your kids about it? But this is a way to discuss art with your child.”
Many of the activities have been created to promote literacy, Lempke said.
For example, one of the Tucson Museum of Art’s activities is to find a work of art in the gallery and discuss what you think was happening before the scene and predict what will happen next.
It’s a way for the family to create a story based on the art, Wells said.
Children’s Museum Tucson is participating in the program, too.
“I feel that it’s a great tool for parents — or any caregiver, actually — to interact with their child or grandchild,” said Daniela Siqueiros, the museum’s marketing director.
“It’s helping the parents interact with our space and really learning about their kids and how much they might know, how they learn and how aware they are of their surroundings.
“It gives them a great prompt and a great tool, making the experience of playing and learning approachable.”
Taking advantage of learning opportunities outside of the classroom “helps youth better understand taught concepts, practice skills and even develop new interests,” said Ashley Pedersen, director of education at Tucson Botanical Gardens.
Participating in the project also encourages venues to update prompts, which gives families new things to do and keeps them coming back.
“You go more often when you see something new,” Siqueiros said. “It helps you think about the venue in a new way.”
Other participating venues include the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and the University of Arizona Museum of Art.
