August and September 2005 Issue

Contents:

Letter From Lindy - Lessons I have Learned from Children

U.S. Kids Know Food But Not Much Else About Asia

Manga Mania!

Teaming up for Education

The Gallup Organization

Letter From Lindy - Lessons I Have Learned From Children

Cynthia Copeland Lewis captured some of her children’s lessons in a little book entitled “Really important stuff my kids have taught me.” I have a tattered copy that sits on my desk. Here are a few of my favorites:
• You can either keep pedaling, get off the bike or fall over.
•If splashing in mud puddles means you have to wear wet shoes for the rest of the day, sometimes it’s worth it.
•Don’t say “the last one there is a rotten egg” unless you are absolutely sure there’s a slow kid behind you.
•If your feet don’t hit the ground, let them swing.
•Where you’re going is more important than where you stand.
•If you want to make a friend at the beach, start building a really big sand castle.
I’ve spent a few years observing children at play, particularly in children’s museums like this. Here are a few things that children have taught me:
•If an exhibit has a steering wheel, more than one child will want to drive.
•Making the mess is more fun than completing the project.
•If you provide a stage, children become actors.
•Kids like to “play out” what they see adults do.
•Bubbles always entertain and fascinate.
•Kids find the least complicated route to playing in the museum.
• Toddlers never get bored with repeating the same activity over and over again.
•If children cry on their way out, it means they really had a fun time.
What lesson have you learned from your children or grandchildren? Please feel free to email (lhoyer@ocm.org) or call me (930-2342) with your thoughts and I’ll find a way to share them in future issues of Fun Times.
We’re all in this learning curve together, and I, for one, am happy to be here.

Lindy J. Hoyer
Executive Director

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U.S. Kids Know Food But Not Much Else About Asia

Asian Exhibit Initiative Created To Help Close International Knowledge Gap

Egg rolls, sushi, maybe even pad Thai—that's about all most U.S. families know about Asia, according to a recent survey by the Association of Children's Museums (ACM). Omaha Children's Museum's current traveling exhibit Five Friends from Japan is part of a larger effort to expand children's palates about Japan and Asia as a whole.

To whet children's appetite for Asian culture, the Freeman Foundation invested a $7 million grant to fund the Asian Exhibit Initiative. It offers seven, food-for-thought museum adventures that allow children and families to Go East and sample such delicacies as Korean music, Vietnamese folktales, Chinese legendary heroes, Japanese animation, and more. Included in the initiative is Five Friends from Japan, sponsored locally by Children's Hospital and the Rainbow Connectors Guild. Administered by ACM and produced by nine of its museum members, the seven exhibits promise to get kids asking for more.

"In a highly interconnected world, the international knowledge gap among the youngest generation is particularly troubling. The Freeman Foundation Asian Exhibit Initiative prepares children for the multicultural world in which they will live, work and play," said Janet Rice Elman, executive director of the Association of Children's Museums.

By the time the Asian Exhibit Initiative has completed its run in 2008, the exhibits will have visited 79 children's museums around the country.
"The Freeman Foundation believes that children's museums best convey cultural information to children by providing hands-on exhibits and programs that stimulate curiosity and motivate learning," said the Foundation's Chairman, Houghton Freeman.

The Freeman Foundation is a private grant-making foundation chaired by Houghton Freeman. The mission of the Freeman Foundation is to strengthen understanding between Asia and the United States.
ACM is a professional service organization for children's museums around the world.

In the 2004 survey by the Association of Children's Museums, among other questions, families were asked,"Which one or two of the following areas of Asian Culture, if any, do you and your immediate family know the most about? Examples of Asian countries are China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam."

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Manga Mania!

Japanese comics have universal appeal, even among the Five Friends from Japan

Sakiko, one of the Five Friends from Japan, just loves manga (Japanese comics). Visitors to her room can see manga that Sakiko has created and can try drawing their own, too.

Manga is hugely popular in Japan, and not just among children. Adults read manga, too. While it may be hard to imagine, it is not unusual to see businessmen reading manga on the subway the same way one can see them reading the "Wall Street Journal."

Lots of manga comes out weekly. The most popular manga magazine in Japan is "Weekly Shonen Jump," which sells over 3.5 million copies every week, to ages ranging from elementary school students to adults–in a country with half the population of the U.S.

Manga magazines usually have many series running concurrently with approximately 30–40 pages for each series per issue. These manga magazines, or "anthology magazines," as they are also known, are usually printed on low-quality newsprint and can be anywhere from 200 to more than 850 pages long.

While it has some roots in old cartoons by Disney and Max Fleischer (think Betty Boop and Felix the Cat), manga has a look of its own. Very big eyes, small noses and chins and hair that defies gravity set the typical manga character apart from an American comic hero. Manga often includes cute animal characters, such as Doraemon (who could be the equivalent of Micky Mouse except that he's from the 22nd century and carries futuristic gadgets in an oversized pocket on his stomach).

Americans first met manga heroes through anime, the Japanese animation style that sprang from manga. That's how people in the U.S. know Speedracer, Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh. Today, though, more Americans are also reading manga, even here in Omaha. While comic book speciality shops like Dragon's Lair carry many titles (even some untranslated), manga has also made its way into general interest book stores. In fact, the manga section of the Borders at 72nd and Dodge is three times larger than the shelf space for American comics.

So, what makes Manga so popular today?

"Lots of things," says Russ Harper, a local cartoonist. "Manga's style transcends cultural boundaries. It has been given enough space to grow and develop on its own as a serious art form. As a result, today we have all kinds of Manga—shojo manga for girls and even manga for housewives and plumbers."

Interested readers can learn more about manga online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga, or at one of the local bookstores carrying manga, including Dragon's Lair and Borders (at 72nd and Dodge). They can also learn more from Russ Harper at his manga workshop at the museum, Aug. 12 and Sept. 17. Registration is $3 per child and is required.

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Teaming up for Education

Wells Fargo and Omaha Children's Museum collaborated to give kids fun - filled days of Learning through Camp Invention

On July 15, 2005 at Omaha Children's Museum, Wells Fargo was honored for their $5,000 grant that provided scholarships for Camp Invention. The scholarships were made available to 12 Conestoga Elementary School students and 12 other camp participants. The students who received the scholarships were also recognized at this event.

"We are proud to be able to provide students from Conestoga Magnet Center, a Wells Fargo Adopt-A-School partner, the opportunity to attend this exciting, fun-packed experience," said Dave Kramer, president for Wells Fargo in Omaha, "By creating an environment where learning is fun, Omaha Children's Museum is expanding students' curiosity about science. We are honored to partner with OCM on this project."
The participants attended OCM's Create Camp program from July 11 – 15, a science-oriented week long camp.

Lindy Hoyer, executive director of OCM, said, "Thanks to Wells Fargo, we were able to welcome campers interested in our program."

Camp Invention's Create Camp was developed by educators for grades 2 – 6. Camp Invention, created in 1990 by the National Inventors Hall of Fame and US Patent and Trademark Office, is a nationally-recognized summer day camp which integrates science, math, history and the
arts. The goal of Camp Invention is to enhance the student's overall learning and understanding.

Each one-week program encourages creative thinking through problem solving, teamwork and science literacy. Children learn through discovery of subjects with hands-on experiences.

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August Sponsor of the Month

Famous for its Gallup Poll, The Gallup Organization is a worldwide consulting company that provides professional services to many Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, and educational districts. The Gallup Organization helps companies and organizations grow and profit by identifying talents, teaching about strengths, helping managers engage their employees, and helping companies engage their customers.

Industry experts, executives, and world leaders receive consulting from Gallup in a variety of ways, ranging from online assessments and a line of best selling books to courses taught at Gallup University campuses around the world.

The Gallup Organization opened its Gallup Riverfront Campus in Omaha on August 18, 2003. Among many other things, the facility features the state-of-the-art 19,000 square-foot Donald O. Clifton Child Development Center, a childcare and preschool facility for the children of Gallup associates.

The Gallup Organization dedicates immense resources to worthwhile events and groups locally, nationally, and internationally. Gallup's overarching philanthropic goal is to support research, education, leadership, and youth. Omaha Children's Museum embodies all four of those principles.

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