Kids would rather play.
News flash: If you ask a group of kids if they’d rather (a) learn science or (b) play, they’re going to choose play. Everyone knows that playing is good for kids. Ever since psychologist Jean Piaget published his theories about child development in the 1950s, we’ve known that play is essential to brain development, that it builds cognitive and motor skills, and that it helps instill values like sharing and cooperation.
But there’s new evidence to suggest that play doesn’t just help children learn. It’s actually how children learn.
There’s something about kids and science.
Put kids and science together and something magical happens. Just ask Erik Larson, executive director of Lansing’s Impression 5 Science Center. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t witness the sense of wonder, curiosity, excitement, and unbridled joy that children radiate when they’re exposed to hands-on science. “Kids are born as natural scientists,” Larson says. And he should know. A native of the Lansing area, he started going to Impression 5 as a toddler and has worked there in some capacity since age 14. This connection helps explain Larson’s lifelong love of science and his desire to spark that same passion in others.
It turns out there is empirical evidence to back up Larson’s theory about kids as natural scientists. Dr. Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkley and co-author of The Scientist in the Crib, discovered through two decades of research that child’s play bears a remarkable resemblance to the scientific method. According to Gopnik, “infants and very young children have intuitive theories of the world around them,” and they constantly “use data to formulate and test hypotheses and theories in much the same way that scientists do.” Gopnik and her team learned all this by watching children play.
Their findings have important implications for education policy: Instead of listening to lectures, memorizing facts, and taking tests, students should probably be spending a lot more time playing.
Impression 5 Science Center
Impression 5 Science Center – so named because it engages all five senses – was established in 1972 and moved into its current Lansing location (a repurposed lumber mill) in 1982.
At Impression 5, “play”—synonymous with exploration, experimentation, and discovery. —is the main event; learning is serendipity.
Exhibits cover approximately 35,000 square feet of informal learning space, including:
All kinds of groups – youth organizations, church groups, Scouts, senior citizens, adult group homes, preschoolers, homeschoolers, and school kids — visit Impression 5 by the busload.
It’s one of Michigan’s most popular field trip destinations for school groups. Kids love Impression 5 because it’s fun. Teachers love it because (a) it’s fun, (b) the exhibits and workshops align with Michigan curriculum standards for science, and (c) the staff specializes in customizing school visits to complement whatever science topic is being covered in class. A field trip usually lasts around two and half hours and typically combines “free play” at the exhibits with a pre-arranged interactive workshop on a topic like biospheres, circuits, force and motion, light, magnets, static electricity, or polymers (i.e., slime). There’s even space for students to eat a brown bag lunch.
Students pay the reduced rate of $5.00. Admission for teachers and chaperones is free.
For groups that want to make a day of it, there’s plenty to see and do nearby. Check out the Michigan Capitol Building, Potter Park Zoo, or Michigan State University, and even more ideas here!
For more group trip ideas check out our blog Michigan Group Trip Ideas with Something for Everyone.