The Wonder Years:
Understanding Early Childhood Development
This project is a collaboration between the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM), CEED, and Public Agenda, a nonpartisan civic engagement organization.
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Wonder
Years
Forum
Series -
Final
Lecture
on June
7, 2012 Play Power: How Play Motivates Children's Academic and Social Development Featuring Kathy Hirsh-Pasek Also attend a reception before the lecture for celebrating the 20th anniversary of University of Minnesota Extension Children, Youth and Family Consortium (CYFC) Read more on the CYFC website Registration is now closed--the lecture is filled to capacity. However, video from the lecture will be made available on collaborating organizations' websites (including CEED) soon after the event. |
Through programs, an exhibition, and research, this project engages museum visitors, policymakers, and caregivers in deliberations around the latest, and often misunderstood, early childhood development research. It also builds on an increased understanding of the importance of early childhood development to expand civic engagement around this urgent social issue. The project creates dynamic links between current research on early childhood development and the audiences of museum visitors, policymakers, and caregivers to help them become more informed supporters of our youngest citizens.
CEED's contribution to this project is to:
- provide up-to-date research findings about early development for exhibit development and visitor experiences,
- assist with exhibit programming that targets policymakers, and
- research how the exhibit and programming impact policymakers and others.
Wonder Years Exhibit at the Science Museum
The Wonder Years permanent exhibit invites you to see the world through the eyes of the child you once were. Why are experiences an important part of development? What do children learn before kindergarten? Explore how young children learn from the world around them and how scientists learn about children's development. Bring your family and friends--Wonder Years is included with museum admission.
- Wonder Years Exhibit Awarded Distinguished Service Award, February 2012
Participate in Wonder Years Conversations
Wonder Years Public Forum
Public Forums bring experts and community members together for public presentations and conversation. Speakers and panelists discuss scientific findings and their implications for families and communities.
Citizen Conferences
A diverse mix of parents, community members, state and local policymakers, early childhood advocates and interested citizens gather for half-day working sessions to discuss what society's responsibility is to children ages 0-5. The Conferences are carefully designed to ensure voices from across the community are heard.
Visit the Wonder Years website at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Related Resources
- Article: Opening Minds to the "Wonder Years." Monitor on Psychology, May 2011, American Psychological Association.
Improving How Science Informs Policy: Understanding the
Learning Context and Existing Knowledge of Policy-Learners.
A panel presentation to the Conference on Research
Innovations in Early Intervention (CRIEI) by Karen Cadigan.
San Diego, CA, February 25-27, 2010. On behalf of the Wonder
Years project.-
Using Dialogue to Bridge the Research to Policy Gap: Mr.
Smith Goes to Preschool. A panel presentation to the
Conference on Research Innovations in Early Intervention
(CRIEI) by Lesley Craig-Unkefer, Karen Cadigan, John
Hottinger, Scott McConnell, and Nora Slawick. San Diego, CA,
February 25-27, 2010.
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Why Superintendents and Early Childhood Education? Part
of a panel presentation to the Conference on Research
Innovations in Early Intervention (CRIEI) by Carolyn Cherry
(Karen Cadigan, Lesley Craig-Unkefer), San Diego, CA,
February 25-27, 2010.
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Examining the Role of Museums and Libraries in Strengthening
Communities (9 pages), Testimony of Dr. Eric.
J. Jolly, President, Science Museum of Minnesota, before the
House Committee of Education and Labor at the Subcommittee
on Healthy Families and Communities, September 11, 2008.
- Wonder Years newsletter
University Project Staff
Laurel Bidwell, Research Assistant
Karen Cadigan, Co-Principal Investigator
Senator John Hottinger, Project Consultant
Molly Illes, Research Assistant
Sara Langworthy, Graduate Student Intern
Chuck Slocum, Project Consultant
Kathleen Thomas, University Faculty