Rotary File - March 26, 2013
President Pam Ehly introduced the theme of our meeting as the power of play and the influence of play on literacy. It has been found that children’s literacy is encouraged by the provision of enriched environments. She also explained the meaning of a term that was unfamiliar to many of us: “literacy objects” are anything with print J
Jack Cameron introduced our guest: Annetta, our Norwegian Rotary exchange student. Annetta remarked that she was happy because she had just returned from visiting with her family from Norway in the Key West, Florida area.
Makeups included: Liz Loeb, Nancy Pacha, Mike Messier, and Vernetta and Chris Knapp.
Announcements:
The monthly board meeting will be held on Thursday, March 28.
Regarding the silent auction for the District Meeting, items to be sold at auction are needed. Let Pam Ehly know.
Casey announced that the next Can Do meeting will be at 7:30 in the morning at Brueggers.
Mike Messier suggested that members participate in Meals on Wheels.
Mark Patton reminded the club that the Month Opener will be at Donnelly’s on Monday, April 1. He also informed us that on April Fool’s Day, there is no truth in the Iowa State daily newspaper! For example, one year, the paper reported that Iowa was to be named the pineapple capital of the world, and a few days later, representatives from Dole Pineapple showed up in town!
Happy Bucks Donations and Why:
Jack Cameron, for the tragic loss of the ISU basketball game; Casey Cook, for U of I women’s basketball team and for tonight’s game, and $61 for Casey’s birthday; Liz Nichols, $20 for her birthday (today!), for youth exchange application from a young lady from Italy (Liz also requested that the club members try to help locate a host family for next year); Peggy Doerge, for the beauty of Sunday’s snow; Connie Pestotnik, for dinner with a friend with whom Connie used to have marathons sewing costumes for shows; Ron Logsdon, for the safe return of the kids from Xicotepec; Pam Ehly, for great meals at wonderful restaurants in Chicago; and Frank Juvan, for a wonderful visit in Naples, Florida.
The Iowa Children’s Museum: The Power of Play:
Pam introduced Deb Dunkhase and Jill Frantz who presented on the Iowa Children’s Museum at the Coral Ridge Mall and the “Power of Play.” Deb, a fellow ICAM Rotarian, is director of the museum and Jill is the development coordinator. Visitors to the museum find that it is full of creativity, a love of learning, problem solving, innovation, and play. The museum is a place of service to serve children and their families.
Some aims of the Iowa Children’s Museum include: to prepare children for school and for life; to build family and memories; and to have fun while learning.
The Iowa Children’s Museum has continued growing since it opened. It has had 1.75 million visitors. In 2012 it had 160,000 visitors. On one “free” day when there was no admission charge, the museum had1900 visitors.
The museum has a $1.3 million annual budget of which 55% is earned income and 45% is contributed income. The aim is to maintain the museum’s existence over time.
A family can purchase an annual family membership for $100 per year. Currently 800 families are enrolled. Sponsors provide free memberships based on need. The ICM Student Enrichment Scholarship Fund helps schools bring kids to the museum on field trips.
Children’s Museum: Some Upcoming Activities:
The American Girl Fashion Show, a fundraiser, will be held Friday, April 5th and 6th at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. 135 girls, each carrying her American Girl doll, will be the models and 750 people will be in attendance. 23 girls who have been recommended by their principals will receive a scholarship to the event, be a guest model, receive a doll, and bring all the guests they want.
Celebration of the Young Child, Saturday, April 13, 2013: a legislative breakfast workshop on early childhood issues. Dan Wardell of IPTV, and a superhero to the preschool set will be there.
In a renovation beginning Friday, April 5, the City Grocery Exhibit (with a farmers’ market) will have some transformation. This is a kid-sized grocery store where children have fun while they experience some of the classifying and sorting that needs to be done by the shopper. Many “foods” are packaged with bilingual (English-Spanish) labels describing the place of origin. There is a checkout counter with conveyor belt, a cash register and a payment keypad. The children use the keypad to select the denominations of cash they would use to pay for their groceries.
Deb’s involvement with the museum began in 1999 when her husband offered her to Dr. Skogstad to be the director of education, and this has evolved to Deb becoming the museum’s executive director. In 1997, Deb was awarded a National Science Foundation grant at the University of Iowa.
Come and Play Golf with Jill will be held Friday, June 28 at Finkbine Golf Course to help support the Children’s Museum. This fundraiser is in need of sponsors.
Notion to Motion is an exhibit about vehicles and transportation that correlates the cars on the track and making peace on the road of life.
Childrens’ Museum: Some Comments from Club Members:
Jim Swaim praised the museum because it is accessible to all children in the area and it is really here to serve all children in the area.
Nan Mercier shared her appreciation the fact that the museum has exhibits appropriate for all ages of children. Some examples include: upstairs is a preschool suite, 12 year olds play in the train room right along with little kids, and Take Flight” is for 8 – 12 year olds.
Some Options at the Museum:
The museum is available for group meetings, birthday parties, and for overnight camps.
Volunteer Opportunity at the Museum:
Volunteers are needed to run the grocery store. Anyone interested can e-mail Deb Dunkhase.
A Word to the Wise:
“With a playful attitude you can take something and do anything with it.”
Respectfullly submitted: Joan Garrity, Interim note taker