Texas may not be polar bear country, but that doesn’t stop kids from flocking to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History—in their pajamas—for polar science fun. On Saturday mornings and pre-holiday dates this December, children and families at the museum’s popular Polar Pajama Parties can get their hands on hot cups of cocoa and cool (even freezing) polar-themed science activities, before going to see “The Polar Express: The IMAX Experience” in the museum’s Omni Theater.
To find ideas for quick, “wintry” activities for young pajama-clad patrons, Anne Herndon, Director of School and Group Programs, searched howtosmile.org by content terms like polar, snow and blubber, and by Advanced Search filters for age range and time required. Among the activities she turned up, with potential for her Pajama Party target audience, were Arctic Story Puzzles and How Animals Stay Warm.
“SMILE is one of my top go-to sites for great activities all year round,” says Herndon. “When I lead professional development workshops, I encourage educators to use SMILE instead of just a Google search, to quickly find activities that fit their specific needs including their budget.”
Future polar scientists in pajamas aren’t Herndon’s only audience with specific needs. She is part of the “PUBlic Knowledge” team creating events for grownups, which feature guest speakers and more complex science activities, and are held at actual pubs. To plan a future adult program about the science of chocolate, Herndon tried a different kind of howtosmile.org search by exploring the SMILE blog. There she discovered a recent post about the Field Museum’s online Chocolate exhibit and scrumptious, chocolaty SMILE activities, like Molecular Gastronomy: Use Self-Assembly to Make A Dessert Topping and Layered Liquids: Chemistry You Can Drink (no polar bears required).