Stepping Stones Museum for Children Celebrates Winning Four Awards
Norwalk, CT (PRWEB) July 14, 2014 -- Stepping Stones Museum for Children is pleased to announce the museum has recently won four awards, thanks to the dedication and talent of an amazing staff.
The Excellence Award from the Connecticut Art Directors Club for the museum's "Express Yourself" exhibit goes to Exhibits Team members Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill, Leigh Ryan, Brian Morrissey, Khalaf Jerry, Andy White and Kim Kuta Dring. Dring also earned a Community Service Award from the Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Parents. Kathy Labieniec, the in-house graphic designer, won a 2014 Ad Club CT Award for the museum's 2014 Kaleidoscope Ball gala invitation design.
The museum's newest exhibit, “Express Yourself,” was created by Stepping Stones Museum for Children as a part of its "Healthy Children, Healthy Communities" initiative. The exhibit helps children and parents learn more about the importance of expressing emotions in a healthy way. Dring, the museum's director of community teaching and learning, appeared with Fairfield University Associate Professor Dr. Gill Lopez on "Good Morning Connecticut," WTNH-TV to talk about social, emotional well-being. You can watch the informative interview on YouTube.
During the interview, Dr. Lopez shared tips for parents to encourage social emotional learning:
• Be a good listener
• Parents should model the behavior they’d like to see in their child
• Praise children and nurture their self-esteem
• Focus on the child's strengths
• Help the child take another's perspective
• Teach the child to problem solve
Stepping Stones Museum for Children also received the MetLife Foundation and Association of Children's Museums Replication Award to develop a toolkit for museums interested in developing an Around the World program. The ability to know, understand and relate to people from other cultures and with different points of view are essential skills that build toward global competency.
Stepping Stones Museum for Children introduced the Around the World program in 2009. The goal was to enable children, their families and their caregivers to experience different cultures and visit faraway places without ever leaving Norwalk. Each month, Stepping Stones Museum for Children introduces visitors to 12 different parts of the globe and highlights the various cultures and people that inhabit the world.
Around the World is an ever-evolving, multilayered project that provides a “menu” of programs to create a comprehensive Around the World series. Museums can implement the programs they are most comfortable with. Stepping Stones’ featured programs include:
• Performance Series
• Theater Productions with Limited Runs
• Creative Kids: Hands-On Arts
• Books, Music and Object-Based Learning
• Vacation Week
• Passport: World Traveler Program
• Travel Guide Display
• Travel Film
• Media Connections/Teleconferencing
At Stepping Stones, play is serious business. Their learning framework is a strong set of foundational ideas that guides the planning of all of the museum’s experiences — exhibits, programs, promotional events and partnerships.
About the museum:
Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, CT, is an award-winning, private, non-profit 501(c)(3) children’s museum committed to broadening and enriching the lives of children and families. Located on five acres in Mathews Park, the LEED Gold certified museum encompasses five hands-on galleries, a state-of-the-art Multimedia Gallery, Family and Teacher Resource Center, cafe and retail store.
Stepping Stones is located at 303 West Ave., exit 14N or 15S off I-95 in Norwalk. Museum hours are from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday from Labor Day through Memorial Day, and Monday through Sunday from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Admission is $15 for adults and children and $10 for seniors. Children under 1 are free. To learn more, call 203-899-0606 or visit http://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.
Linda Kwong, Stepping Stones Museum for Children, http://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/, 203-899-0606 Ext: 283, [email protected]
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