Families in the greater Toledo area will enjoy a day at the Imagination Station having fun while learning through a University of Toledo program to encourage interest in discovery and science.

The Sci-FUN Community Event will take place 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Imagination Station, 1 Discovery Way, in downtown Toledo. The participants in Saturday’s event are the families of students currently in classrooms with NURTURES teachers. Future events will be open to the public.

Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a number of activities, including a “Water Works Erosion Challenge” to construct a river so that water flows in a specific direction and the “Engineer It! Windmill Blades” activity where families manipulate windmill blades to maximize the number of watts produced.

“Families are encouraged to explore, discuss and think together at our Sci-FUN events through a number of hands-on activities and challenges,” said Deanna Bobak, project director for the NURTURES program. “When children learn and play right alongside their parents and siblings, the entire family walks away with a greater interest and understanding of science.”

NURTURES, which stands for Networking Urban Resources with Teachers and University enRich Early Childhood Science, is a partnership led by the UT Judith Herb College of Education, in collaboration with Toledo Public Schools, area nursery schools and day cares, and science and community organizations.

The program, which is supported with a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation, works to include discovery in early childhood science education by engaging students in preschool through third grade, as well as their parents and teachers.

The five-year project, which began in 2011, includes organizing a number of family learning opportunities such as the Sci-FUN community event with the goal to reach 10,000 families. A large component of the program also is professional development and training for science educators to develop challenging inquiry-based, age-appropriate science instruction to improve interest and achievement in science for students in the greater Toledo area.

For more information visit nurtures.utoledo.edu or contact Lacey Strickler, outreach manager for NURTURES, at 419.344.9568.

Tags: College of Education Health Science and Human Service