Wichita Family April 2015

april 2015

EXPERIENCE SCIENCE AT EXPLORATION PLACE MAKE SURE YOU ARE PREPARED FOR A SEVEREWEATHER EMERGENCY Wichita Family • April 2015 - 1

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News and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools

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Get a hands-on experience with the entire family at Exploration Place Put everything in its place with your perfect state of organization Make sure you are prepared for a severe-weather emergency

Wichita Family • April 2015 - 3

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Todd Vogts

Publisher Todd Vogts publisher@wichitafamily.com

Wichita Family Magazine is published 12 times a year by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. Wichita Family Magazine is available free, at schools, stores, restaurants, libraries, retailers and local attractions, as well as other places families frequent. For a complete list of where to find Wichita Family, or for subscription rates, email us at publisher@wichitafamily.com or visit our website at www.wichitafamily.com.

Copyright 2015 by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Wichita Family Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or contest fulfillment from third parties. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is strictly prohibited. Wichita Family is distributed free of charge. The magazine’s advertisers make this possible, so support them! We reserve the right to edit submitted material. All submissions will be considered for publication, but we reserve the right to refuse material. Materials will not be returned. Any editorial content or advertising published is the property of Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. 4 - www.wichitafamily.com

Message from the Publisher Since I can remember I have spent the Easter holiday with my family on the farm north of Canton.

Initially, Grandma and Grandpa Vogts lived there. Now, Uncle Stacy and Aunt Brenda own it, but the tradition has remained regardless of who lives there.

A meal always takes place, and lots and lots of conversations are had. It is a Vogts function after all.

But the main event is always the hunting.

There is an egg and pop hunt for children through age 10, and this takes place in the front yard around the house.

That is fun to watch, but Todd Vogts it still isn’t the publisher@wichitafamily.com

main event . . . really.

The big show takes place after the youngsters have had their fun. That’s when all the older children, ranging from age 11 and up and including the adults who act like children, who is everyone in attendance basically, head outside for the great pop hunt.

Uncle Stacy hides the cans of pop all over the property, and everyone stampedes out in hopes of being the first person to get their allotted number of sodas.

Sometimes it takes a shovel to fully uncover the hidden gems of soda, and other times it requires tree-climbing skills. Regardless, a fun time is always had by all.

I love spending time with my family, and this type of event is very important to me.

I’ve written before about how I am slightly bothered by the commercialism of other holidays, and that’s the wonderful aspect about this particular celebration. It isn’t about gifts what-

soever. Sure, I won’t say no to a bag of Reese’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs, but I still prefer the fact my family’s Easter celebration is about togetherness.

Easter in particular, much like Thanksgiving, is about being together.

Isn’t the reason for the holiday indicative of this? Didn’t Jesus rise from the grave as a way to bring everyone together?

I believe that to be true, but whether you agree with me or not, keep those you love close on this Easter. Do something with your family.

One option for a family outting would be a visit to Exploration Place.

This month’s feature story goes indepth about everything the hands-on museum has to offer, and as I visited it for the story, I was blown away by all it served up to visitors.

Seriously, go check out the place. It is pretty spectacular.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go enjoy some peanut butter eggs.

Wichita Family • April 2015 - 5

News and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools Earhart students participate in International Polar Bear Day to raise awareness about its habitat. From left, students Gabriel Urista, Kimble Thompson, Gareth Graham, Brianna Cardona and Maya Reed, and environmental education teacher Jan Dicken.

Earhart students mark International Polar Bear Day

Students at Earhart Environmental Magnet wanted to make others aware of the shrinking polar bear habitat by participating in International Polar Bear Day. Fourth- and fifth-grade students are learning about the arctic in science class. Some of the students became interested in polar bears and their habitat. They created an awareness campaign to spread their message throughout the school.

“The students volunteered to be a part of this group,” said Jan Dicken, environmental education teacher at Earhart.

“They did their own research to learn more about polar bears and came up with ideas to spread their message.”

“Polar bears are dying and we want to save them,” said Gabriel Urista, fifth-grade student.

The students are encouraging others to take the Thermostat Challenge – 2 Up/2 Down for the Polar Bear, which is a national campaign to change the thermostat a couple of degrees to use less energy. The students handed out stickers that families could place by their thermostats at home as a reminder. The group also wore ugly sweaters as a fun way to encourage others to adjust the temperature.

“We’re trying to spread the word by making it fun,” said Gareth Graham, fifth-grade student.

Jackson Minions help support ill student

Jackson students and staff were seeing yellow as they were helping one of their students. One student is home recovering from surgery and in order to help the family the school had a voluntary fundraiser with a Minion theme. Students donated $1 to come to school dressed as a Minion. The students also received a paper Minion to color. The ill student likes Minions, so the school knew this was a perfect way to show support.

Jackson raised more than $600 to help the family with Jackson students dressed in Minion clothing to support an ill classmates. medical expenses.

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From left, Stephanie Chippeaux, South; Ashley Veatch, Allen; Andrea Belsan, Griffith; Kelsey Steele, Anderson; Kaitlyn Salazar, Hamilton; Samanta Souriya and Stacy Malicoat, Jardine.

Distinguished Classroom Teachers recognized

The Wichita Public Schools is proud to announce the 2015 Distinguished Classroom Teacher Award recipients.

Andrea Belsan, 4th grade teacher at Griffith Elementary – New Teacher, Elementary category.

Kaitlyn Salazar, math teacher at Hamilton Middle School – New Teacher, Secondary category.

Ashley Veatch, 2nd grade teacher at Allen Elementary – Primary (Pre-K – 2) Elementary category.

Kelsey Steele, 5th grade teacher at Anderson Elementary – Intermediate (3 – 5) category.

Samanta Souriya, ESOL teacher at Jardine STEM/ Career Explorations Magnet – Middle School category.

Stephanie Chippeaux, math teacher at South High

School – High School category.

Stacy Malicoat, MTSS Facilitator at Jardine STEM/ Career Explorations Magnet – Support Teacher category The Distinguished Classroom Teacher Awards program honors outstanding teachers who affect the quality of education in the Wichita Public Schools. Peers, building administrators or parents have nominated each of the recipients. A committee consisting of principals, assistant principals, teachers, support staff, the assistant superintendents of elementary and secondary schools and a member of United Teachers of Wichita selects the final recipients.

Students in Northwest’s DECA program launched an Innovation Rally for elementary students.

Students Dylan Gates, Ashton Taylor and Nicole Watson partnered with the Wichita Entrepreneurship Task Force and Wendy’s to create a competition where elementary students created new items out of empty plastic water bottles.

The competition was offered to 3rd – 5th grade classes throughout the Wichita Public Schools.

The winners of the competition are: • First place – Traci Weiford’s third-grade class at

McCollom Elementary. They created a bird feeder out of the water bottle.

• Second place – Megan Westfahl’s fifth-grade class at Christa McAuliffe Academy. The class created an office organizer out of water bottles.

• Third place – Mary Batt’s third-grade class at Cleaveland Traditional Magnet. The class created personal organizers.

For more information about the Innovation Rally, visit the web site created by the Northwest students www.gobiz316. com.

Northwest DECA students host Innovation Rally

Wichita Family • April 2015 - 7

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Hands-On Science Exploration Place offers visitors an immersion into learning

By Todd Vogts

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roups of youngsters herded by doting adults streamed across the expansive stone plaza in front of the building. It was spring break, and a warm breeze blew through the groups. The children laughed, enjoying the day.

Inside, the main lobby a large, geometric sculpture made of wire spun lazily overhead. The clinking of the Wentz Gravitron, a device that moves ball bearings up and down through a series of wire frames by using augers and conveyors, filled the air. Through the expansive windows, the Arkansas River can be seen flowing through the property. A man in a kayak floated by.

There weren’t many people in the lobby, but the sound of children could be heard coming from down a hallway.

Exploration Place — The Sedgwick County Science and Discovery Center — sees nearly 200,000 visitors each year. It is a place of incredible design and functionality, and it is celebrating 15 years of being a place of learning for residents and visitors of Sedgwick County.

“We will be 15 years old on April 1,” Exploration Place President Jan Luth said.

Exploration Place consists of 100,000 square feet sitting on 20 acres.

It was designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, who used geometry as the basis for the building plan.

“It was a real engineering feat to be able to create his vision and turn it into this amazing, functioning building,” Luth said.

Achieving a milestone of operating for 15 years within the community is something Luth said she is proud of, and the use of geometry in the engineering of the building is indicative of

what Exploration Place is all about.

“It’s what’s going on here that matters,” she said.

A bridge connects the two buildings that make up the Science and Discovery Center. It is a gallery called the Bridging Art and Science.

“The art always has some connection to science,” Luth said.

The art exhibits change three times per year, Luth explained.

The Grand Hall is the first room visitors enter upon crossing the bridge.

Director of Marketing Christina Bluml said soon the Grand Hall will become the an area about health.

“In the state of Kansas, that’s really a big initiative right now. To keep people healthy and try to give them different tools to keep themselves in a healthy state,” she said.

Currently there is a large mouth for visitors to explore, and Bluml said they

hope to incorporate a big eye, a big brain and a big ear, among others to help people learn about taking care of their bodies.

When children are experiencing such an exhibit, they can touch the displays. There are also digital screens on which they can answer questions in the form of brain teasers about the objects they are looking at.

Being hands-on is a big part of Exploration Place.

“We’re an interactive museum,” Luth said.

There is also a nanotechnology exhibit and a flight exhibit.

“It is really highly interactive and engaging,” Luth said. “You can sit and do some of these activities.”

The flight exhibit is slated to be revamped in the coming years, Bluml said.

Exploration Place also boasts a Cre-

Wichita Family • April 2015 - 9

ator Space, which is an answer to the maker movement sweeping through the United States. Inside, there is an area for creation, complete with tools such as a 3D printer.

“It’s a wonderful location for children and families to come in and to create and to invent and use their imagination and problem solve,” Luth said. “Every month we change what they can do in it.”

Just passed the Creator Space is an area currently under construction. It will soon host an exhibit on climate and energy, which is being borrowed from a museum in Newton and researched by professors from Kansas State University. Eventually though, it will become the permanent home of Keva, which is a construction exhibit.

It allows anyone to come in and create using wooden planks, which are the perfect tool to learn at any age because the planks do not pose a choking hazard.

“We just try to keep mixing things up and doing new things,” Luth said.

“You have to continually be doing this.

In the coming years, we will be doing one major change every year.”

Continuing to move through the space, a visitor would come to a gallery dedicated to the wildlife and geography of Kansas.

There is then a gallery dedicated to the building itself.

“Being in such a landmark building, people come in and say to the front desk, ‘Tell me about this building,’” Luth said. “Now we can say, ‘Come down here. Go through this exhibit, and you will learn all about this building.’”

One very interesting, though not as interactive, exhibit is the Kansas In Miniature display. It is a depiction of Kansas in the 1950s. It showcases various aspects of the state, such as the Nickerson water tower and the geological formation Castle Rock, all in one area. It is complete with moving parts, such as an active carnival and a train that whistles through the display.

“There are many moving pieces,” Bluml said. “It’s just a favorite of so many people, just because of the nostalgia it brings back for so many people.”

Luth said the display, which took two years to create, gives a peek into 10 - www.wichitafamily.com

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what makes Kansas what it is as it showcases airfields and agriculture.

“When you look at this, you can see the foundation of who we are today,” she said. “It seems like nostalgia and history, but it’s really the foundation of science and technology. The framework is there.”

The lighting in the room even changes to simulate day and night.

“It’s a very beloved exhibit,” Luth said.

Bluml said there are plans to make the area more interactive to fit in with the rest of Exploration Place.

Where Kids Rule is another popular exhibit. It is a three-story castle where children can go inside and take part in a variety of activities, such as music and putting on plays.

There is a simulated mote in front of the castle, and children can take part in an activity where they can build a bridge over the mote. If done correctly, Bluml said, an adult could stand on the bridge without it collapsing.

“It’s all about learning science, and you don’t even know you are doing that,” she said.

There are over 60 interactive activities offered by Where Kids Rule, Luth said.

Exploration Place also offers visitors the opportunity to watch science-

related films in one of the 160 seats in the 60-foot-tall Boeing Dome Theater and Planetarium. People can also stop off in the museum store to find unique mementos and souvenirs.

A family could easily spend the entire day taking in all the museum offers, and there even is a snack bar available to satiate a snack attack.

Not all of the exhibits in Exploration Place are permanent, though.

The museum has an area dedicated to traveling exhibits, which helps keep the museum fresh and continually offer opportunities for visitors regardless of how often the stop by.

Soon Exploration Place will have a new preschool gallery called Kansas Kids Connect. This gallery will be aimed at showing the museum’s youngest visitors the concept of STEM, which is a national educational initiative standing for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Really, all of Exploration Place is focused on STEM, but Luth said the preschool gallery will help ignite an interest in science at an earlier age.

“Everybody talks about STEM careers and how important STEM careers are for the future of the economy in the United States and in Kansas and in Wichita,” she said. “The reality is, to get people excited to go into those

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STEM careers, you actually have to build that excitement in preschool. You have to start when they’re really young. That’s where it all begins. That’s the transformational opportunity. Let them become enchanted with the wonder of the world around them. That’s what science is for a preschooler.”

One striking aspect of Exploration Place is you won’t find children running around from exhibit to exhibit.

Instead, the children are engaged and focusing on one area at a time.

“They’re really learning,” Luth said. “STEM is throughout, as well as imagination.”

Besides the museum property itself, Exploration Place also offers summer camps.

“Keep the kids busy because they’re not in school,” Luth said.

Over spring break, this consisted of field expeditions that took bus loads of children to experience different aspects of science, such as Maxwell Wildlife Refuge to see live bison and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve to look at plants and insects.

Education is an important aspect of what Exploration Place does, especially with its outreach educational programing. The museum offers STEM-orientated, grade-appropriate programs for all levels of students, including home school students. These informal science partnerships with schools are important to the museum and Luth.

“It’s a huge win,” she said. “The results are fantastic.

Our methodology is a little bit different, and that methodology resonates with kids.”

During the last fiscal year, Luth said the museum had nearly 50,000 student in their educational programs, and she said she expects the number to be even larger this year.

The focus on STEM, which Luth said is what Exploration Place has always been about just by the nature of the museum, revolves around workforce development. Time will tell, though, how effective the museum’s STEM offerings are in driving children into those STEM careers.

“It’s going to take a little while,” she said.

As part of the celebration of its 15th birthday, Luth said changes are being made to be able to continue to serve the museum’s educational goals and keep the experience “fresh and dynamic.”

Luth said the staff, board and community are all wonderful assets to the museum. Everyone involved supports the museum and wants to see it succeed.

“It’s never a dull moment,” she said. “We feel very blessed and very fortunate.”

A single admission to Exploration Place starts at $9.50. Membership packages range from $20 to $1,000, so a family find just the right fit.

“A larger family saves money over time,” Bluml said.

For more information about Exploration Place, visit www.exploration.org.

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316.660.0620 www.exploration.org 300 N. McLean Blvd., Wichita, KS 67203 Wichita Family • April 2015 - 11

Your perfect state of organization

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ife gets busy and clutter has a way of sneaking up on everyone.

It may be all those shoes, the lack of space or the fact that you have absolutely no time - there are many reasons for the mess.

But, whether you’re a single person living in an apartment or have a large family in a sprawling house, everyone can benefit from more organization.

By simply thinking about storage differently and coming up with a smart organizational system that works for you, you’ll be on the way to creating a well-balanced, happier home.

“For many, just the thought of starting the de-cluttering and organizing process is daunting,” said Lisa Engel, VP and General Manager Digital Commerce, ClosetMaid. “By breaking it down - room by room, or need by need, the process can actually become rejuvenating. You’re literally creating an easier life for yourself.”

Starting the process

If you’re just beginning, remember: baby steps.

Focus on one small area or room - or even your junk drawer.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the big picture as that’s when frustration mounts, causing you to walk away in disgust.

Be sure to finish the project you’ve begun. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and be encouraged to tackle subsequent rooms and projects.

Already started Stuck midway through an organizational project and Get organized with products such as ClosetMaid’s SuiteSymphony in Espresso, Mini Off-set Organizer and Activity Table.

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need some inspiration to finish? Don’t be afraid to utilize online resources.

ClosetMaid’s idea galleries, design tools and online store can help provide affordable and stylish solutions.

Thinking of your project as a mini-makeover can help make it more exciting and less of a chore. Try taking pictures along the way, documenting your progress can really be rewarding.

Already organized

If your home is already organized, you know that keeping clutter at bay is a full-time job.

Be sure to keep a watchful eye on areas that naturally accumulate clutter, such as entryways and child play areas.

If you do have children, get them involved in the organization process by teaching them where items belong and how to store them.

By labeling storage bins, baskets or drawers, your kids will always be able to help your home stay organized and clean.

“If you think like an organized person, soon you will be one,” said Lorie Marrero, certified professional organizer and author of the “Clutter Diet.” “It all starts with your state of mind.”

To find your perfect state of organization visit www.

ClosetMaid.com, www.StorganizationBlog.com or call 1-800-874-0008.

— Family Features

Wichita Family • April 2015 - 13

How to be prepared for an emergency To be prepared in any situation, planning ahead is critical. Engine-driven portable generators are intended for multiple uses and designed for portability.

When utility power is unavailable due to extreme weather, portable generators become a useful source of temporary or remote electric power.

“Portable generators are useful when temporary or remote electric power is needed, but proper precaution should always be used when handling them,” said Joe Harding, representative for the Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association (PGMA). “Our educational efforts, including the PGMA SAFETY FIRST campaign, are focused on making the general public aware of the proper selection and safe usage of portable generators.”

Tips for safer homes In their educational efforts, PGMA is helping consumers understand what is required to purchase, store and operate a portable generator. While these generators can power multiple appliances at one time, they may not be able to power your entire home.

Know what items you’ll want to keep running during power outages. Refer to the operator’s manual in order to calculate the wattage needed to assess what size of generator will work for your needs.

The safest way to restore power to your home is by using a professionally-installed transfer switch available at many home improvement stores.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images 14 - www.wichitafamily.com

If an extension cord must be used temporarily, be sure that it is heavy duty and protected from damage where entering a home. Damaged cords could result in a fire or electrical shock hazard.

Leaving openings for cords to pass through also increases the risk of carbon monoxide entering the home. Plan ahead and have a transfer switch installed before the next power outage.

Here are additional steps to consider in order to be prepared in emergency situations: • Have fuel available. Portable generators may require gasoline, diesel fuel or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), with refueling necessary possibly several times per day.

• Regularly check your portable generator to ensure that it starts and operates properly.

• Only operate a portable generator outside, far away from windows, doors and vents to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide gas accumulating and potentially being drawn toward occupied spaces.

• Install battery-operated carbon monoxide alarms or plug-in alarms with battery backup according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Smoke alarms cannot detect carbon monoxide gas.

The more you are prepared for emergency situations, the better off you and your family will be when the power goes out.

For more information, visit www.pgmaonline.com.

— Family Features

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