MNA launches Discovery 2011 program for youth

<i>Photo by Caitlin Evans</i><br>
2010 Discovery students experience “clay magic” during the Discovery program.

<i>Photo by Caitlin Evans</i><br> 2010 Discovery students experience “clay magic” during the Discovery program.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The Museum of Northern Arizona's Discovery Program has offered hands-on classes that immerse children in their environment. This year starts off with a Discovery spring break class tied to a major exhibit currently at MNA, a new kids' space for the Museum's younger visitors and their families, and backpacks for meaningful exploration of the Colorado Plateau's Native cultures, fine arts, natural sciences, and ecology in MNA's galleries.

"These new Discovery offerings for kids encourage their inherent inclination to explore, to discover, and to ask questions," stated MNA's Education Specialist Caitlin Evans. "As we draw out kids' natural curiosity and create a thirst for knowledge, we're also teaching them to become lifelong learners, who investigate and interpret their surroundings."

Clay Magic, Discovery's 2011 Spring Break Class

Inspired by MNA's current exhibit Jake Brookins - dreams: realizations: contemplations: fantasies, Clay Magic for ages 5-13 will encourage students to discover their inner artist and the playful side of creativity from Monday, March 14 through Friday, March 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Led by local ceramic artist Chandra Robinson, this class will focus on ceramic techniques, painting, and sketching.

MNA Director Robert Breunig added, "We're excited to offer a spring break program inspired by the late Jake Brookins' exhibit. His explorations of ancient communities and imaginary realms lend themselves well to a youth art class. We want students to have fun with art and to invent new ways of interpreting the world around them."

This week of creativity will conclude with a student art show for friends and family, and a gallery tour of the Jake Brookins exhibit.

Cost for the five-day class is $215 for members and $235 for nonmembers. To register, call (928) 774-5213, ext. 222 or e-mail discovery@mna.mus.az.us. Sponsors for Clay Magic are Albertsons Community Partners, Flagstaff Community Foundation, Forest Highlands Foundation, McCoy Motors, Sam's Club, and Target.

New Discovery Room

This gallery is a place for younger visitors and their families to explore the Colorado Plateau and be able to touch everything. Its current theme explores dinosaur life and their evolution through games, puzzles, books, a puppet show, and images to color.

Discovery Backpacks

Starting March 1, children 4-8, older siblings, and families will share a new hands-on, kid-friendly way to explore the Museum's nine exhibit galleries. Backpackers will be encouraged to look closely at objects with magnifying glasses, share their own knowledge from travels throughout the region, play games, solve puzzles, learn about new people and places, and complete activities together as a group. Discovery Backpacks will be free for paid visitors to check out from MNA's Front Desk.

Discovery Summer Camps

For youths of all ages (4-17), Discovery day and overnight camps are a summer's worth of wonder, taught by experienced educators versed in the region's traditions. The 2011 Discovery Summer Camps will run from June 20 through Aug. 12 and the schedule will be posted by March 15 at

www.musnaz.org.

About MNA

The Museum of Northern Arizona is surrounded by tremendous geological, biological, and cultural resources in one of Earth's most spectacular landscapes. With a long and illustrious 83-year history, MNA evokes the very spirit of the Colorado Plateau, inspiring a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the area. Its education programs encourage students to individually and collaboratively investigate and interpret their homeland.

The Museum is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff, at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, on scenic Highway 180, on the way to the Grand Canyon. Admission is $7 adults, $6 seniors (65+), $5 students, and $4 children (7-17).

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