History of Operation
We began the Science Play-space Initiative (SPI) to create a non-profit local play space with a focus on science and technology in February 2011. The initiative, while advocating for the creation of a permanent physical space, has always maintained a larger mission that included bringing science into the community outside such a space.
In the spring of 2011, we partnered with MTVarts to bring science play activities to the MTVarts Kids Breakfast Club. In the summer, we began doing small science activities at the Makers’ Market, and at First Fridays on the Public Square. The City of Mount Vernon agreed to act as our fiscal agent, and our first start-up grant from the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon and Knox County allowed us to have a winter play break in December 2011 at the Place at the Woodward, and weekly activities there in January-March 2012. During this time, we incorporated as a Non-Profit, wrote by-laws, and organized our first Board of Directors. We secured a grant from Ariel Foundation to rent a dedicated space at 14 S. Main street for six months as a pilot program run exclusively by volunteers and open two-and-a-half days a week. Our space was outfitted with toys and equipment from donations and loans and another small grant from the Community Foundation. In addition to our dedicated space for discovery play, we did special programming for spring break, conducted summer Lego Camps, and had volunteers do outreach science activities at Hiawatha Park’s program twice a month. We continued to do outreach in community events such as First Fridays and Earth Day.
In the fall of 2012, we began weekly after-school programming for primary school children, and preschool programming during our open hours. Our Board undertook its first capital campaign, which resulted in enough funding to continue in a dedicated space and to contemplate hiring employees. With a new grant from Ariel Foundation we moved to our current larger space at 225-7 S. Main Street, two years ago in February 2013. We began paying employees in April 2013 so that we could be open four days a week for a total of 30 hours a week, which included more afterschool and weekend hours.
In the summer of 2013, we were able to run a number of summer camps, including Camp Invention, which was so large we had to hold it at Twin Oak Elementary School. In the fall, we won a grant from NASA to begin CSI (Cool Science Investigators), our middle school after-school programming once a week. We have continued this program through winter-spring 2014-15, with adjustments after that grant expired December, 2014. We have now joined the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC). This association lends us legitimacy as a serious place for science, professional support, and allows us to offer our members reciprocal memberships to other science museums. We increased our hours to five days a week, with a sixth day (Wednesday) reserved for field trips as requested. We continue to take part in community events and build partnerships to take more science activities outside our dedicated space.
In the summer of 2014, we hired two college students to provide weekly science activities at Riverside Park during the free lunches and at Hiawatha Park during the parks programming. The number of children served in the two-hour time blocks required us to find a number of volunteers to help out. The program was very successful- on average about 60 children attended at Riverside Park and about 80 children at Hiawatha Park chose to participate in the activities each week. We tracked the names and schools of each child and found we were reaching many more kids from those various parts of town and different families than those we saw at SPI Spot. Program evaluations by participants were positive.
Additionally, SPI collaborated with:
SPI also offered Camp Invention at Twin Oak School, and participated in summer events including First Fridays, Family Farmers Market, and Dan Emmett Festival.
In the fall of 2014, SPI hired a program educator to run CSI, our middle school after school program, and weekly programming for preschool and K-5. SPI began weekly after school science activities at the South Vernon United Methodist Church for Columbia Elementary School children. Additionally, SPI was present at Ohiolina and the Salvation Army Carnival for the first time. Our program educator left in January 2015 for different employment, and we have restructured our toddler and preschool programming for less resource intensive, weekly drop-in activities and continued with the after school Columbia Elementary after school programming.
In the winter, SPI had the opportunity to bring in a traveling exhibit: Contraptions A-Z at greatly reduced cost. SPI pursued sponsorship from local business and other entities, both public and private, as well as individuals to fund the exhibit. With this community sponsorship we were able to cover the costs to keep it open to the public daily for a six-week period with no admission fee. The exhibit was largely displayed at the newly renovated CA&C depot, and attracted almost 1800 visits. Several parts of the exhibit were featured at SPI Spot itself. Children and adults alike enjoyed this exhibit, and SPI was especially pleased to be able to offer something appealing for adults.
Starting in the summer of 2014, SPI worked to help organize STEMfest Knox, a collaboration spearheaded by The Works in Newark, to connect middle and high school students with local STEM industry. STEMfest Knox took the form of student teams presenting a solution to one of three challenge problems- an engineering toothpick bridge problem, a solar chemistry problem, and a 3-D printing problem. SPI helped recruit students and teachers, and collaborated with Kenyon, MVNU, Ariel Corporation and Siemens to provide expertise and volunteers make the event happen. COTC, already a close collaborator with The Works, provided space and sponsored one of the challenges while The Works coordinated operations the day of the event based on their experience running the event in Licking County. Sixty students in 23 teams competed on February 15, 2015 and brought their families to watch their presentations. Some attended SPI’s free open house across the street where Siemens presented hands on STEM activities.
In the spring SPI generally hosts Pi Day (which in 2015 occurred on 3/14/15) free open house and special activities during spring break. SPI participated in Nanodays during Spring Break 2015--a national event--and has been granted free materials to fund educational activities about nano--the science of things too small to see.
In partnership with Kenyon College, SPI plans to move to the Buckeye Candy Building in the summer of 2016 when Kenyon is done renovating the building. SPI has been working with an architect to design the new space. Our new space will be more designed and less of a collection; we expect it will serve the same purpose, but be a much better space.
We began the Science Play-space Initiative (SPI) to create a non-profit local play space with a focus on science and technology in February 2011. The initiative, while advocating for the creation of a permanent physical space, has always maintained a larger mission that included bringing science into the community outside such a space.
In the spring of 2011, we partnered with MTVarts to bring science play activities to the MTVarts Kids Breakfast Club. In the summer, we began doing small science activities at the Makers’ Market, and at First Fridays on the Public Square. The City of Mount Vernon agreed to act as our fiscal agent, and our first start-up grant from the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon and Knox County allowed us to have a winter play break in December 2011 at the Place at the Woodward, and weekly activities there in January-March 2012. During this time, we incorporated as a Non-Profit, wrote by-laws, and organized our first Board of Directors. We secured a grant from Ariel Foundation to rent a dedicated space at 14 S. Main street for six months as a pilot program run exclusively by volunteers and open two-and-a-half days a week. Our space was outfitted with toys and equipment from donations and loans and another small grant from the Community Foundation. In addition to our dedicated space for discovery play, we did special programming for spring break, conducted summer Lego Camps, and had volunteers do outreach science activities at Hiawatha Park’s program twice a month. We continued to do outreach in community events such as First Fridays and Earth Day.
In the fall of 2012, we began weekly after-school programming for primary school children, and preschool programming during our open hours. Our Board undertook its first capital campaign, which resulted in enough funding to continue in a dedicated space and to contemplate hiring employees. With a new grant from Ariel Foundation we moved to our current larger space at 225-7 S. Main Street, two years ago in February 2013. We began paying employees in April 2013 so that we could be open four days a week for a total of 30 hours a week, which included more afterschool and weekend hours.
In the summer of 2013, we were able to run a number of summer camps, including Camp Invention, which was so large we had to hold it at Twin Oak Elementary School. In the fall, we won a grant from NASA to begin CSI (Cool Science Investigators), our middle school after-school programming once a week. We have continued this program through winter-spring 2014-15, with adjustments after that grant expired December, 2014. We have now joined the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC). This association lends us legitimacy as a serious place for science, professional support, and allows us to offer our members reciprocal memberships to other science museums. We increased our hours to five days a week, with a sixth day (Wednesday) reserved for field trips as requested. We continue to take part in community events and build partnerships to take more science activities outside our dedicated space.
In the summer of 2014, we hired two college students to provide weekly science activities at Riverside Park during the free lunches and at Hiawatha Park during the parks programming. The number of children served in the two-hour time blocks required us to find a number of volunteers to help out. The program was very successful- on average about 60 children attended at Riverside Park and about 80 children at Hiawatha Park chose to participate in the activities each week. We tracked the names and schools of each child and found we were reaching many more kids from those various parts of town and different families than those we saw at SPI Spot. Program evaluations by participants were positive.
Additionally, SPI collaborated with:
- The BFEC to offer a nature camp for 5-7 year olds run by a local teacher, Lori Zolman;
- Girl Scouts to offer Science Olympic Challenge camp (K-5); and
- hosted its own Contraptions designing camp run by a local teacher, Janelle Harbough.
SPI also offered Camp Invention at Twin Oak School, and participated in summer events including First Fridays, Family Farmers Market, and Dan Emmett Festival.
In the fall of 2014, SPI hired a program educator to run CSI, our middle school after school program, and weekly programming for preschool and K-5. SPI began weekly after school science activities at the South Vernon United Methodist Church for Columbia Elementary School children. Additionally, SPI was present at Ohiolina and the Salvation Army Carnival for the first time. Our program educator left in January 2015 for different employment, and we have restructured our toddler and preschool programming for less resource intensive, weekly drop-in activities and continued with the after school Columbia Elementary after school programming.
In the winter, SPI had the opportunity to bring in a traveling exhibit: Contraptions A-Z at greatly reduced cost. SPI pursued sponsorship from local business and other entities, both public and private, as well as individuals to fund the exhibit. With this community sponsorship we were able to cover the costs to keep it open to the public daily for a six-week period with no admission fee. The exhibit was largely displayed at the newly renovated CA&C depot, and attracted almost 1800 visits. Several parts of the exhibit were featured at SPI Spot itself. Children and adults alike enjoyed this exhibit, and SPI was especially pleased to be able to offer something appealing for adults.
Starting in the summer of 2014, SPI worked to help organize STEMfest Knox, a collaboration spearheaded by The Works in Newark, to connect middle and high school students with local STEM industry. STEMfest Knox took the form of student teams presenting a solution to one of three challenge problems- an engineering toothpick bridge problem, a solar chemistry problem, and a 3-D printing problem. SPI helped recruit students and teachers, and collaborated with Kenyon, MVNU, Ariel Corporation and Siemens to provide expertise and volunteers make the event happen. COTC, already a close collaborator with The Works, provided space and sponsored one of the challenges while The Works coordinated operations the day of the event based on their experience running the event in Licking County. Sixty students in 23 teams competed on February 15, 2015 and brought their families to watch their presentations. Some attended SPI’s free open house across the street where Siemens presented hands on STEM activities.
In the spring SPI generally hosts Pi Day (which in 2015 occurred on 3/14/15) free open house and special activities during spring break. SPI participated in Nanodays during Spring Break 2015--a national event--and has been granted free materials to fund educational activities about nano--the science of things too small to see.
In partnership with Kenyon College, SPI plans to move to the Buckeye Candy Building in the summer of 2016 when Kenyon is done renovating the building. SPI has been working with an architect to design the new space. Our new space will be more designed and less of a collection; we expect it will serve the same purpose, but be a much better space.
