We have been stimulating young minds for over 15 years, offering hands-on science enrichment classes and workshops to more than 20,000 Bay Area children at preschools, elementary schools, recreation centers, YMCAs and other venues.
Kristan Hutchison and Monica Nulkar of
Imagination Unlimited
Philosophy:
Serious Play, Factual Fun, Creative Chaos
We’re born as scientists, discovering the world through close observation and experimentation. How does this taste? What does that feel like? If I smack my lips, how will it sound? As we become older the questions we ask and the tools we use to answer them become more refined. Parents help infant scientists discover the world, guiding them to safely learn the difference between hot and cold, yum and yuck, soft and scratchy. At Imagination Unlimited we continue the process, tapping into the natural interests of young children to help them discover fundamental concepts of science.
Serious Play
We don’t learn what we’re told. We learn what we do, especially what we like to do. Educational research has established that students remember only 10 percent of what they hear in a lecture 15 minutes after the lecture is over. Even less is remembered the next day. This is true for graduate students who are already proven to thrive in the academic environment and know how to take notes and focus their attention. It’s all the more true of elementary and preschool students, who still struggle to sit still and pay attention.
If you doubt this, listen to the news on your drive home and see how much you can recount at the dinner table. You’ll probably remember headlines and a few interesting facts or quotes, maybe about 10 percent. On the other hand, consider a task you do regularly for your work. How much of that can you remember? You could probably explain it step-by-step backward in your sleep.
-Parent of a 3rd grader at a local public school
Imagination Unlimited classes feel like play. The students are building, creating, mixing, moving… and learning. The hands-on focus encourages curiosity and critical thinking. We share an enthusiasm for discovery with our students in lessons carefully designed to lead to a strong understanding of core science concepts which becomes a foundation for further school learning. A child who has been through Imagination Unlimited classes will be familiar and comfortable with the periodic table long before it is presented in middle school chemistry. She will have designed and built her own steam-powered boat, launched his own “rocket”, and made carbonated water to create soda.
Children learn by doing.
Factual Fun
Education research shows that students of all ages and disciplines learn best when they are enjoying themselves. If learning is fun, the mind opens up and knowledge can enter. Cognitive research confirms that children learn science best through hands-on activities that promote critical thinking and problem solving. This kind of teaching helps the brain build new neural pathways. But hands-on science is also time-consuming and messy, requiring a great deal of preparation, patience and cleanup. In the current budget climate, elementary teachers have limited time and money. They cover the basics, but there’s often a noticeable gap in school science between kindergarten and middle school. Imagination Unlimited classes provide a fundamental supplement to the classroom curriculum.
Our teaching follows guidelines established by the National Science Foundation:
- Teaching should be consistent with the nature of science
- Teaching should hold curiosity, creativity, imagination, and beauty in high esteem
- Teaching should counter learning anxiety
- Teaching should exploit the riches of the community
- Teaching should concentrate on the collection and use of evidence
- Teaching should provide a historical perspective
-Parent of a 5 yr old boy at a local preschool