Educational Programs Continued
On a daily basis we are bombarded with sensory inputs. What we
do or do not perceive, what we let in or filter out is largely a
culturally determined phenomenon. Unfortunately, in this high-speed
modern technological world, much of the ebb and flow of nature and
culture gets tuned out. It is a kind of handicap.
The ROS experience will offer us an expansion of our perceptual
field -- the opportunity to see things with fresh eyes and through
new ethnic lens. Like a car roaring down the freeway with its windows
hermetically sealed, we are lulled away from a sense of the speed
we are traveling, almost a sense that we are hardly moving at all.
But if you roll down the window and feel the blast and noise of
the air speeding past you, you get yanked back to the reality of
what is really going on. That is what the Rhythm of the Seasons
experience can do. It rolls down the window so that we can get a
sense of earth moving through space. It allows us to look out into
a wondrous universe and feel humbled by the movement and change
occurring in the environment that is all around us.
The ancient architectural flavor of the site is also central to
the experience. It provides a portal to the past, to ancient civilizations,
to the roots of some of our most revered seasonal celebrations,
and to many intriguing cultural stories of adventure and exploration.
Advisory Board
Classroom & Informal Education Programs
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
T.S. Eliot
The educational program will serve two primary audiences:
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The first is a large audience of adults, parents and children
whose natural curiosity draws them to various educational venues
like science museums, art exhibits, technology centers, and
cultural events.
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The second is underserved youths and adults who are (1) less
exposed to the fields of earth, life, and social sciences, (2)
who score poorly on science and math proficiency tests, (3)
who are more swept up in the momentum and stresses of contemporary
urban life, and (4) who are more disengaged from standardized
classroom learning and testing, as well as from many meaningful
avenues of pursuit.
The educational program is made up of four thematic areas each
keyed to the solar calendar exhibits outlined under "Design".
Each of the thematic areas represent a different entry point
to the overall experience.
The core desired outcomes of the various exhibits are a change
in perception or mind-set about:
The above thematic areas and outcomes are translated into voluntary
and self directed learning opportunities through
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On-site interpretive activities linked to each design element
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Seasonal literacy booklets
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The Rhythm of the Seasons Radio Series
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Seasonal workshops for the public and for teachers
All learning activities are geared to integrated and increasingly
mobile communications systems, exhibit linked PodCasts and cell
phone accessible mini-tours. All will be downloadable on the website.
Each of these interpretive activities pushes for an interaction
between the site, the individual and nature. Many involve kenetic
experiences that can come to rest inside of the visitor. The effect
is cumulative as one moves through each activity over time. What
they have to offer is revealed much like how nature works, slowly.
Since no two days are ever the same at this outdoor site, the Solar
Calendar presents a constantly changing exhibition of seasonal and
cultural phenomena as they play out their many varied cycles. These
will keep the Rhythm of the Seasons Experience fresh and dynamic.
Who are our experts and partners?
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