Today’s children have an ever-decreasing interaction with the outdoors. The phrase “no child left inside,” from Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, has gained national recognition and brought the importance of getting children outside and experiencing nature to the forefront of conversations about education. The Museum of Northern Arizona’s Discovery 2007 connects young people to the natural world and cultural heritage of the region they live in. Registration is now open for 52 classes and summer camp sessions.
“Discovery’s programs offer a gateway to the wonders of the Colorado Plateau and a summer’s worth of creative, relevant, and meaningful exploration and fun,” says Discovery Program Coordinator Rosemary Logan. “Discovery has been offering hands-on, interdisciplinary, and experiential classes that immerse children in their environment for 31 years. It is MNA’s mission to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau. We look forward to another year of exceptional programs with our students.”
This year’s classes offer a diverse and exciting range of opportunities to learn about the region’s incomparable traditions―fine arts, natural sciences, Native cultures, and ecology. Science investigations with experts, art projects with accomplished artists, and field trips led by experienced, energetic outdoor educators instill in young people a personal connection with the natural world around them.
Some of this summer’s new program offerings include a series of young scientists classes offered for ages 10–15 and 15–18. The 10–15 age classes are taught by experts and include botany, entomology, and archaeology. There are large field components to these classes with hands-on experiments and collections.
Discovery’s programs for high school age are in partnership with the Grand Canyon Trust and include six days in the field doing research and exploration. With the Grand Canyon Trust’s assistance, Discovery has been able to keep the cost down for these trips to $100 for the six day, all-inclusive trip. This is the result of both MNA’s and Grand Canyon Trust’s commitment to reach out to high school age students, and to provide affordable and valuable learning experiences.
Summer Among the Peaks, Discovery’s summer camp for ages 9–13, will be celebrating its tenth year of games, hikes, art projects, experiments, and overnight camping adventures with educator Andy Yazzie. Eight programs can be attended by the week or for the entire summer, at which campers explore the Hopi, Navajo, and Zuni cultures, the San Juan River, Chaco Culture, Grand Canyon’s North Rim, Bryce and Zion National Parks, and a hike and bike week.
To assure a quality learning environment, Discovery has a maximum of fifteen participants and a minimum of two staff in every youth program. For reservations or information, contact the Discovery Office at 928/774-5213, ext. 241 or discovery@mna.mus.az.us. Scholarships are available and are awarded based on financial need and student interest. Class descriptions, scholarship information, and an application are available at www.musnaz.org.
The following sponsors support MNA’s Discovery 2007:
Albertsons Community Partners, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Arizona Community Foundation/Flagstaff Community Foundation/Forest Highlands Foundation, Flagstaff Cultural Partners/City of Flagstaff, Bashas’ Thanks a Million, National Endowment for the Arts, Sam’s Club, Walgreens, Wells Fargo, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and an anonymous contributor.
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 history, MNA evokes the very spirit of the Colorado Plateau, including the Grand Canyon and Four Corners regions, inspiring a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the area. It is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff, on scenic Highway 180 at the base of the San Francisco Peaks.