Designing for adult learners to support young children’s brain development
2017 – 2022
Project Description
AlegreMENTE: Celebrando Conexiones Tempranas / Happy Brain: Celebrating Early Connections is a unique and interactive traveling exhibition designed specifically for families with children aged 0–5. This bilingual exhibition aims messaging towards caregivers about the importance of playful and loving interactions during their children’s early years to support brain development. The exhibition highlights the significance of these early connections and their lifelong impact on children’s cognitive, social, and emotional well being.
The primary objectives of AlegreMENTE are to:
- Provide caregivers with an engaging and informative experience that promotes the positive effects of their playful and nurturing interactions on children’s brain development, particularly among Latine families.
- Emphasize how early childhood experiences are foundational for the brain’s long-term structure and function.
- Offer practical strategies for caregivers that build on what they already know and do to support healthy brain development for young children.
- Create a welcoming and affirming environment where caregivers can explore and interact with their children, promoting intergenerational bonding and learning.
Resources & Research
Resources
Focusing on Adult Learning to Put the Youngest Learners First ↓
In an article for the Spring 2022 issue of Exhibition, OMSI exhibit developers describe the underlying research and societal needs motivating the AlegremMENTE project, along with the exhibit development process and findings.
Research
AlegreMENTE / Happy Brain Summative Evaluation ↓
Evaluation of the AlegreMente exhibit in two different settings focused on how caregivers used and responded to the exhibit while exploring with their child(ren).
Collaborators
Advisors
Yoon-Jae Cho, Oregon Health & Science University
Caitlin Fausey, University of Oregon
Sage Saxton, Oregon Health & Science University
Jayatri Das, Franklin Institute
Anthony Detrano, Vroom
Eugene Science Center
Stephanie Feeney
Ginger Fink
Laurie Fink, Science Museum of Minnesota
Cody Goldberg, Harper’s Playground
Scott Pattison, TERC
Maria Eugenia Perdomo, Metropolitan Family Service
Mt. Hood Community College Head Start and Early Head Start
Somya Singh
Funder
This exhibit was made possible by a grant from the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), award number R25GM129231. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. nihsepa.org
Additional support was provided by Vroom®, a program of the Bezos Family Foundation. vroom.org