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Celebrate the Transition to School
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 A volunteer from the New England College of Optometry checks out the eyes of an incoming kindergartener at the Countdown to Kindergarten Celebration at Boston Children’s Museum. |
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An incoming kindergartener meets D.W. from the popular Arthur series at the Countdown to Kindergarten Celebration at Boston Children’s Museum. |
Imagine children chanting and dancing about kindergarten readiness—not in a preschool but in a museum. What role can museums play in supporting young children’s transition from early childhood settings to school? Here’s one idea—create an exhibit that is an actual kindergarten classroom. That’s just what Boston Children’s Museum has done! “Countdown to Kindergarten” is a model classroom designed to introduce children to the experience of a typical school day. As part of Boston’s larger citywide transition-to-school process, each August Boston Children’s Museum co-hosts with Boston Public Schools (BPS), and a number of different partners, a Countdown to Kindergarten Celebration.
This year, the museum invited me to participate in the celebration, which offered an exciting mix of permanent and temporary spaces, effectively re-creating the different places children encounter at school. Here’s what I saw on my tour:
THE KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM
This exhibit, a mock classroom that is a permanent display at the museum, looks like any standard kindergarten classroom, down to the colorful circular rug and small, child-sized chairs. Here, one teacher milled about while another sat on the rug, talking with children and families. Children explored books and puzzles, and at the “Dress for Success” center, they practiced zippering, buttoning, and putting on clothing. At the cubby space area, children practiced putting their bags and belongings in a designated space.
THE MAIN OFFICE
This space was similar to a typical main office in an elementary school, where representatives from the BPS Welcome Services were at tables, greeting families and answering their questions. Families were able to learn about such issues as registration, enrollment, and the process of signing up for afterschool programs. Also present were representatives from the BPS Office of Family & Student Engagement, who shared the different ways parents can become involved in the school community, such as by participating in school councils.
THE PARENT LOUNGE
Staff members from BPS’ Parent University talked with families and encouraged them to attend a variety of events offered throughout the year, such as the kickoff event in December or one of the parent/child reading and writing clubs.
THE NURSE'S OFFICE
Reminding families and children that learning requires a healthy mind and body, volunteers from the Boston University School of Dental Medicine and the New England College of Optometry screened children’s eyes and ears, free of charge, and also offered referrals for follow-up care if needed.
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Beginning school also means beginning homework, something with which many parents would like help. At the Boston Public Library table, children and families were able to sign up to get a library card, giving them access to literature and materials well in advance of future homework assignments. Librarians handed out schedules of Homework Help, a service available at most Boston Public Library branches throughout the school year. This service, staffed by high-achieving and trained high-school students, is free of charge and available most weekday afternoons, with no required sign-up.
THE SCHOOL BUS
Riding the bus to school for the first time can make a lot of children (and families!) nervous. To give children a practice trip, some families arrived at the celebration in long yellow school buses that had departed from their respective neighborhoods. At the museum, students could also practice in the mock school-bus exhibit, complete with authentic bus seats and seat belts.
THE AUDITORIUM
In the museum theater, the popular children’s characters Arthur and his sister, DW, presented a live 20-minute show, DW Counts Down to Kindergarten, which focused on the theme that “Mistakes Are OK.” It also discussed children’s common worries about kindergarten, such as, How will I get to school and home each day? What if I make a mistake? During the show, children were encouraged to share feeling words about going to kindergarten, with responses ranging from excited and happy to worried and scared.
What a great way to use museum space and a terrific way to introduce children and families to all the different environments children will experience when they transition to school! Try adapting these ideas in your community. You can also read more about the partnership that makes this possible here.
SNAPSHOTS CONTRIBUTOR:
Lorette McWilliams, a PhD candidate at Lesley University, is a research analyst at Harvard Family Research Project and has worked as a school psychologist in public and private schools.
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