Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
Nestled in the nation’s capital in the richest museum complex in the world is the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, a model early childhood program that places children at the center of every experience. SEEC utilizes an emergent curriculum, following the children's interests to teach content and developmental skills through objects in the museums and community.
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center's collections
Riding on a Carousel
<p>OBJECTIVES</p><ul><li>Look carefully at a variety of carousel animals </li><li>Identify the animals </li><li>Compare and contrast the animals </li><li>Talk about which animals people typically ride</li><li>Talk about real vs pretend</li><li>Create a model carousel</li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Sink Float
<p>OBJECTIVES:</p>
<ul><li>Experiment with objects to see if they sink or float</li><li>Learn that boats float</li><li>Discuss how sometimes boats sink and learn the word shipwreck </li><li>Look closely at the 3D model of the Philadelphia Gunboat (a boat which sunk and was then later brought to the surface and into the Natural History Museum)</li><li>Make ships out of aluminum foil and experiment to see how many pennies can go on the boat before it sinks</li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Hot Air Balloons
<p>OBJECTIVES:<br /></p>
<ul><li>Explore the differences between the positions up and down</li><li>Imagine what it would look like to float high in the sky</li><li>Identify the parts of a hot air balloon—basket and envelope </li><li>Experiment with hot air balloon design</li><li>Be inspired to create own fabric design</li><li>Discover that the flame heats the air causing the balloon to float up</li></ul><p></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Dramatic Play Pirate
<p>Objectives:</p><ul><li>Be exposed to pirate motifs (eye patch, parrot, jolly roger flag) </li><li>Learn that pirate sail ships </li><li>Talk about ideas of fair and unfair, hero and wrongdoers </li><li>Learn about Anne Bonny and Mary Read two famous women pirates </li><li>Explore through play fair and unfair and hero and wrongdoers </li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Saturn V Rockets
<p>Objectives</p>
<ul><li> Learn that astronauts took rocket ships (Saturn V) to the moon </li><li> Pretend to be on the moon</li><li> Imagine being in a place that is different from earth</li></ul><p></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Pretend Robots
<p>Objectives</p><ul><li>Learn closely at a variety of fictional and toy robots</li><li>Compare and contrast a group of fictional and toy robots</li><li>Develop an understanding that people like to imagine different types of robots</li><li>Have the opportunity to create their own pretend robot using various household items</li><li>Think creatively and be inspired to wonder</li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Stanley - The Driverless Car
<p>Objectives </p>
<ul><li>Learn that robots need special sensors to help them understand the world around them</li><li>Discover that we use our senses to help learn more about the world around us</li><li>Explore our senses</li><li>Compare our senses to the senses of Stanley the driverless car </li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Robots that Help
<p>OBJECTIVES:<br /></p>
<ul><li>Learn that people make robots to do things to help people </li><li>Look closely at a robot that some people have in their house</li><li>Learn about other types of helping robots </li><li>Talk about why robots are made</li><li>Learn that robots are designed with a purpose </li><li>Think about times when it might be helpful to have a robot </li><li>Use creativity to design robots </li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Fire Engine vs Fire Pumper
<p>Objectives: </p>
<ul><li> Learn that firefighters are people who help keep you safe</li><li> Discover that firefighters use fire trucks to help them get to the fire quickly</li><li> Compare familiar firetrucks to the less familiar hand pump fire truck in the museum</li></ul><p></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Fire Safety
<p>Objectives </p><ul><li>Identify objects that help to prevent fires </li><li>Learn what to do if they hear an alarm </li><li>Identify objects that are fire hazards</li><li>Learn to stay 3 feet (two big steps) away from fire hazards</li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Firefighting Dogs
<p>Objectives:</p><ul><li>Learn about firefighting dogs</li><li>Walk by a working fire station and make observations</li><li>Practice identifying different scents </li><li>Explore the sense of smell </li></ul><p><br /></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
13
Expressing Emotions
<p>Objectives</p><p>● Identify facial features<br />● Learn about different ways to communicate<br />● Discover that the way your face looks can communicate emotions<br />● Explore different emotions and how faces might look when expressing emotions<br />● Build empathy by learning how others might express their emotions</p><p></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Emotion Eruptions
<p>Objectives </p><ul><li>Build an emotional literacy </li><li>Discuss ways to calm down body instead of erupting </li><li>Use bells to practice breathing and mindfulness</li><li>Explore ancient bells of China</li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Volcano Eruptions
<p>Objectives - </p><p><br /></p><ul><li>Learn that active volcanoes erupt </li><li>Discover that volcanoes erupt when pressure builds up </li><li>Experiment with eruptions </li><li>Learn that some mountains are volcanoes </li></ul><p><br /></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
22
How to Build a Car
<p>Objectives:</p><p></p><p>● Discover ways that cars are built<br />● Learn about welding and comparing welding statues to welding cars<br />● Investigate and explore car tools<br />● Learn about car mechanic</p><p></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
14
Wheels and Axles
<p>Objectives:</p>
<ul><li>Identify the shape of a wheel</li><li>Experiment with differently shaped wheels </li><li>Learn that wheels and axles help heavy things move </li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Car Design
<p>Objectives: </p><ul><li>Discover that cars come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors </li><li>Learn that some design elements improve functions of cars and some are purely aesthetic </li><li>Have the opportunity to design own car </li></ul><p><br /></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
13
Monkeys Grasp
<p>Objectives</p>
<ul><li>Compare movements of the flying trapeze artist to the movements of monkeys swinging from the trees </li><li>Imagine what it would feel like to swing (like a trapeze artist and like a monkey)</li><li>Learn about how monkeys move </li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
12
Flying Trapeze
<p>Objectives</p>
<ul><li>Learn that trapeze artists had to be very precise with their timing</li><li>Experiment with motion and pendulums </li></ul>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
5
Dinosaurs
<p>Explore the vast resources on dinosaurs that the Smithsonian has to offer. </p><p>This collection was created by Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center faculty member. #SEECStories<br /></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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Communication
<p>How do you communicate? Through words? Body language? A look? Explore this collection to see how people, and animals communicate.</p><p>This collection was created by Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center faculty member. #SEECStories<br /></p>
Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
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