It was all smiles at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan earlier this month, when kids ages 5 and up were introduced to a slew of math and science-oriented workshops that incorporates beloved iPads, board games, and music videos.
These cutting-edge programs were made available to the children through the launch of UMIGO, a property of W!LDBRAIN Entertainment, a first-of-its-kind “transmedia math property” that uses modern technology to help children develop math, science, and technology skills. The Children’s Museum of Manhattan has begun hosting these workshops on a weekly basis, making educational topics fun with music videos, board games, math-themed art projects, and iPad explorations. Shapes and dimensions, weights and rulers, and telling time and counting are just some of the themes surrounding said activities.
The kick-off event earlier this month marked not only the launch of the UMIGO (You Make it Go) program at the CMOM but also in ten other markets across the U.S. this fall. Benefiting museum-goers aside, the extensive outreach program aims to foster greater academic performance and understanding for elementary-aged children by working with organizations that target low-income households to promote school readiness. By combining music with technology, the goal of UMIGO is to mentally stimulate children in fresh and fun ways and help them develop math and logic skills–two concepts which are not always easy to get a grasp of.
A fun highlight at the launch was a performance from Parliament Funkadelic’s Bootsy Collins. Everyone was given a packet of song lyrics and were able to sing along with Boosty and his band to tunes like “I See Shapes Everywhere” (about triangles, trapezoids, and hexagons) and “Check That Volume” (about finding a fish tank that holds the perfect volume of water). Then came the real fun, when the children were introduced to two games: Stack Attack, which comes in both board game version and an iPad version, and Tangram, which can be played using paper cutouts or as an application on an iPad (both of which are available at the museum).
Of course, those who are familiar with CMOM can expect nothing less than a great hands-on project, and UMIGO didn’t disappoint. After watching a cartoon music video for “Rocket Box,” the story of a cardboard box-turned-rocked used to tell time in space, the kids were able to make their own Rocket Boxes. (Psst: they used an empty milk carton, glue, and construction paper!) As the afternoon drew to a close, children proudly took home their rockets–and, hopefully, a deeper love and understanding of math, science, and technology.
This is just a taste of how UMIGO truly helps kids engage with these subjects. To see for yourself, visit cmom.org.
