Big Ed says play and learn
By Jackie Perrone jacper@juno.com

Children experience Snowville at EdVenture

Sit down for a chat with the leaders of EdVenture Museum, and you'll hear, time and again, what their mission is all about.

"All the fun is planned around our central theme of expanding horizons and inspiring a love of learning," Catherine Horne, director says. "Tell a child you're going to educate him, and he'll resist. Tell him you're going to play a new game with him, and quickly science and exploration become a way of life."

At four years old, Columbia's EdVenture is still just a toddler, but its influence shows up across the state in many ways.

"It has succeeded beyond our wildest expectations," said Horne. "We will soon welcome our one millionth visitor. People come from all across our state and the U.S. and 18 foreign countries. It's a tourist attraction with an estimated $13 million impact."

EdVenture is the largest children's museum in the south, ninth largest in the country. A fitting environment for its 40- foot kid Eddie, who weighs in at 35,000 pounds, the largest child on our planet!

But it's learning rather than size that occupies EdVenture. For children from birth to age 12, and even more significantly for the adults who nurture them, this South Carolina resource reaches out to enlarge experiences, open doors, and motivate a lifelong love of learning.

Cynthia Detuelo, director of education, sees what the games and activities can bring about in young children.

"We see children responding to the stimulation here, and the parents or caregivers join in as well. We show things they can do at home or in the grocery store or the back yard. We want to elevate their minds and to set creativity in motion.

"There's a by- product of extended family interactions, a social time in a community setting. We want the adults to leave here with the same enthusiasm as the children for trying new things and taking in new knowledge."

Some of the planning includes workshops with formal training for employees who care for children. The employees at the day care center operated by Lexington Medical Center, for instance, are certified by EdVenture and come back for a minimum of 15 hours of additional training each year. Many counties in South Carolina who lack the resources for this kind of upgrading can take advantage of the collaborative partnership here.