Summary of the educational aspects of multi-museum partnerships, looking at the Kids Discover the Trail! program in Ithaca, New York. Presented at the 2012 ASTC conference.

1. PLAYING WELL
WITH OTHERS: A
LOOK AT MULTI-
MUSEUM
PARTNERSHIPS
ASTC 2012

2. Speakers:
 Lara Litchfield-Kimber, Executive
Director, Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum
(Poughkeepsie, NY)
 MadlynRunberg, Director of School
Programs, Natural History Museum of Utah
(Salt Lake City)
 Christina Akers, Exhibit Developer, Science
Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul)
 Sean Rooney, Senior Science
Educator, Oregon Museum of Science and
Industry (Portland)

3. Education

4. KDT Components:
 1 DT site per grade level (PreK-5th)
 Free field trip + transportation
 Age-appropriate and content-linked book
provided to each child
 “Buddy-up” system

5. Grade 2 – Sciencenter:
 “Power the Future” program
 Grade level book: “Our Earth, Clean Energy”
 Pre- and Post-Visit Activities (molecule
making, info on climate change and wind
energy, Draft Detectors/Draft Catchers)

6. Teacher Professional
Development:
 Trips are scheduled through a district-wide
elementary teacher meeting
 Meeting components:
- Intro to goals of KDT
- Grade-level breakout sessions
- Educators give overview of program and
distribute pre- and post-visit activities
- Trip scheduling

7. Community Impact
 Defined and planned links to community
organizations that might be overlooked
 Cross-Tourism
 Partnerships make a community a destination

8. Education Impact:
 KDT serves ALL students, regardless of
finances; 100% classroom participation
 Schools are guaranteed field trips; field trips
become well-known special events
 Teachers become
collaborators in the
partnership and form
relationships with sites

9. Education in the Community
 Ithaca Fest Parade
 Community Book Fest
 Full Circle Celebration
 Expansion around the county?