The Kansas Children's Discovery Center was very excited to host the Leadership Greater Topeka Class of 2019 at two recent events. "Leadership Greater Topeka brings together a broad cross-section of both acknowledged and aspiring leaders from every corner of the community for an annual community leadership training course," according to the organization's website. The organization visited the nonprofit children's museum for a tour and social hour as a part of their work to get to know Topeka. The group had a great time getting to know the facility and playing! They also heard about our work to ensure access for every child from President/CEO Dené Mosier.

When challenged to make an impact with a limited number of dollars and time, Core Group #2 returned to the Discovery Center two weeks later to put what they learned into action. The group donated to support a program they remembered from their tour, Play Free. Play Free is play-based education and exploration program for children with an incarcerated mother (in some cases, grandmother). The program invites children to come to the museum for a day of fun with their moms, encouraging educational play and family bonding to increase children’s resilience. Play Free supports children who need opportunities to play in a safe, caring environment. Through no fault of their own, these children have experienced the pain and confusion of separation from a caregiver. Play Free allows these children to gather outside the prison walls, for a day or normalcy in a challenging time. Support from this group of local leaders will help fund the program, which is supported only with the support of generous donors.

Way to go, Core Group #2! Thank you, Leadership Greater Topeka Class of 2019!

The Kansas Children's Discovery Center hosted a great group of volunteers from Junior League of Topeka this week for a special project. "The Junior League of Topeka, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable," according to the organization's website.

Springtime is field trip season at the Discovery Center, when a large number of the museum's 10,000 annual field trip visitors come for programs and play. Field trips are a major part of our work as a nonprofit children's museum. We engage thousands of children in high-quality STEAM education programs during their visits, teaching engineering and problem-solving skills through play. Schools pay for field trips on a sliding scale depending on their percentage of students receiving free and reduced cost lunches to ensure these opportunities are available to all students.

Keeping up with museum maintenance during this time is always a challenge, and Junior League stepped up to pitch in. The organization sent groups of volunteers for two hours on three consecutive days, completing big cleaning projects and helping keep the museum in great shape for visitors.

Volunteers vacuumed and swept the grain exhibit, vacuumed the build exhibit, cleaned toys, washed windows and more. This was a hard-working bunch who finished even more projects then we planned. With 15,000 square feet of indoor exhibits and 4.5 acres of Certified Outdoor Exploration Classroom, the volunteers stayed busy!

Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers aid our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, provide customer service at our front desk, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, help facilitate field trips, celebrate birthdays, and keep exhibit areas ready for play.

If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group.

The volunteers even worked in some time for play! Thank You, Junior League of Topeka!

The Kansas Children's Discovery Center hosted a great group of volunteers from Washburn Rural High School Interact Club. Interact clubs, sponsored by Rotary International, bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills and participate in service opportunities. Washburn Rural High School Interact does community service at a number of local organizations, and chose to come to the Kansas Children's Discovery Center this week.

Volunteers vacuumed and swept the grain exhibit, vacuumed the build exhibit and disinfected glasses and tools, cleaned program carts, picnic tables and windows, and disinfected the farmers' market and careers exhibit and grow exhibit for toddlers. This was a hard-working bunch who finished even more projects then we planned. With 15,000 square feet of indoor exhibits and 4.5 acres of Certified Outdoor Exploration Classroom, the volunteers stayed busy!

Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers aid our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, provide customer service at our front desk, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, help facilitate field trips, celebrate birthdays, and keep exhibit areas ready for play.

If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group.

Thank You, Washburn Rural High School Interact Club!

On Halloween night, the Kansas Children's Discovery Center hosted a group of twenty men from Sigma Phi Epsilon Kansas Δ for volunteer projects. The Washburn University Sig Eps have "a strong tradition of excellence in academics, intramurals, campus, and community involvement that sets us apart." They do regular service projects and chose the Kansas Children's Discovery Center for a special Halloween night service project.

There was nothing spooky about all the great work the SigEps got done! Volunteers trimmed the tall grass by our pond outdoors, washed bikes, and picked up litter. Indoors, they deep-cleaned the floor (including grain, our picnic tables, and our build area). With 15,000 square feet of indoor exhibits and 4.5 acres of Certified Outdoor Exploration Classroom, the volunteers stayed busy!

The men of Sigma Phi Epsilon have done meaningful work in the past with local nonprofit organizations, and all were excited about making KCDC a clean and safe place for children.

If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group.

Thank You, Sigma Phi Epsilon Kansas Δ!

The Kansas Children's Discovery Center hosted a great group of volunteers from Mission Valley High School FCCLA. Mission Valley FCCLA helps students develop important life skills (cooking, working with children, and budgeting are just some of the things they do) and apply those skills to benefit their community. They do monthly service projects and chose the Kansas Children's Discovery Center for their October project.

Volunteers scrubbed all of the Imagination Playground blocks, and cleaned the boxes holding them, wiped down the Mobile Museum, swept mats, and picked up litter outside. With 15,000 square feet of indoor exhibits and 4.5 acres of Certified Outdoor Exploration Classroom, the volunteers stayed busy!

If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group.

Thank You, Mission Valley High School FCCLA!