Science Center Taps Mothers for Inspiration

Nothing about them is high-tech or flashy or new.

They’re just regular moms.

But educators at the new California Science Center know that parents play a vital role in explaining the world to children, so they have hired a group of mothers to work part time in the museum, assisting young visitors as they explore the world of science.

“They ask so many questions,” said Martina Perez, a mother of three who works in the museum. “You have to really think before answering.”

The program, called “Our Place Academy,” has recruited and trained 30 mothers to work as facilitators. The women run the museum’s “discovery rooms,” exhibits specifically designed for children--and adults--to explore very basic questions about science.

The women tell stories, encourage children to explore themed “discovery boxes” and answer questions about everything from the digestive system to the number of legs on a spider.

By having the mothers run the rooms, the museum hopes to drive home the point that any parent can--and should--play a major role in helping his or her children understand science.

“Parents are already their children’s first teacher, but some parents aren’t comfortable with that,” said Azucena Bonillas, the academy’s program manager. “We’re trying to let people know that science can be fun, and we see it in our everyday life.”

Before the women could demonstrate that fun, they had to discover it themselves. None hold college degrees and some have not graduated from high school, Bonillas said.

The museum was looking for women who were eager to expand their own interests and knowledge, as well as those of others.

“I always wanted to do something in the community,” said Rosalva Gonzalez, a mother of two. “I have a lot of time. I don’t want to be at home just cooking. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if you can do something with your time it’s better.”

Although the idea of working in a museum was exciting, for some it was also intimidating.

“The first day I started I said to myself, ‘How can I work here when I don’t know science?’ ” Perez said.

Since April, the women, who are paid minimum wage, have gathered each Friday in a classroom at the old Museum of Science and Industry, studying the digestive system, dissecting flowers and learning about storytelling, guest relations and the art of questioning.

And they have learned to help children examine themes related to the discovery boxes, red plastic containers filled with books, toys and gadgets.

The discovery rooms provide the foundation for understanding larger concepts presented in exhibits throughout the science center.

“You can come in and explore in a very comfortable environment,” asking all the questions you wanted to know the answer to, but never asked, said Roxie Esterly, the center’s vice president of education.

“They were designed for early elementary [students], but there’s something here for everyone.”

Although the museum does not open officially until today, the women have already had a chance to test their skills.

One recent day a group of fifth-graders from Westwood Charter School swarmed the “World of Life Discovery Room,” a space designed to resemble a city park complete with artificial trees and a treehouse, picnic tables, lifelike animal puppets and a few live animals in cages.

Antonia Ledezma, one of the mothers being trained, displayed human organs using a special rag doll while an intrigued girl watched. Across the room, Perez worked the puppet area.

But Gonzalez was the star of this show.

At her table was the “Everybody Poops” discovery box, which examines digestion. Gonzalez was swarmed with questioners.

“Is this the poop?” one girl said, as the group passed around mounted displays of feces from humans and various other animals.

“Here’s a raccoon,” one child said.

“Here’s a deer’s.”

“I dare you to touch it,” another child said.

“Is it real?” one asked.

“No, it’s plastic,” Gonzalez said.

“Look at the cat,” she said to two boys flipping through a book. “They dig a hole and cover it.”

Using their newly acquired skills, the women gently guide the children toward understanding the entire digestive process. Those same skills have helped them teach their own children.

“Now when my daughter asks me something, I take out my papers I’ve been getting here,” Perez said. “It helps me a lot since she’s in school right now.”

In 10 months, the women’s confidence has grown, Bonillas said. Not only have they bolstered their understanding, they have also learned how children learn.

“Twenty years ago everything was boring,” Ledezma said. “Now the children are excited about it. Everything is play.”

Women recruited for the program reflect the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood surrounding the science center; two-thirds are Latina and one-third are African American.

“We want people from the community to feel welcome here, to see people that look like them,” Bonillas said.

Since April, the women have become friends. They hold potlucks and share conversations. And the distance between the Latinas and African Americans that existed early in the program has been erased, Gonzalez said.

“We have something in common,” she said. “We all have kids. We are all interested in our kids. We are the same.”

And they have learned that answering questions, doing things that mothers do, can make a difference in any child’s life.

“It’s nice to be around kids,” Gonzalez said. “Maybe I can put a little seed, a little something in their lives.”