Marshall County Public Libraries Welcome SCIENCE IN PLAY 2GO

Kentucky Science Center’s Science in Play 2Go (SIP2GO) opens June 9, 2018 at the Marshall County Public Library, Benton Branch, 1003 Poplar St, Benton, KY 42025. Members of the press are invited to attend the ribbon cutting and VIP reception on June 7 at 12:00 p.m. CST for brief remarks and the opportunity to photograph and record footage families playing in the exhibit. Please RSVP to Dave.Bell@Louisvilleky.gov.

SIP2GO empowers children and families to learn together by using fun, hands-on activities and encouraging the simple principle of “playing.”

SIP2GO will be open during library hours from June 9, 2018 – September 2, 2018. It is FREE to the community, including schools and community centers in and around the county. Field trips and group visits to Science in Play 2GO are encouraged – arrangements can be made by contacting the library.

SIP2GO is designed to serve as an ongoing resource to the community with “Do Science” at home activities for parents and caregivers and tools to help facilitate early-childhood learning for schools and libraries. By engaging with the Kentucky Department of Library and Archives and communities across the Commonwealth, SIP2GO seeks to impact school readiness rates statewide.

In its inaugural year, SIP2GO welcomed nearly 50,000 total visitors with residencies in five Kentucky counties (Woodford, Oldham, Logan, Laurel, and Boone), and is finishing a residency at the Muhlenberg County Public Library in Benton Kentucky. Residencies are already scheduled for the next three years at libraries in Boyle, McLean, Bath, Trimble, Johnson, Warren, Henry, Lincoln, and Floyd Counties.

SIP2GO is the mobile version of Kentucky Science Center’s early-childhood learning experience Science in Play that opened July 2015 at the Science Center’s flagship location in Louisville, KY. The fact that children are natural “scientists,” who learn as they explore the world around them, serves as the underlying philosophy for both versions of Science in Play.

The elements of the exhibit present in Marshall County – including creating your own rollercoaster, experimenting in the Science Depot, or visiting the Shapes and Stuff Store – encourage open-ended thought, collaboration, and creativity; fundamental skills that best prepare children to face the challenges and seize the opportunities of the 21st century. The traveling exhibit is free to the participating library.

SIP2GO’s impact is clear. Surveys conducted in the first year confirmed an average 81% of parents and caregivers report “feeling more confident in my ability to nurture my child’s science learning”; 91% believe that SIP2GO helps them “think of new ways to encourage learning at home” and 90% report it helps them “extend learning by asking my child questions and encourage new skills.”

SIP2GO’s creation was made possible thanks to generous support from PNC and Genentech, and in partnership with the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA).

Fact Sheet:

WHAT: Opening Event for Science in Play2GO in Marshall County
WHO: Families, Library Staff, Community Leaders
WHERE: Marshall County Public Library, Benton Branch, 1003 Poplar Street, Benton, KY 42025
WHEN: June 7, 2018 12:00 p.m. CST