HD306 Skirball

Skirball Noahs Ark Exhibit

Cherilyn Helguera
Pacific Oaks College
HD306-Play In Childhood

HD306 Skirball

Upon entering the exhibit I could see these beautiful birds overhead. The
materials that were used intrigued my mind. High heels, bicycle seats, fly swatters, mop
heads, etc. The Ark exhibit is completely interactive. Children as well as adults are
encouraged to touch, climb, crawl through, and manipulate each element of the exhibit.
This exhibit supports the quality of play by challenging children's movements in
fine and gross motor skills. Pulling ropes, scooping poop, sweeping, placing animals on a
conveyer belt, and making it rain are just some of the activities that promote growth.
Children interacting with one another in manipulating the environment for a common
goal develop language and social emotional skills. Some activities such as; setting a
table, pulling ropes to get poop or fruits up to the top level or down to the bottom,
climbing through rope tunnels with older children showing foot placement to younger
ones.
During my visit I was able to observe three children interacting with other
children and adults. I was pleasantly surprised at how considerate parents were in my
explanation of me following their child around and writing. I observed a 3-year-old
boy, a 7-year-old girl, and an 11-year-old boy. Each child belonged to a different family
which made observing their interactions with others interesting.
The first observation was with the 3-year-old boy. He was quite energetic and
curious. His play consisted of touching, pulling, pushing, and minimal language. While
playing in the first area of where you can hear sounds of a storm, the boy was with his
parents sending animals into the Ark. With assistance from dad, they placed foam animals
onto a conveyer belt and cranked them into the Ark. When the animals reached their

HD306 Skirball

destination, the boy laughed, clapped, and cheered for the success. He would say, again
again! while going alongside the belt to retrieve more animals.
Upon entering the next room, the inside of the Ark, he took a mop and dragged
it all around. Then he took it back to the previous room to pull it along. When his mother
coaxed him back, he began to pick up the poop that was on the floor. The father was
working the pulley system and tried to coerce his son to look at it. The boy then put the
poop in the basket by the guiding of his father. He would walk back and forth and pick up
one pile at a time to place it into the baskets.
The father then led him up the rope tunnels to the top level. With mom on the
lower level, she pulled the rope to send up the basket of poop. The boy laughed with his
father as they took it out and put it back in to send it down. At one point the mother put
the boys cup into the basket and sent it up. The boy took it out, drank out of it, and then
placed it back in the basket to send it down with his fathers assistance. He seemed
intrigued with this as they did this numerous times.
The parents were completely engaged with their son by describing what each
animal was and the environment they were in. The boy was continuously exploring the
environment while his parents were unafraid that anything would be broken. When the
boy picked up a fruit they said, strawberry and he said, yum. With consistent
interaction the parents supported the childs play by allowing him to explore while they
provided learning opportunities by explaining the environment.
My second observation was with a 7-year-old girl. She seemed a little hesitant at
first to be engaged, she carefully touched the animal structures. She listened to the sounds
they made while working the lightening crank. She would touch the glass to the lightning

HD306 Skirball

as if to feel it if possible. When a smaller child would come by her, she would look at
them and slowly move away to explore to the next exhibit. Her mother came by her and
spoke a different language to her. I could not make out the language, but they conversed
while pointing at the exhibits.
Upon entering the inside of the Ark, she gravitated to the kitchen section. She set
the table by placing all the plates down, then the cups, and food. She meticulously placed
various fruits and vegetables on the plates. She seemed quite specific as where and how
she wanted them placed. In her language she called for her parents. They sat at the table
and all pretended to eat the food. Unfortunately, unable to comprehend the language I can
only self determine what they were saying but saw the concept of schema. Piagets key
idea of schema, is that the representation of the mind of a set of perceptions, ideas, and/or
actions, which go together, (learningandteaching, 2004).
The father later got up while the mother and daughter stayed to eat. He found the
poop and showed the mother and daughter. As they went over to him, they touched it and
laughed. The daughter saw one of the smaller children putting it into the basket for the
pulley system. She picked up the remaining piles and placed them all into a bucket. She
walked over to the pulley system and placed the piles inside of it. She pulled it up on her
own, but no one was there to take it. She found a way to get to the top, but another family
pulled the rope down while their child took the poop.
When the girl reached the top and saw the basket gone, she looked down at the
child taking her spoils and looked bewildered. Her father called her while pointing at the
gorilla in a hut like exhibit. She immediately came down to her father and went inside.
She curled up by the gorilla while her father took pictures of her with it. They

HD306 Skirball

communicated while touching the gorilla and smiling. She also placed her hand by the
gorillas hand and made a surprise face as if shocked by its size.
My third observation was with an 11-year-old boy. I walked in with him and his
family as a group and began observing him straight away. He was looking around quite a
bit, but quiet. His mother would point out interesting items that the animals were created
from and he would nod his head. While walking through a hallway, there was hand
carved Arks on display. He seemed very interested. He stopped and looked at the
different ones.
I said, Wow, those are so beautiful! I cant believe how much detail goes into
that! He replied, I like making stuff and its hard. We talked about the details that go
into the pieces but also the painting of each Ark. He explained how his mother likes to
paint but he likes to build. He stated his father works in construction so he likes to build
things with him. He knows how to work with tools and states he is safe when using them.
When we went into the next room which had the pulley system with an upper
level, he said, this is cool but wheres the Ark? I looked around and said, I think were
in it. He smiled while looking around and said, Oh! He decided to explore the inside
by working the pulley system, climbing up to the second level, and working with the rain
gutter mazes.
I was surprised at how intrigued and engaged he was with the exhibits since he
was the only adolescent there. He placed poop into the basket and pulled it up. He was
curious more about what it was made from. He said, This isnt designed to be from a
small animal, its for a way bigger one. He enjoyed sitting on the second level for
sometime while observing the other children and even assisting them when needed.

HD306 Skirball

When he came upon the rain gutter maze he said, what is it? I was not quite
sure myself, but when we maneuvered the pieces around, an exhibit volunteer came by
and explained the purpose of the maze. Then he became more engaged to figure out how
to get the fruit into the animals mouth. As he moved the pieces to fit together, he placed
a strawberry at the top and dropped it in. When it reached the animals mouth it would hit
the corner and miss. He continued to move the pieces around, but the fruit would not
quite make it.
Finally, I placed the piece at the top and dropped it in while he looked at the
bottom. He noticed the piece was sticking out too much. He switched the piece above it
with another. As he dropped the strawberry in, it made its mark. He smiled while I highfived him for his success. He seemed quite proud at his discovery and accomplishment.
Overall, I had a wonderful experience, which opened my mind in seeing how this
exhibit fosters play. With everything being child friendly it allows each level of a
childs development to be engaged. From babies touching to adolescents working the
mechanics of the exhibit. Gross and fine-motor skills, language and communication,
social-emotional skills, and cognitive learning are being reinforced. The best part is a
childs creativity is being broadened and encouraged. Most adults take this element for
granted and need to support this part of their childs growth.

HD306 Skirball

7
References

Atherton J S (2013) Learning and Teaching; Piaget's developmental theory [On-line:

UK] retrieved July 29, 2015 from:
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm