Last week I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel at the Fred Forward Conference with Emily Kirkpatrick. Emily is the Vice President of the National Center for Family Literacy and they have a mission to promote learning outside the classroom. This mission has lead them to Wonderopolis and their "Wonder of the Day" initiative. Emily presented this wonderful tool that curates some amazing content during the panel and I had a chance to ask her a few questions.
Wonderopolis is a cross platform tool that is on the web, but also now available as an app on iOS and Android platforms. Each day, Wonderopolis answers questions in beautiful and visual ways appropriate to children that we always wonder about. Questions like: "What is a hybrid?" or "Who invented play dough?" The aim is to install children and families with that sense of wonder and fun around learning and understanding and valuing the world in which we live. It is a beautiful intention that is executed in a way that is respectful to children and aesthetically delightful.
Emily Kirkpatrick explains it best in our interview:
Donahoo: Wonderopolis is such a playful idea to foster children's curiosity and learning; have you thought about how that suits the touchscreen environment now that you have extended the content into app form and what that means for children's learning?
Kirkpatrick: Good question. We are working on a long-range plan now for Wonderopolis. Our ideas include mobile, far beyond apps, and your idea of touchscreen is very interesting. Given your comments on today's panel, I would be very pleased to learn from you and/or receive any ideas you may have.
Donahoo: Can you tell us more about learning moments, and maybe how having Wonderopolis on your phone aligns with that fantastic concept for parents?
Kirkpatrick: We believe learning moments happen all the time. It's the moment when your child asks why school buses are yellow. Or why flamingos are pink. The intriguing questions children of all ages ask present opportunities to wonder, learn and grow together. Wonderopolis available on the mobile phone makes our Wonders of the Day accessible to families 24/7, free of charge. Whether you're standing in line waiting to pay for groceries or on a bus commute, families can access our literacy and learning-packed wonders at any time. The point is learning should always be present, including outside of four-walls. Wonderopolis is a place, a destination. And we want it accessible in formal and informal environments – and to children of all ages, young and old.
Donahoo: Your content is such high quality, how do you source it and maintain such a high standard that is so respectful or parents and children's learning?
Kirkpatrick: Thank you! NCFL has a rich history of quality work. For Wonderopolis, our team of literacy specialists operates an ongoing editorial calendar of content and ideas. The ideas eventually become a Wonder of the Day. Our team researches the content, finds the unusual take on the idea to make it Wonder-filled and then creates the final content. We want our audience to have multiple points of access to Wonders, that's why we offer the full text version, a graphic image and also a video. In the future we hope to offer even more!
Donahoo: How important is it to use digital technology to take children and parents beyond the screen and to take learning out of a screen environment (and then maybe back into the screen environment)?
Kirkpatrick: It's essential in today's environment. In fact, it's a central tenet to us – it's why we've built Wonderopolis to be much more than a Web site. We want parents and children trying out activities (a component of each wonder of the day) that extend the theme of the wonder into all kinds of learning opportunities.
Donahoo: What are the key things parents need to learn about supporting their children's learning and development? How does Wonderopolis support that?
Kirkpatrick: Parents are essential to their child's educational development. Period. They have a huge role to play and, in turn, a huge responsibility. Learning does not begin and end within the four walls of a school. Children spend more than four times their waking hours outside of school, in fact. So what families do together matters. Learning can and should take place anywhere. Learning and education should be fun and oriented towards things that truly interest the individual.
Wonderopolis supports all of the above. We created Wonderopolis and are growing it in recognition of the beliefs above. As mentioned earlier today, on the panel, a Wonder of the Day must reflect a curious question that truly inspires wonder. We're particularly pleased that the Wonderopolis community bridges home, school and other environments (child care, after school).
Donahoo: How can we all maintain that wonder for our children?
Kirkpatrick: The biggest thing is to have conversations. Ask our children questions and steward their inner curiosity. Respond to their questions with conversation rather than quick answers. Have them explore. And encourage wondering around topics that are truly interesting to the child/individual, whether the subjects are cupcakes, rocket ships, the temperature of water or ancient myths.
You can find Wonderopolis online or download their iOS or Android apps.
