KidZania. A Mecca for Simulations and Role Playing. This is the Future.

Hello Troops,

I found something unique and fascinating as I searched for organizations that use role playing and simulations in education.


 This is the KidZania experience. Kids come in, take careful instructions from their corporate bosses and then work in the pursuit of KidZos, which they put away in bank accounts so that they can come back and earn even more by putting in additional days of pretend work. Add in a Dilbert calendar and a mini-golfing bag and you’ve got yourself one great simulacra of the modern working experience. Currently, KidZania has locations in eight cities around the world including Tokyo, Dubai and Mexico City, with franchises planned for China, Brazil, Egypt and other countries. 

http://www.kidzania.com  

KidZania provides children and their parents a safe, unique, and very realistic educational environment that allows kids between the ages of four to twelve to do what comes naturally to them: role-playing by mimicking traditionally adult activities. As in the real world, children perform "jobs" and are either paid for their work (as a fireman, doctor, police officer, journalist, shopkeeper, etc.) or pay to shop or to be entertained. The indoor theme park is a city built to scale for children, complete with buildings, paved streets, vehicles, a functioning economy, and recognizable destinations in the form of "establishments" sponsored and branded by leading multi-national and local brands. Personal experience is a powerful learning tool. Through each job and activity, kids learn about how society functions, financial literacy, adult professions, team work, independence, self-esteem and real-life skills. Activities are completely hands-on to provide the most contextual and engaging learning experience.

From police officer to dentist and restaurateur, each KidZania offers NEARLY 100 role-playing activities in more than 60 establishments with a range of difficulty to meet the abilities and interests of every child. Kids work to earn kidZos, KidZania's own currency, so they can pay for goods and services in the KidZania city. Pilots navigate airplanes, television anchors read the news, police officers perform detective work and chefs cook up tasty food. KidZania is a complete city with a hospital, fire station, beauty salon, bank, radio station, supermarket, television station, pizzeria, theater, and much more. At two-thirds their actual size, all facilities are designed to be 'just right' for children. Getting started is simple: kids pick an occupation, learn about their job, don a uniform, and start EARNING AND SPENDING KIDZOS...and having fun!

"Zupervisors" are on hand to introduce AND provide support for each activity. Zupervisors are trained adults who guide and help kids accomplish their tasks as they work and play. KidZania's attention to professionalism and training has earned it the highest level of trust among parents, educators and community leaders as a facility where kids can have fun, exert their independence and be safe.

Role-playing is a universal form of play enjoyed by children all OVER THE WORLD. Role-playing is fun – and has very positive educational, psychological and motivational benefits. Psychologists, educators and play experts are extensively consulted during the development of every KidZania location to ensure our curriculum content matches school areas of focus: creativity, critical thinking, communication, confidence, and collaboration.

By blending reality with entertainment, KidZania provides an authentic and powerful developmental experience, preparing kids to understand and manage their world. Kids acquire real-life skills, learn about working and having a career and are introduced to the fundamentals of financial literacy. While children are having fun at KidZania, they are also learning socialization skills, mutual cooperation and respect. Their creativity shines, they learn independence, develop decision-making skills and participate with their community – all skills that they will need to succeed as adults.

This short article is worth a quick read.

http://utopianist.com/2011/04/kidzania-entertainment-centers-train-tiny-generation-of-corporate-strivers/

How about a KidZania right here in Utah County?  All we needs is a measly  $20,000,000.



Wouldn't our Space Center fit right in with KidZania's concept?  Imagine a few of our starship simulators in each location.  Kids would be lined up and salivating profusily to get in and soar to the very furthest reaches of the known universe.

 A Field Trip Enjoying Our Voyager Simulator Experience

The Future of Education

In my opinion, the Space Center's concept of mixing play with education in a simulated environment is the future of education.  KidZania is just one more example of the concept in action worldwide.

Feel free to comment in the comment's section or email me (director@spacecamputah.org).  I'd like to hear what you have to say.

Mr. Williamson

Old Times, Old Photos in Tonight's Digital Gathering

Hello Troops,
 The Troubadour gives us a place to reminisce, share a laugh or two, pass along bits of news on the Space Center, and keep in touch with each other during this long winter of our discontent . 

In tonight's 'digital' fireside gathering of staff, volunteers and campers,  I'm going to pass around a few photographs from the Space Center's old days.  Pull up a chair, squeeze in and let's get started.

This picture takes us back to the early 1990's  This is what the Odyssey looked like when it first opened in 1992

I found these ultra cool black Apple computers that I knew had to be in the Space Center's newest ship ISES.   ISES is what I called the Odyssey when it opened.  Dave Wall was the designer and builder of the Odyssey.  He didn't like the name ISES (Inner Space Exploration Ship) and called the ship Seeker.  So, for a year or so, the Odyssey was called either ISES or Seeker, depending on who was talking.

This disagreement had to be resolved.  People were getting too confused.  Dave and I compromised.  I gave up ISES.  He gave us Seeker (I hated that name) and we both agreed on Odyssey.

Back to the black computers.  Back then you could buy Apple computers in any color you desired, as long as it was white.  Then these black Apple's came on the market and, if you wanted to be cool, you bought one.  I was cool, so I bought several for the Odyssey.

They sat right out there in the open.  These were the days before we hid our computers behind black plastic screens.   

This shot was taken toward the front of the Odyssey.  I couldn't find enough black Apple's, so we had to include a white computer.  It messed up the color scheme but it really didn't matter.  I had a $25,000 grant to build the Odyssey and we had to stay in budget - mismatched computers or not.  

That's a dot matrix printer on the front counter.  It used stacks of perforated paper and made a racket as it printed messages.

The Odyssey was a great ship.  I know many of you had the chance to fly in her over her twenty year life span.  Just think of the stories those walls could tell;  good times, very good times.    

Here comes the next picture.  Keep passing them along.  Make sure everyone has a chance to see - and speak up if you have any questions.

I know I've shown this before to you Troubadours, but I'm going to pass it around again because many of you never got to see it last time.  This picture was taken right after our last 48 Hour Camp on July 31, 2000.  That was the last time anyone did a mission with the old Voyager computers.  We gathered on the Voyager's Bridge to bid the old bridge a fond farewell. 

"A Toast to the Voyager.  The finest ship in the fleet!" I'm saying. 

"To the Voyager!" everyone repeated. 

The following day, all the Voyager's bridge furniture was pulled out.  The Voyager was going to be remodeled.  The ship got new desks, new computers (behind black plastic), new carpeting and new chairs.  It was sad to say goodbye to the original bridge, but we had to stay ahead of the times. 

How many of the old staff do you recognize? 

The Great Fish, Kyle Herring sitting in the Voyager's Captain's chair in November 2000.  The Voyager was remodeled.  It was time to reopen the ship to field trips and the public.

We're going to jump ahead a few years with this next photo. It is 2004.   Bradyn Lystrup has a slight injury to his knee.  Our highly trained professional medics gave his magic medicine (M & M's) then treated the wound with duct tape. Bradyn lived to tell the tale - narrowly escaping an amputation, which I recommended.  A recommendation the medic flatly refused. 

This photo was taken at the Space Center's 15th birthday party, November 2005.   I'm standing on Central Elementary's Stage, surrounded by very happy staff and volunteers.  How many can you name?  How many have you flown with? 

Warren Nuila is wearing his black Space Center T-shirt and stands next to Stacy and I.  I'm happy to report that Warren just returned from an LDS mission to Germany.  Where has the time gone?  

I'm talking to Dr. Stan Harward.  Stan was the principal of Central Elementary when the Space Center was built in 1990.   He was my co-pilot in this adventure.  The Space Center wouldn't have been had Stan not supported the idea and backed me 100%. 

Think of all the people who pooled their talents and made the Space Center what it was,  the second happiest place on Earth!

Our final picture to pass around.  This was taken in the Discovery Room during one of the Space Center's Honor's Nights in 2007.  Sam Brady, Megan Warner and Casey Voeks were awarded their 1000 point, home made - Lorraine made, blankets.   Our volunteers and staff got Lorraine made pillowcases at 500 volunteer points and blankets at 1000.  Everyone wanted a Lorraine, hand stitched (with a machine's help) blanket to use when you staffed an Overnight Camp. 

Sam moved on after high school.  Megan was with us up to the day the Space Center closed in August.  Casey comes and goes depending on whoever is writing the bigger check!   :)

Space News

 Hello Troops,

We set our clocks back to Standard Time early this morning.  The nights are getting longer and longer as the Earth revolves around the Sun to the Winter Solstice on December 21.  

You can see where the Earth is now on the graphic above as we inch our way closer and closer to the first day of Winter. 

Our days are growing shorter because of the Earth's tilt of 23.4 degrees. 

In this picture you see that the Earth's tilt in the Winter means less sunlight on the Northern Hemisphere.  Our days are shorter because of it and temperatures drop.

Those people living in the Southern Hemisphere move into the summer in December.  You see that the Earth's tilt gives them more direct sunlight and longer days.  

Curiosity Rover finds no methane on Mars.  
A Bad Sign for Life.

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has detected no methane in its first analyses of the Martian atmosphere — news that will doubtless disappoint those who hope to find life on the Red Planet.

Living organisms produce more than 90 percent of the methane found in Earth's atmosphere, so scientists are keen to see if Curiosity picks up any of the gas in Mars' air. But the 1-ton rover has come up empty in the first atmospheric measurements taken with itsSample Analysis at Mars instrument, or SAM, researchers announced today (Nov. 2).

Like a tourist who snaps a photo of himself in front of the Eiffel Tower, NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has stretched out its arm and captured a high-resolution self-portrait in spectacular surroundings.

The 1-ton Curiosity rover took 55 hi-res pictures with its Mars Hand Lens Imager camera, or MAHLI, on Oct. 31. Mission scientists then stitched the images together to create a full-color mosaic of Curiosity and its Gale Crater landing site.

Our Galaxy has How Many Potential Planets?