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'This is their program': Children and families grow alongside Balloon Museum storytelling program
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As dozens of children and their families gathered in the Sky Lounge at the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum on Wednesday morning, storyteller and music educator Maryse Lapierre was putting the finishing touches on her reading program.
When the clock struck 9:30 and the front rows were filled, Lapierre greeted the crowd with a big 鈥淗ello!鈥�
鈥淗ello!鈥� her audience replied.
It鈥檚 a greeting Lapierre has given and received over the past eight years, since she took over as the storyteller and music educator for the museum鈥檚 鈥淪tories and Music in the Sky鈥� program. Started nearly two decades ago, the program features early childhood education activities based on reading, singing and getting the children up and moving. The content is geared toward preschoolers, toddlers, kindergarteners and first graders. Museum admission is free for families attending the reading program.
Lapierre has seen the program become a cornerstone of the museum鈥檚 curriculum and a staple of many families鈥� Wednesday routine.
鈥淚鈥檝e been doing this for a while, and I鈥檝e seen a lot of kiddos move on and then come back and visit with a younger sibling,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool to have connections that meaningful.鈥�
Each Wednesday, Lapierre鈥檚 program has a theme. The theme this week was 鈥淭he Nature and Science of Season: Autumn,鈥� with the kids being taught what to expect when the season turns from summer to fall. Each theme is picked by the museum鈥檚 education curator, Anita Fernandez, and Lapierre will build around it. In September, they鈥檝e held readings on the solar system and the season and are planning to cover animal migration.
鈥淥ur themes are based on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) topics, and while you may think that鈥檚 hard for a little one to understand, Maryse does a great job showing pictures and making it relevant for them,鈥� Fernandez said.
The integration of music and getting the kids up and moving has also helped them stay engaged during the hourlong reading programs, according to Fernandez.
鈥淚 think what sets us apart from other reading programs in the city is that we do music and dance that tie in with the theme,鈥� she said.
Fernandez hopes the children and their families build a connection, not only to the program but to the museum as a whole. Week after week, she watches as families visit some of the museum鈥檚 exhibits after the reading is over. She said it鈥檚 those types of experiences that will build a lasting memory and connection for the kids.
鈥淚 really enjoy seeing the kids feel like this is their program, their museum,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey feel comfortable here.鈥�
After Wednesday鈥檚 reading, Lapierre invited the families to create handmade crafts. The audience members were able to create a cutout of a maple leaf, use colored paper strips to make a pumpkin or an apple, or create their own paper wind chime. As soon as the go-ahead was given, the kids rushed to the supply table to grab their materials and scattered to the tables around the room to begin. While they were hard at work, Lapierre was setting up for her next show, which would start in roughly 25 minutes.
If you ask her, there鈥檚 nothing else she鈥檇 rather be doing.
鈥淚 like teaching, I like singing and I like being around little ones,鈥� Lapierre said. 鈥淚 like doing this because it鈥檚 good for my heart. And I think it鈥檚 good for everyone else鈥檚 heart, too.鈥�
