SMOKEY BEAR AND WOODSY OWL ARE BACK!

Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, U.S. Forest Service
join forces to teach youngsters about nature

SMOKEY BEAR and Woodsy Owl, symbols of nature to generations of Americans, are being introduced to kids born into a digital world through a significant collaboration between Milwaukee’s nationally recognized Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and the U.S. Forest Service.

Smokey Bear & Woodsy Owl: Home Sweet Home, the museum’s new interactive exhibit, is locally sponsored by National City and will be at the museum, 929 E. Wisconsin Ave., until May 31

Gail Kimbell, chief of the Forest Service, calls the exhibit one of “dozens of projects around the country to get kids away from the TV, away from the computer, away from video games and out into the forest, face-to-face with nature, up close and personal.”

The 2,000-square-foot green-built exhibit encourages families to spend time together outdoors and inspires children to discover and care for the natural resources that sustain the planet.

Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl guide visitors through pretend urban, woodland and stream settings, featuring a variety of educational activities (presented in English and Spanish), props, costumes and puppets. The exhibit underscores the importance of protecting ecosystems and highlights ways to reduce, reuse and recycle resources.

With exhibit activities designed for children ages 2-8, Home Sweet Home also provides young children with open-ended play opportunities that help build fundamental academic and social skills. Children move through areas that include “At Home In the Great Forest,” “At Home in the Urban Forest,” and “The Bridge Home.”

Research shows a “disconnect with the natural world,” notes Jean Claassen, Milwaukee urban connections coordinator for the Forest Service. Commenting at the opening of the new exhibit in March, she pointed out that the current generation could be the first that does not have a parent or grandparent who shows them the wonders of nature through camping, hiking or other outdoor experiences.

Jim Toth, exhibits director at Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, sees the exhibit as a significant way to reintroduce the iconic characters Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl. Toth is especially pleased that interest in hosting the exhibit has expanded from children’s museums to science centers around the country.

Opened in 1995, the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the healthy develop of children in their formative years, from birth to 10. In 2008, museum attendance reached a record high of more than 196,000 visitors.

The U.S. Forest Service manages 193 million acres of public land and is the largest forestry research organization in the world. The northeast regional office in Milwaukee includes 17 National Forests and one Tallgrass Prairie.

National City is now part of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., one of the nation's largest diversified financial services organizations. PNC, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has more certified green buildings (43) than any other company in the world.

Special activities at the museum in conjunction with Home Sweet Home exhibit include:

• “Spring Showers with Smokey Bear” April 10 at 11:30 a.m. explores the wonders of wet weather and the importance of spring rain.

• Daily Spring Break programs April 13-17 – Join a “Go Green with Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl” program at 10:30 a.m. Listen to nature stories around a campfire and learn about the environment each day at 1:30 p.m., with a new theme every day – “Be a Ranger” April 13; “Forest Homes” April 14; “Tree Talk” April 15; “H2O is the Way to Go” April 16, and “Recycle It!” April 17.

• “Pond Connections” at 2:30 p.m. April 14 brings the Urban Ecology Center staff for a puppet presentation. Children age 3 and older lean about freshwater ecology and examine live pond creatures.

• “Screech Owl at Midnight Hollow” at 11:30 a.m. April 17 brings the staff from the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center to tell the story by C. Drew Lamm. The program also gives youngsters a chance to meet a real screech owl and explore an owl’s special tools – wings, feathers and talons – that help the nocturnal animal survive.

• Earth Week celebration April 21-25: Special programs include “Renewable Energy Works” sponsored by We Energies at 11:30 a.m. April 21 (age 4 and older).

• Earth Day April 22 celebrates the importance of protecting the environment. Enjoy a “Go Green with Smokey Bear & Woodsy Owl” program and a visit by Smokey Bear at 10:30 a.m.; practice environmentally friendly actions at Puppet Play at 11:30 a.m., and create a sculpture made of natural or recyclable materials at 2 p.m. in the Artist’s Studio.