Friends of the Palo AltoJunior Museum & Zoo
December 2015 eNewsletter    Logo

Stanford's Social Learning Lab at the JMZ
Social Learning Lab researchers at the JMZ

The Junior Museum & Zoo is excited to partner with Stanford University's Social Learning Lab. Hear straight from the Lab about the work they're doing at the JMZ:
 
At the Social Learning Lab, we are interested in how young children learn about the world around them through exploration and interacting with others. The lab is lead by Dr. Hyowon Gweon and is made up of graduate students and undergraduate research assistants. The lab began running our research studies with children at the JMZ in January 2015, and we have had wonderful experiences interacting with our participants, parents, and staff at the museum.

Many of our studies examine how children interact with and learn about other people, and specifically, how they reason about teachers and act as teachers in social contexts. For instance, how do children decide what to teach others (e.g., do children know what is more useful for learners to know?), and do they know when teachers are uninformative (e.g., do children know when teachers omit useful information?). To investigate these and other related questions, we design short, fun, and engaging studies (we call them "games"), and the studies usually involve children playing with toys, puppets, or watching simple videos.
 
We involve a broad age range of children in our research, from 2-10 years old, and the studies take no longer than 15 minutes. Our research room is located inside the JMZ, and we are often walking around the museum looking for interested children and parents during the week and weekends. If you see us at JMZ, please feel free to chat with us if you are interested in participating or just curious about what study we are running that day!
Invest in science education for children at local,  under-funded schools. 
A third-grade student in the Science Outreach Program

Since 1999, the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo has provided a STEM curriculum Science Outreach Program to at-risk schools in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park. Junior Museum & Zoo Educators engage more than 1,200 students each year through this vital program, utilizing the JMZ's animals and artifacts as teaching tools.

The demand for the Science Outreach Program is growing. In 2015, the Friends received a three-year grant from Santa Clara County to expand this program to their classrooms, enabling the JMZ to engage two additional schools in hands-on, interactive science education.

Science Outreach Program in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park costs $50,000 each school year, ALL of which is raised by the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. We need your help to continue providing this critically important science education program to under-funded schools.

Please consider investing in these students by   making a donation this holiday season.

Building a New Junior Museum & Zoo  
The Board of Directors of Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo reports steady progress towards the goal of rebuilding the beloved Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo -  a center of excellence in science education serving the mid-peninsula region. The new JMZ will preserve the intimate atmosphere conducive for self-directed play, while modernizing the facility and offering increased accessibility and learning opportunities.   
The planning team returns to the Parks & Recreation Commission and the Architectural Review Board in early 2016, and the Environmental Review will be complete in mid-2016. Plans for the new facility are being refined with the input received from the Commission and Review Board as well as by design workshops focused on the visitor experience and the JMZ's education mission.
The most compelling aspect of the JMZ Initiative is the challenge grant from the Peery Foundation to match the first $10 million raised with $15 million.  Time is of the essence - this $1.5 match for every dollar raised expires at the end of June. As of November 30, 2015, the JMZ Initiative has just $3.7 million more to raise to meet the $10 million goal and release the Peery matching funds. The Friends' Board of Directors are thankful to the Jacques M. Littlefield Foundation for its recent grant of $100,000 in support of the JMZ Initiative, and to Frank and Trinity Klein, Asian Box, Yoav Gilat and Cannonball Wines for their contributions.
 
Visit our website by clicking here to learn more, view videos or download a campaign prospectus. Contact Paula March , Campaign Counsel, at 650-326-6338 to discuss recognition opportunities.
As you plan for your year-end giving, please consider an investment in the JMZ Initiative.
Register for Winter Science Classes
Don't miss out on winter science classes at the JMZ! Registration begins December 3rd for residents, and December 10th for non-residents.
 
In the class Dinosaurs, preschoolers look at the JMZ's collection of fossils and make a cast to take home. Dinosaurs meets on Wednesdays, March 2 - March 16, 10-10:45am. Register online.

To find out more information about classes, call 650-329-2111 or   register online.

Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo

1451 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-326-6338


The Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoois a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and enhancing the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. Our public/private partnership with the City of Palo Alto provides families with a creative and nurturing environment for kids to learn about science. Thank you for your continued support!
In This Issue
Give the gift of membership this holiday season!

Club JMZ benefits include:
  • Members-only hours, 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month
  • Amazing Club JMZ events, like the annual Halloween Zoo Night
  • T-shirts for the family featuring your favorite zoo animals
Club JMZ memberships can be purchased online or at the JMZ.
Donor Spotlight 
 
We would also like to thank those who give to the Annual Fund:
Anonymous
John Aikin
Annette Bialson & Gary Sharron
Donna Bohling & Doug Kalish
Alexey & Katrina Bulankov
Aletha & Denis Coleman
Dransfield Bridger Family
Shirley Ely
Melissa & Paul Hopkins
Jake & Robin Reynolds Fund
Koch Family Fund
Marnie & Karol Marcin
Robert McKeown
Satomi Okazaki & Shirish Altekar
Olander Family Foundation 
Michelle & Roxy Rapp
Laurel & Matt Robinson
Jane Rytina & Jonathan Chadwick
Chris Skarakis
Mollie & Tim Stitt
Shelly & Scott Taylor
Steve & Missy Reller Fund
William Reller

Club JMZ Corporate and Leader Members:
Melissa & Paul Hopkins
Kimberly & Alex Klikoff
Liencres Family
Meredith & David Pfeffer

  Thank you to our generous donors for making Science Outreach Program and other projects possible:
Anonymous (2)
Boston Private Bank 
Brin Wojcicki Foundation
KC Family Foundation
Koret Foundation
Palo Alto Community Foundation
Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund
Pearlstein Family Foundation
Penner Family, Walton Family Fdn.
Rathmann Family Foundation
Wave2Wave Foundation
Yellow Chair Foundation 

Thank you to Major Donors to the JMZ Initiative Capital Campaign:
Friends of the JMZ Board of Directors
Brin Wojcicki Foundation
William V. Campbell
Christensen Family
David & Lucile Packard Foundation
Yoav Gilat & Cannonball Wines 
Jacques M. Littlefield Foundation 
Frank & Trinity Klein & Asian Box  
John & Allison Marston Danner Fnd.
John & Marcia Goldman Foundation
KC Family Foundation
Annette & Chop Keenan
Keith & Mariela Kleiner Charitable Fund
Koch Family Fund
LaureL Foundation
Ludwick Family Foundation
Page Family Foundation
Peery Foundation
The Ranzetta Family Charitable Fund
Rathmann Family Foundation
William Reller
Sereno Properties Palo Alto
Ted & Michele Wang
William H Draper III & Phyllis C Draper Fnd.
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Yellow Chair Foundation

We are grateful to all donors who have given to the Friends of JMZ and the JMZ Initiative. Your donation - whatever size - really makes a difference.

Photo by Veronica Weber