Children's museum brings House Calls program to schools

photos by Laura emerson/viewLeft, Stanford Elementary School fourth-grade student Ciannese Alphonse listens to her heart during a Lied Discovery Children?s Museum program called House Calls at the school on Oct. 14. Above, fourth-grader Adrian Robles points to the location of the human heart on a model as House Calls program manager Karina Nevers looks on. photos by Laura emerson/viewLeft, Stanford Elementary School fourth-grade student Ciannese Alphonse listens to her heart during a Lied Discovery Children?s Museum program called House Calls at the school on Oct. 14. Above, fourth-grader Adrian Robles points to the location of the human heart on a model as House Calls program manager Karina Nevers looks on. Advertisement

Stanford Elementary School fourth-graders received a visit from the Lied Discovery Children's Museum last month.

Hosted by Karina Nevers under the guise of Dr. K, the traveling outreach program taught the children about the body's circulatory and respiratory systems.

Wearing light blue medical scrubs and a white lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck, Nevers began by talking about exhibits at the museum and why she came to Stanford Elementary School, 5350 Harris Ave. Through the House Calls program, the children's museum aims to enhance students' health science curriculum at school.

"Did everyone bring their body with them?" Nevers asked the class. "OK, good, because you're going to need it."

To help her explain tough concepts, Nevers uses visual aids, including an actual pig's lung.

"I don't think they're expecting to see all this stuff," said Nevers, who is manager of learning experience at the museum.

Nevers showed the fourth-graders a worn, medium-brown, leather doctor's bag that was used by Joe Lapan, a retired pediatrician. Collectively, the students gasped at the sight of the medical bag.

Tifferney White, the museum's director of education and programs, said that using real items as props helps the children learn and appreciate the material more so than if fake items were used.

Nevers also used examples and audience participation to keep the children's attention, such as having them create "blood" as she described its components.

Plastic baggies were used to simulate arteries, colored water took the place of plasma, and other items were used as white and red blood cells. After they had all the ingredients, students shook their plastic baggies and a red-colored substance appeared.

"We developed this program so it's fun and exciting for the children," White said.

House Calls is available for grades kindergarten through fifth, and each grade has a specific curriculum. Classes are taught at the school campus, not the museum, and include food and nutrition for kindergartners, dental health for first-graders, the five senses for second grade, cells and genetics for third grade, circulatory and respiratory systems for fourth-graders and medical professions and equipment for fifth grade. The House Calls program is open to schools in the area via a reservation.

"It was really good," fourth-grader Eric Escobar said. "I want to pump that (lung) over there."

Melissa Leonardo's fourth-grade class at Stanford learned how to find their pulse, use a stethoscope and check someone's blood pressure.

"When it moved, it kind of creeped me out," fourth-grader Giselle Leyeva said of the lung.

The creation of House Calls was possible due to a gift from Lapan and his wife, Joan, longtime museum supporters.

"I thought it was great," Leonardo said. "They learned so much."

For more information, visit www.ldcm.org or call 382-3445.

Contact View education reporter Laura Emerson at lemerson@viewnews.com or 380-4588.