Blog
Empowered Educators Make Powerful Learners
Every innovation starts with the recognition that change is not only good, but also necessary to make a difference in someone’s life.
Passion for Environment Leads to New "Pop-Up"...
By Bailey Thompson Passion, curiosity, and a great collaborator lead to some cool ideas. And, around here, cool ideas often become super cool pop-up experiences.
Maker Boot Camp Transforms Educators
Boot Camp conjures up images of testing limits, hard work, determination, and pushing boundaries. There is also a certain expectation from Boot Camp, the expectation of a physical, mental, and procedural transformation that result in self-improvement.
Makers are Everywhere around here
by: Bailey Thompson Play Facilitators like Mark Heinen help spark that curiosity in our guests at the Scott Family Amazeum. They work to create those moments of wonder and discovery that are integral to the everyday amazing experiences our guests expect.
2018 Was Some Zing to Celebrate
A big year calls for a big celebration, and 2018 was huge at the Scott Family Amazeum.
Meet the Maker: Eugene Sargent
A number of makers called the Scott Family Amazeum home during the first year of the Maker in Residence Program. Each brought a unique brand of creativity to the museum and community.
Maker Ecosystem a Balance of Creativity, Connections, and...
If it looks like a mobile. Acts like a mobile. Moves like a mobile. Then, it must be a mobile.
Meet the Maker: Amanda Willshire
The Scott Family Amazeum's Maker in Residence Program introduces talented, creative makers to Northwest Arkansas and the creative culture that already exists in the region.
Amazeum Makers in Residence Enhance Tinkerfest Experience
This year's Tinkerfest could easily have been a multi-day "Tinker Festival" largely due to the quality and quantity of makers in attendance. The Amazeum's Makers in Residence Program provided the impetus for a whole new level of making and tinkering.
Research Trip Provides Insights into Supporting NWA Maker...
Maker ecosystems grow out of a need for people to collaborate, communicate, create, and learn together.
Meet the Maker: Ryan Jenkins
Creative Collaboration, Cranky Contraptions, and the Rise of Mega-automata Most people who know about automata think about them as small, human-powered contraptions in a box in which gears, cams, levers, and pulleys automate a clever little vignette.
Much to Celebrate on Amazeum's 3rd Birthday
In the three years since we opened, weve had an incredible response from our community. In fact, 805,531 incredible responses from guests who visited the museum to play and learn with us.
Real World Experience for Summer Camp Interns
Amazeum Program Educators Support Future Teachers by Maddy Baumover During the second semester of my sophomore year at the University of Missouri, I began to give some thought to where I would be working a summer job.
Amazeum Hosts Second Maker Summit
The Scott Family Amazeum hosted makers from across Arkansas for the 2nd Arkansas Maker Summit on Monday, October 16th.
Meet the Maker: Mark Perez
Building a Creative Community by Making a Mousetrap The Amazeum hosted Mark Perez, Rose Hardin and their troupe of builder/performers - fungineers - as part the Maker in Residence Program funded by the Walton Family Foundation.
Hundreds Flashback to High School at Amazeum on...
Adults went back to school Friday, August 18, when they enrolled in Amazeum on the Rocks: High School Flashback.
Charrette Opens Discussion on Creative Spaces in Public...
We know youre thinking: What the heck is a charrette? Charrette, or two-wheeled cart in French, evolved to mean an intense design exercise at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
Animaker Camp - The Inside Scoop
Hey, 9-11 year olds! Have you been wondering about Animaker Camp? Let me give you the inside scoop. This week you get to make your OWN movies from start to finish.
A weekend of AMAZING learning and fun, here...
What an incredible weekend we just had!
Not only did we welcome our 500,000th guest last week, we also had a great week of creativity all around the museum (and country!). Let us share...
500,000 Amazing Visitors!
Thanks a (half of a) million Northwest Arkansas! A little more than 21 months ago, the Scott Family Amazeum opened its doors after a community-wide effort lasting over a decade.
Spring Break Camp 2017: Under the Big...
We had so much fun during our Spring Break Camp, exploring the fun world of the circus! Take a look at what our campers accomplished during the week.
Spring Break 2017: Imagination Staycation
Thanks to all of the amazing guests who made Spring Break 2017 so wonderful! Here's a peek at some of the fun we had together, including our awesome spring break camp, Under the Big Top, which was made possible by BIC Corporation.
Washington Junior High School Making Spaces
By Carrie Beach This is one of my favorite quotes. Sometimes I feel like one of the crazy ones.
Tinkering Through the Tears
by Susan White I have had more students cry in my Maker Space than I have in my entire teaching career! And you know what? Its a great thing.
Making Spaces, Schools, and the Amazeum - a...
OK, OK, the cat's *almost* out of the bag - Northwest Arkansas is increasingly becoming a maker haven.
Creativity. Curiosity. Community.
Creativity. Curiosity. Community. These three words are guiding forces in our work here at the Scott Family Amazeum. We would like to share with you a wonderful moment of Community. Without Creativity we would not have art.
Unfield Trips = Impact on Student Learning
Following your class visit the Scott Family Amazeum on an Unfield Trip, we mail out postcards for your students to reflect on their Unfield Trip experience.
Zing in the New Year - 2017!
Dear Amazeum Friends and Families- What an amazing year it has been! As the Amazeum gets ready to ring in 2017, we find it so satisfying to look back on the past year and a half.
New Membership Cards
In our first year, more than 8,500 households jumped on board as Charter Members.
Skill Swap 1 - Lilypad Arduino
Amazeum team - our first high tech Skill Swap of the year. Lilypad Arduino programming! Get ready Amazeum on the Rocks: MakerFashion.
#Amazeumroadtrip
If youre traveling this Spring Break, be sure to pack your Scott Family Amazeum membership card and receive complimentary or reduced admission at hundreds of museums. The Association of Science-Technology Center (ASTC) Travel Passport programs includes 350 participating museums offering complimentary admission.
Visiting Artist and Exhibit Builder, Kua Patten-
The Scott Family Amazeum team is working with Kua Patten to develop ideas to add to the Tinkerfest experience and to the museum itself later this year.
Children's Books Promoting Tinkering
Want to inspire tinkering and creativity in your kids? Here are some book suggestions from the Scott Family Amazeum team.
Full STEAM Ahead!
We rounded off our first summer of Amazeum camps with STEAM Camp. We covered a different letter of the STEAM acronym each day: Science on Monday, Technology on Tuesday, Engineering on Wednesday, Art on Thursday, and Math on Friday. These photos offer a sneak peek into some of the exploration that took place at STEAM Camp!
Curiosity Camp
Weve all heard of take your child to work day. This summer at the Amazeum, we reversed this idea. We hosted a bring your adult to camp week where four and five year olds had a chance to immerse their caregivers into the world of play.
The Science of Acting
The Science of Acting Camp, our second camp of the summer in partnership with Trike Theatre, drew from themes common to both science and drama to create a unique and collaborative program. This camp was a perfect example of a partnership program as it offered a little bit of everything for both the performer and the scientist in all of us.
Magic School Bus Summer Camp
During the week of July 21-25, 2014, the Amazeum partnered with Trike Theatre to offer our first ever partnership camp. Each morning during that week, we hopped on the Magic School Bus and let Mrs. Frizzle take us on a different journey each day. Children pre-k through 2nd grade looked at the same theme through a different lens at each of the three stations they visitedart, drama, and science.
Amazeum + Public Libraries = Outrageous Fun!
The Amazeum created a big splash in Northwest Arkansas by partnering with the local public libraries during summer 2014. In June and July, we went out to 10 public libraries to give more than 1,400 people a sneak peek of the Amazeums hands-on style of exploring.
Finishing Concrete on Ground Floor-
Today marked an important day in the construction schedule - the last major concrete pour of the ground floor!
The Idea Lab: Geometry in Action
Geometry: Things I learned in high school mathematics still come up in the most surprising ways!
Threading a Needle On the Site
Before construction can begin in earnest on the site, first the team must establish connections to utilities like water and sewer, as well as figure out where all utility lines are located so we don't accidentally disrupt during the building process.
Central Park Elementary
Over the course of the last month, the 3rd grade students of Central Park Elementary brainstormed, designed, and created a wide variety of exciting exhibit prototypes.
What a night! 7th Annual Dancing with...
Thank you to everyone who made last night?s 7th Annual Dancing with the Stars of Northwest Arkansas such an outrageous success!
Scott Family Amazeum @ 6 Months...
With six months under our belt as of today, we would like to again say thank you for joining and supporting us on this amazing journey!
Passion Moves Kids Into Action
Jennifer Howard, our guest author, is a second-grade teacher at Willowbrook Elementary in Bentonville. Willowbrook students helped Scott Family Amazeum staff prototype Unfield Trip experiences.
