National Children's Museum Launches Kid-Centric Online Citizen Science Project

Ready, Set, Glow! Encourages Children to Become Stewards of their Environment through Firefly Observation

WASHINGTON, DC (June 29, 2009) – The National Children’s Museum (NCM) today announces the launch of Ready, Set, Glow!, a unique collaboration between NCM and the Museum of Science, Boston (MOS), designed to help children become “citizen scientists” through studying fireflies in their own backyards and inputting the data online. Through a kid-friendly website – www.ReadySetGlow.org – children can begin to learn about fireflies and how they can help scientists discover new information about the insects. The goal of the project is to engage kids in fun, inquiry-based learning and stewardship of the environment.

“Watching fireflies on summer evenings has been a favorite pastime of children for generations,” said Linda Coulombe, Manager of Science Programs at the National Children’s Museum. “Ready, Set, Glow! provides a unique opportunity for kids to explore their curiosity further and then supply real data to researchers studying the insects, empowering children to make a difference.”

NCM and MOS teamed up with researchers from Tufts University and Fitchburg State College to track fireflies as part of a larger entomological research project led by the institutions. Through Ready, Set, Glow!, the organizations hope to engage families and learn more about the geographic distribution of fireflies and their activity during the summer season.

On www.ReadySetGlow.org families meet Flicker the Firefly, who walks them through the site’s features. Parents can collect tips for engaging kids in science, and children can download activity sheets, play a firefly matching game, read firefly jokes, and learn how to “be a scientist” by conducting the citizen scientist project. Then, families can visit the MOS Firefly Watch project website at www.mos.org/fireflywatch to register their “habitat,” learn more about the science behind the project, and upload their gathered firefly data.  

“NCM is committed to creating experiences that introduce kids to the outdoors in fun and meaningful ways and to giving families tools to use their senses to create personal connections with nature,” said Kathy Dwyer Southern, President & CEO of the National Children’s Museum. “This project demonstrates the Museum’s dedication to the environment and encourages and fosters an understanding and love of the natural world in children.”

Ready, Set, Glow! is one of a series of “kid citizen science” projects that NCM will be highlighting through programs at the Launch Zone over the next several months. The Museum will soon introduce the Lost LadyBug Project as well as Project FeederWatch, both led through a collaboration with Cornell University.

Support for Ready, Set, Glow! has been provided by an Innovation Generation Grant from Motorola Foundation.

About the Museum of Science

One of the world's largest science centers, the Museum of Science takes a hands-on approach to science and technology, attracting approximately 1.5 million visitors annually with its vibrant programs and over 700 interactive exhibits. Highlights include the Thomson Theater of Electricity, home of the world's largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator; the Charles Hayden Planetarium; the Mugar Omni Theater, New England's only 180-degree IMAX® domed screen theater; and The Gordon Current Science & Technology Center (GCS&T), which offers breaking news stories to the public with interpretation by Museum staff. In 2004, the Museum launched the National Center for Technological Literacy® (NCTL®)—helping facilitate a nationwide expansion of technology literacy by working with regional schools, offering educational products and programs for pre-K-12 students and teachers, creating curricula, and supporting an online resource center. For more information, visit www.mos.org.

About the National Children’s Museum

Scheduled to open in 2013, the National Children’s Museum (NCM) will be a world-class cultural and educational center dedicated to engaging children and empowering them to make a difference. The mission of NCM is to inspire children to care about and improve the world. Through its interactive exhibits, online community (www.ncm.museum), and unique national programs and partnerships, NCM is transforming the concept of a traditional museum by becoming a catalyst and forum for a national movement to inspire and empower kids to speak up, take action, and get engaged in their communities. Through 2013, NCM is operating as a Museum Without Walls, participating in a variety of community events and working with other arts and cultural organizations to develop creative partnerships that benefit kids and families. This spring, NCM opened the Launch Zone, a 2,700 square-foot space at National Harbor where kids and families can prototype and test exhibit and program concepts. For more information, visit www.ncm.museum.

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