Inspiring our future colleagues
Andrea Martin tags along as more than 300 kids find out just what their parents are up to all day during the annual Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, April 25, 2019.
Our museums are always filled with the sounds of laughing children, excited to see exhibits and learn about historic artifacts or scientific discoveries. But the offices where we work to bring those exhibits to life aren’t typically bursting with contagious, youthful energy. Similarly, our families and neighbors at home have an idea of what we do, but rarely do they get to see our efforts here.
On Thursday, April 25, Smithsonian organizations in the National Capital Region had the chance to show off our roles and invite children into our behind-the-scenes offices as part of Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day—a nationwide program that provides interactive workplace environments to introduce children to the limitless possibilities made available through education. While some people may think of it as simply a day for the kids to shadow their moms and dads at work, it is intended to be a day when any child (your own, your neighbors, friends, cousins, whomever) can visit your workplace and be immersed in the interesting positions and various responsibilities available within an organization. Of course, to say the Smithsonian offers interest and variety is a bit of an understatement, so we met that objective head on.
Smithsonian’s Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day Task Force Chair Jason Sawyer and his daughters Leah (14) and Sadie (10) were all smiles as they took advantage of the day’s activities that appealed to kids of all ages. Photo by Jason Schiavoni, OBATS)
“The spirit of the event is to show our children all the exciting careers they could pursue while attending fun events scheduled through the day,” said Jason Sawyer, chair of the Smithsonian Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day Task Force and, in his day job, the Facilities Knowledge Manager in the Smithsonian Facilities Office of Business and Technical Services. “The Institution is a great place to work and there are so many different positions we have staffed. If a child wanted to talk to a paleontologist, astrophysicist, lawyer, librarian, or electrician we could probably work it out.”
Smithsonian’s position diversity worked especially well with this year’s theme, “Workforce Development for All.”
Jordyn McReynolds, age 4, worked diligently on coloring a detailed map of the National Air and Space Museum with staff from the Geospatial Information Division. (Photo by Andrea Martin, OBATS)
A few hours before the museums opened on the 25th, approximately 350 children and their escorts walked through the doors of the National Air and Space Museum, picking up colorful Smithsonian bags to hold all of the day’s give-a-ways as they entered. After oohing and ahhing at the famous aircraft and towering rockets, they were introduced to many of the staff behind these and other awe-inspiring exhibits. The corridor of the museum was lined with display tables staffed by employees eager to explain their day-to-day responsibilities to our future colleagues. Kids got hands-on experience with our Geospatial Information Division by coloring maps, got to try their hands at using a fire extinguisher with the Office of Safety, Health, and Environmental Management, be inspired by Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing, and Design (WiSTEM2D), learn from museum collections managers, and even become familiar with cost engineering. In total, 14 Smithsonian offices and groups kicked off morning with activities for the visiting children.
Kids of all ages learned about fire safety and practiced their extinguishing skills using an interactive simulator. Photo by Andrea Martin, OBATS)
Later, the kids filled the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater to learn about other important careers, including those of service dogs and their handlers, during a special viewing of SuperPower Dogs, a documentary highlighting incredible dogs that do everything from providing emotional support to surfing with people who have special needs, to protecting endangered species from poachers in Africa.
At the Get Crafty table, kids got creative and painted assorted wooden toys they were able to take home to show off their skills. Credit: Andrea Martin, OBATS
Other museums on the Mall had activities for the day’s visitors. The youngest participants could take in a viewing of Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood at Discovery Theater to get to know all the people that build a community. Children of all ages got crafty behind the scenes at the National Museum of Natural History where they donned aprons and painted beautiful wooden trinkets. Kids were invited to create their own glimmering Aladdin’s lamp at the Freer ImaginAsia Studio. At the National Museum of American History’s Spark!Lab, students were able to combine STEM activities with the arts and creativity to learn all about the invention process. Smithsonian Libraries got involved by hosting Book Cases: A Mystery Straight Out of the Stacks. Using J.K. Rowling’s novels about Harry Potter as inspiration, kids worked together using notes and items from Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, and Potions to explore the library’s collections and solve a mystery. All across the Smithsonian campus, up and down the Mall, participants interacted with museums and staff in ways they normally wouldn’t.
Nate Schiavoni, 13, busy innovating and inventing at the National Museum of American History Spark!Lab. (Photo by Jason Schiavoni, OBATS)
“I’m glad I got to come today,” said Nate Schiavoni, son of Smithsonian Facilities Communications Manager Jason Schiavoni. “It was interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at all the work that goes into running the museums.” Yet, that experience didn’t quite measure up to his favorite part of the day. “The IMAX movie SuperPower Dogs was incredible!” When asked if he’d like to come back next year, he and his younger brother Evan agreed they would.
Evan Schiavoni, 10, became a pro at using a microscope. Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day strives to introduce children to as many possible careers as possible. Smithsonian highlighted positions from occupation safety, to research science, accounting, and everything in between. (Photo by Jason Schiavoni, OBATS)
While the day was filled to the brim with activities, there was still plenty of free time to swing by offices, meet colleagues of their parents’ the kids have long heard of, and make friends with other participants. By the time it all ended and it was time to head home, everyone, parents and children alike had a new appreciation of what it takes to keep an organization as large and complex as the Smithsonian running smoothly each day.
This was the fourth year Smithsonian National Capital Region celebrated Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, and surely won’t be the last. Each year, more units participate and more children spend the day on our campus. As Sawyer summed it up, “Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is an opportunity to show our children a glimpse into the world we disappear to for a majority of the work day and hopefully spark an interest for them to start down their own career path.”
Who wouldn’t want to help kindle that spark?
New friends walked hand in hand towards the morning’s kick-off activities at the National Air and Space Museum after meeting at their parents’ offices. (Photo by Sudie Brown, OBATS)
Andrea Martin is a Communications Specialist in Smithsonian Facilities’ Office of Business and Technical Services. She’s just a kid at heart..
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Posted: 9 May 2019
