THCM partners with local businesses to host Brain Teasers 2 traveling exhibit

Children’s Museum partners with local businesses and organizations to host Brain Teasers 2 traveling exhibit

Problem-solving skills are important for all ages. For kids, problem-solving helps them become more independent and excel academically, and for adults, it’s a universal job skill that is critical to every position in every industry. A new traveling exhibit opening at the Terre Haute Children’s Museum on Friday, Feb. 2, will highlight the importance of creative thinking and problem-solving while giving guests of all ages a chance to sharpen their skills in a fun and interactive way.

Brain Teasers 2, produced and toured by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, offers 20 challenges for puzzle enthusiasts of all ages. Brain twisters include unraveling mathematical conundrums, separating linked objects and then reassembling them, arranging geometric shapes to form new ones, and much more. To solve these puzzles, visitors must use creative thinking and problem-
solving strategies such as looking for patterns, thinking ahead, setting aside preconceived ideas, and looking at problems from different perspectives.

While creative thinking and problem-solving are important to solving puzzles for fun, they’re also critical to solving puzzles in the workforce, which is why Duke Energy, GE Aviation, Ivy Tech Community College, J & N Metal Products, LLC, North American Lighting, Novelis, Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation, Vigo County Teacher’s Association, the Western Indiana Development Board, and the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau have all partnered to sponsor Brain Teasers 2’s visit to the Terre Haute Children’s Museum.

”For any workplace environment to function efficiently, all workers must know how to identify problems and develop solutions for them,” said Lisa Lee, Executive Director of the Western Indiana Workforce Development Board, Inc. “Today’s employers expect people entering the workplace to possess these types of ‘soft skills,’ but, creative thinking and problem-solving is not an area of strength for everyone
entering the workforce. We want to make sure that kids and adults of all ages realize that developing these skills is important for success in work, school and their daily lives.”

Local employers are not the only ones having conversations about the importance of problem-solving skills. A 2016 report issued by the National Center for Education Statistics found that American workers ranked last out of 18 industrial nations when it came to problem-solving skills using technology, and in a 2016 Workforce-Skills Preparedness Report, done jointly by PayScale, Inc. and Future Workplace, 60
percent of managers said that critical thinking and problem solving skills were the top soft skills lacking among new college-graduate employees.

Stan Miles, Novelis Terre Haute Plant Manager, says that Novelis hopes that the exhibit will not only help kids gain an appreciation for the value of critical thinking skills but also an appreciation for science and technology careers.

“Novelis is thrilled to invest in the Brain Teasers 2 exhibit at the Terre Haute Children’s Museum,” Miles said. “We know that providing local students unique opportunities to learn critical thinking skills will help pique their interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers in the future.”

Robert Woolum with North American Lighting said problem-solving is very important in their business and they are thrilled to be a part of a partnership that will hopefully help kids develop their skills in this area.

“North American Lighting is excited for the opportunity to be a sponsor for the Brain Teaser 2 exhibit at the Terre Haute Children’s Museum because of the great value we place in problem-solving skills,” said Robert Woolum with North American Lighting. “We are eager to see kids of all ages interact with this exhibit and experiment with different ways to conquer mindboggling challenges that could help them in their future endeavors.”

Brain Teasers 2, which is included with Museum admission, will be on display at the Terre Haute Children’s Museum through Sunday, May 6. A ribbon-cutting for the exhibit will be held on Friday, Feb. 2, at 10:30 a.m. at the Museum.

The Terre Haute Children’s Museum, located at the corner of 8th Street and Wabash Avenue in downtown Terre Haute, is a nonprofit institution dedicated to enriching our children’s lives through the exploration of science and technology. The Museum receives no city, state or federal funding, relying solely on visitor fees, gifts, donations, and grants to fund its world-class educational exhibits and programs.

Museum admission is free for members of the Terre Haute Children’s Museum and children under 24 months. Regular admission is $8 for adults and children over 24 months. Families who participate in qualifying assistance programs can enroll in the Access Pass program, which allows them to visit the Museum for just $2 per family member per visit. To learn more about this program, visit
thchildrensmuseum.com/join/accesspass/.

or more information about the Terre Haute Children’s Museum, visit www.thchildrensmuseum.com, email info@terrehautechildrensmuseum.com, or call 812 235-5548. More information about the Museum is also available online at facebook.com/terrehautechildrensmuseum, twitter.com/thcmuseum and pinterest.com/thcm.