Every kid deserves science

Dear friends and supporters,

Learning to live in a weird situation, coping with our fears and anxiety, we would like to thank you for staying with us and continuing your support.

A long time will pass before Muzeiko would be able to resume its normal pace of work and reach the footfall prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, we feel optimistic about the future and would like to share a few positive summer stories enabled by your generosity.

• Participation of two girls in Muzeiko’s Summer Academy

M., aged 8, was abandoned by her mother at a very young age. She became a shy, insecure and solitary child. Her social withdrawal and emotional problems resulted into developmental delays that aggravated after the father went to work abroad and left M. in the care of her aunt. Due to speech problems and learning difficulties, the girl was admitted to a social program, giving her access to the services of a speech therapist and psychologist. The progress achieved throughout the first term of the school year, started waning during the pandemic lockdown, as distant learning was difficult for M. and she felt tired, demotivated and melancholic.  

The family cannot afford a summer school or costly extracurricular activities and they were very happy to find out that M. could attend Muzeiko’s Summer Academy thanks to your help. The girl shared with her aunt that this had been one of the most emotional and significant summer vacation experiences. She loved everything about Muzeiko: the exhibits, the workshops, the science stories, the climbing wall, the children whom she played with, the Makerspace where she made her first animations…

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The 8-year-old H. does not know her biological father and has been having attention deficit & hyperactivity problems, and exhibits symptoms of dyslexia and dysgraphia. She is sociable and curious, but has difficulty concentrating and a hard time retaining information. H. has no friends at school and the other children tend to avoid her. She often feels anxious and lonely.

H. attended Muzeiko’s Summer Academy with readiness and enthusiasm, completing the full two-week course. She was extremely active in all games and tasks, asking questions and participating in every activity. The problems reported by mental health professionals and teachers did not prevent her from collaborating with the other children and pursuing all her projects. Although she purportedly had difficulties in establishing fruitful relationships with peers, H. was well accepted by the group and found friends in games and assignments.

• A group of 10 children from the humanitarian program of the Council of refugee women in Bulgaria enjoyed Muzeiko’s exhibits and brain challenges, and left with a lot of ideas for fun science pursuits. 

• Muzeiko has added 2 new interdisciplinary lesson kits linked with the educational content for primary age children to its free-access platform for teachers MyMuzeiko.

• Moved by a recent technology-assisted research showing that there are many people with Autism Spectrum Disorders who do not leave the perimeter of 200 meters from their homes, next on our agenda is to develop and conduct autism-friendly initiatives for children. We’ll keep you posted!

Wishing you an unforgettably joyful summer,

Muzeiko’s team