Funding Ideas

Traveling Exhibits is enjoying tremendous success. We are one of the most affordable options for school exhibits and work hard to keep it that way. Still, we recognize that school funding is limited. Many schools want to host several exhibits per year and many teachers have shared their creative funding ideas with us. We will share these ideas with you, and if you have more, let us know and we’ll pass them along.

Can there ever be enough school funding? (rhetorical, I know the answer...) But that doesn't mean that wonderful teaching opportunities are out of reach!

If your budget allow for the exhibits, excellent! If you need a little help, or you are like the increasing number of schools that are hanging a different exhibit every month, here are some ideas from teachers all over the country:
1. The principal's budget is an option since hanging an exhibit in a common area allows every student, staff member and visitor to view it. Our exhibits have excellent cross-curriculum appeal.
2. Sharing budgets between departments was a trend that started early on. We originally offered exhibits to foreign language teachers. It didn't take long to find out they were sharing with art teachers. Again, the cross-curriculum opportunities offer a way to share expenses and experiences!
3. PTO/PTA groups have shown great support in funding exhibits at elementary, middle and high school levels. Again, reaching every student mean shared experiences. Here is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate cost effectiveness:
simply divide the number of student in your school into your rental price. Example:

$175÷500 students=35¢ per student for a full week!

Actually, keep that example handy for all funding ideas.
Remember, most programs sponsored by schools are very expensive and a student may get an hour out of it.
4. Outside school funding has really increased. Local art foundations have found this to be a very cost effective way to support art in school. A local art foundation in Connecticut sponsored the Diego Rivera Exhibit for 4 weeks, then moved it to 4 different schools for a week each. Talk about low cost, they reached more that 2000 students for less than 20 cents per student.
5. Local businesses are also willing to spend relatively little for a large impact. John from Harbor Beach, Michigan (we really love John!) has gotten exhibits sponsored by a local veterinarian, the Rotary club and other local businesses. John invites the public and has created quite a following of students and residents that flock to his changing exhibits!

6. We have recently been designated an approved product by Better Basics in Alabama. They realize the value of Traveling Exhibits and fund them for schools in their area. This is the first of many such approvals.

7. Darlene from Oklahoma let us know that she submitted a grant proposal the the grant committee gave them an award for the best proposal based on originality and the cross-curriculum value of Traveling Exhibits!

more funding ideas to come...check back often!

Feedback

Great feedback is coming in! I'd like to share a few more.
Vivian from Downey, CA has ordered several exhibits throughout the year. She said that everyone at the school LOVES the exhibits and they get many comments. They invited their Congresswoman, Lucille Roybal-Allard, an avid supporter of the arts, to view an exhibit. She was really impressed! Congresswoman Roybal-Allard sponsors a yearly student art competition. I'd like to see more school support like that from our other elected officials!
If you know someone who supports the arts, let us know. I'd love to share the story!
John from Harbor Beach, Michigan (his picture is on the bottom of the page) has also reserved several exhibits for the school year. His focus is introducing art to the younger students and enhancing foreign language instruction with art. John has come up with some interesting funding ideas, check out the Funding posts!
Sally from MA said their exhibit was wonderful and asked us to "keep them coming!"

Easter Island Exhibit

This year, Easter is March 23.
Does it feel early to you? According to Bill Nettles, a physics professor at Union University, a Christian liberal-arts university, in Jackson, Tenn,
for the years 1875 through 2124, there are only two occurrences of a March 23 Easter. The first one was in 1913, and this year will be the second one. The date for Easter is based on the lunar calendar. "You have to wait until the very first full moon after the equinox, and that could be a few weeks," he says. "This year, Easter happens to be the earliest it can be."

The holiday can be anytime from two days to 31 days after the first full moon of spring, Nettles says.

And this has to do with.....
The Easter Island Traveling Exhibit!

Most people recognize the giant heads carved from stone that stand sentry around the tiny, isolated island.
The name Easter Island was given by its first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered the 8 mile long island on Easter Sunday, 1722. The island's official Spanish name, Isla de Pascua, is Spanish for "Easter Island."
The fact it was so small and isolated is interesting, but the truly fascinating story is of the Rapa Nui, the indigenous people that carved the stone heads, then proceeded to move them several miles and erect them. Oh, and, all they had to do this were tress, rocks and ropes. An incredible feat, but their fate was not that of greatness. The Easter Island Traveling Exhibit tells the story of the islanders, their demise, and asks, are we really so different today?
Together with World Studies teacher, Zach Abeel, we created a Powerpoint program with the whole story. It's a fascinating tale of ecological disaster. Perfect for upcoming Earth Day celebrations. In fact, it's important for every day!

Feedback

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I'd like to share some of the feedback we have received.

Beth from Mexico, New York rented the Diego Rivera Exhibit and shared:
"The show was a success, both at high school and middle school. Members of the community viewed it and even some retired teachers from others districts came...it was a positive experience!"

Ynes from Mississippi wrote:
"I sent a media piece that was aired on WLOX in Mississippi. It showed the exhibit and how children learn from it. Take care and thanks for making education hands on the way it should be."
Ynes used our press release kit to invite local media coverage!

Shelley from South Carolina wrote:
"I met with my faculty yesterday and we want to organize our curriculum around the exhibits. The kids love the (murals), and hate when they have to be returned. I look forward to working with you."

I have many, many letters like this. I will continue to share comments and will be glad to share yours! Email us at TDblog@teachersdiscovery.com!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Traveling Exhibits "News, Updates, and Ideas" page! My name is Rebecca and I've been building our Traveling Exhibits division of Teacher's Discovery for the last year and a half. One of the best parts of my job is talking with teachers, librarians and parent volunteers about our exhibits. Sometimes, our phone calls can last over an hour! So many people have been incredibly generous, sharing ideas and suggesting new products. I want to return the favor, so I've created this page to spread the enthusiasm. I told my kids (very excitedly), "I have a blog!" Apparently this is not "cutting edge" anymore (they both rolled their eyes), but I am thrilled to use it.

I have a lot to catch up on so I'll be posting a ton at first. Using labels, I'll keep them grouped so you can refer to a variety of topics. I'll also be sharing feedback, so please send us yours! You will also find as many photos as I can get of exhibits at different schools and libraries. Again, send us yours!

Since this is a welcome, and perhaps some of you don't know who we are, let me tell you about us. Teacher's Discovery is a supplemental educational products producer and retailer. We reach our customers via catalog and internet. About two years ago, Skip (the president of the company) had the idea to reproduce a Diego Rivera mural at an enormous size. The first exhibit prototype has just been complete when I was invited to join the team. We now have 17 exhibits, each made up of three pieces. The largest panel is 7 feet by 17 feet! There are also a 4x4 foot panel as well as a 4x8 foot panel. They are reproduced on satin fabric, which we have been very picky about with our suppliers (which has made me a bit unpopular with them at times, but the results are worth it!). We include fiberglass support poles (something we dreamed up using a tent pole as inspiration) and clips that are designed for a drop ceiling. Most of our customers have a drop ceiling, but for those who don't, not a problem. There are pocket sewn in to the top and bottom of each panel and fishing line, string or chain can be easily inserted.

Very soon, the Diego Rivera Traveling Exhibit became so popular, we had to order additional copies. Then, we quickly got to work designing more exhibits. I'll talk about each exhibit extensively in future posts, but we cover artists as well as topics like Global Warming, the Civil War and Easter Island. And, we are busy creating more, so vote for an exhibit you'd like to see!

I look forward to sharing all the wonderful and creative suggestions that many of you have shared with me. I would love to hear from you, so post a reply or email us at TDblog@teachersdiscovery.com.