“Ugh. Why are we at an art museum anyway?” So asks red-freckled William in the opening lesson of the Veritas Phonics Museum app. “Why can’t we go somewhere fun?”

The educator in us wants to seize a teachable moment here. We want to challenge the assumption that museums and fun are an oil and water that don’t mix. We know that museums can be places of great learning and genuine enjoyment. But the student in us can sympathize with William. Who wants to wander through a sleepy building whose snoring halls never end soon enough? Thank goodness this doesn’t describe all museums!

Were the Phonics Museum a sleepy and snoring place, many of us would share William’s sentiment. But it’s not. It’s a magical space where a zany curator and animated art spring to life. Children learn how to decipher our language and to delight in doing so.

The Veritas Phonics Museum app is neither stale nor ordinary, neither a bore nor a chore. Children will immerse themselves in its rich sounds and colors. They will enjoy its music and games. And they will soon forget—if ever they realize—that they’re learning as they play. In our Phonics Museum app, your children will:

• Discover how to read and write from a colorful, engaging, and memorable cast of characters. Miss Biddle, who’s half Amelia Bedelia and half Mary Poppins, serves as teacher and tour guide. Assisting her is Percival, a peppy and playful medieval suit of armor. A handful of  helpful and humorous works of art join in throughout the museum. (Two favorites are a Minoan bull who suffers from lower back pain and an Egyptian pharaoh who doesn’t know he’s a mummy.)

• Read not only letters and words, but also whole sentences and entire books. Ten original, illustrated stories will help children apply their new language skills. The Bat and the Rat will remind parents of Dr. Seuss. Nick Can Kick will inspire and warm hearts. And On a Jet to the Sun will introduce children to the world of fanciful sci-fi. Move over, How to Catch an Elephant, and make way for new bedtime favorites!

• Write all the letters of the alphabet and more than a few words, too, right on the screen of an iPad or iPhone. Children will need nothing more than a careful eye and a willing finger. Percival will lend his hand to guide the formation of perfect letters every time.

• Explore real works of art that stir the senses and stimulate the imagination. Engaging artwork and displays reinforce and expand children’s understanding of our alphabet. They learn about the sounds its letters make, and they get a glimpse of the worlds that words can create.

“Why can’t we go somewhere fun?” William wonders. If we’re going to invest time and effort in a day at the museum, then let’s enjoy the experience, too. “William,” responds his dad without missing a beat (or passing up on a teachable moment), “art museums are fun. There’s more to do here than in any toy store.” The kid in us isn’t ready to swallow the line, until we swirl with William into that first lesson of the Phonics Museum. There we’ll catch a glimpse of the wonders of reading, writing, laughing, and delighting that await us.

If you’re interested in learning more about the new Veritas Phonics Museum app, sign up here for updates and visit PhonicsMusem.com.

By

Michael Eatmon
Michael serves as Veritas's director of curriculum development. He and his family live in Orlando.