Exhibiting Imagination: Doodling Delaware

Through September 30, 2012

An Exhibition of the State’s Finalists in the National 2012 Doodle 4 Google Competition

The top submissions from Delaware schoolchildren in this year’s national Doodle 4 Google competition are in a new display at the Delaware Children’s Museum.

The featured doodles—inspired by the contest’s challenge to imagine where you would go if time travel were possible—take us on a journey to feudal Japan, fin de siècle Paris, the Apollo 11 moon mission, prehistoric times, the Old West, the Native American plains, and more.

Entries were submitted from all across Delaware, and these finalists represent the top submissions in different age groups: K-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, and 10-12. The competition finalists hail from Hockessin, Lewes, Milton, New Castle, Newark, and Wilmington.

Doodle 4 Google is one of several efforts by Google to encourage and celebrate the creativity of young people by asking students to create their own Google doodle. The theme this year was “If I could travel in time, I’d visit...” Doodle 4 Google gives students a blank canvas to harness their curiosity and imagine the past, present, and/or future anywhere in the world. The doodles were judged by a team of Googlers and then guest judges—such as Katy Perry, Phineas and Ferb creator and executive producer Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, and recording artist Jordin Sparks—helped choose the top doodles.

Kids inspired by Delaware's doodles can participate in our very own Doodle the DCM contest, now through September 30, 2012. Weekly winners will be featured on the DCM's Facebook page and hung up in our Exhibiting Imagination: Doodling Delaware gallery. At the end of the contest, all winning submissions will be entered to win a DCM Fun Basket, filled with educational toys, puzzles, books, and games from our Fun in Store gift shop.

Click here for information on how to enter our Doodle the DCM contest.

Did you know that doodling is also good for you?

Research published in the journal Science argues that drawing and sketching has several benefits, including helping students learn and aiding in scientific discovery.

The research suggests that by drawing a scientific concept, such as a sound wave, students understand it better. And maybe as importantly, drawing helps them feel more engaged and excited about learning.

Researcher Shaaron Ainsworth says:

"The most striking thing was the effort that students would apply to learning about science when they read and then drew what they could understand from the text, and how much enjoyment they derived from doing this."