By Neale McDevitt
It’s like a checklist for every cool activity even the most demanding kid could ever want. Examining dinosaur bones and caveman tools? Check. Up-close encounters with creepy crawly insects? Check. Making towering architectural structures out of marshmallows? Check. Robots? Cartoons? Zombies? Check, check and check.
On Friday, May 10, McGill will open the doors to both campuses to children of the McGill community with almost 50 activities designed to both entertain and educate. Consider it the University’s response to that age-old gauntlet thrown down by kids since the dawn of time; “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do.”
Geared towards children from the ages of 8-15, Bring a Child to Work Day will give kids the chance to try everything from blaring the siren of emergency vehicles and taking a music masterclass with an accomplished musician and performance professor to becoming a medieval doctor (and analyzing a patient’s urine) and honing crisis management skills during a simulated zombie apocalypse.
On top of being fun, the one-day event will provide an opportunity for children to visit both McGill campuses, explore interests and career possibilities by participating in activities and become familiar with what their parents, relatives or friends do at the University. The day will feature learning sessions by departments and units on both campuses, as well as a variety of “drop-in” alternative activities. It’s like Open House for the younger set.
Employees must accompany the child they register throughout the day, and while lunch will not be provided, entertainment and music will be. Because this is a McGill event, it should not be necessary for an employee to take vacation or personal time in order to attend. However, units still need to operate and office coverage needs to be arranged. Employees should check with their supervisor about the time off policy in their unit prior to registering for the event.
Yes, registration is required. Some of the activities are already booked solid so it is recommended that people register as soon as possible to ensure they get the activities that they want. On the other hand, events that receive a minimum of registered participants will be cancelled. The full slate of activities, a useful FAQ section and online registration can be found here. The deadline for registration is April 26.