In an effort to test out an idea proposed by a previous cohort, the 2025 cohort helped explore the possibilities of a micro-project with the Illuminating Discovery Hub’s largest program, the Wisconsin Science Festival, which takes place each October.
This was an opportunity for Kohler Fellows to design a small hands-on activity that would be used in the 2025 Wisconsin Science Festival. This project was designed to have a youth focus and to be replicable by staff, teachers across the state, or anyone wishing to create a hands-on Art+Science activity.
The project that emerged for incorporation into the Festival was the culmination of efforts by two of the Kohler Fellows, Anne Stoner and Noelle Cataldo. They created an 8-page activity book consisting of crosswords, guided outdoors activities, sensory mapping, and more. The Wisconsin Science Festival included this activity booklet in 3,000 Science in a Bag Kits, which go out to dozens of Wisconsin schools, libraries, nature centers and other sites that host Festival events.
Exploring Your Environment
This project explored Wisconsin’s diverse environments, from prairies to wetlands to temperate forests, teaching users about the ecosystems and the plants and animals that inhabit them. The project is designed to be personalized to the users’ own environment, no matter where they live in Wisconsin.
This micro-project was a useful exercise for the fellows, though we have decided not to continue it in future iterations. The ideation, creation, and successful execution of this particular exercise diverted too much of the fellows’ time away from the already limited fellowship.