Okemos, Michigan — This winter 4,000 students across Michigan will learn about oral health by exploring the wonders of the human mouth at the interactive Chew on This! exhibit.
The Delta Dental Foundation (DDF) is providing $25,000 in field trip grants to allow roughly 166 Michigan elementary classrooms, grades pre-kindergarten to fourth grade, to visit the exhibit when it returns to Impression 5 Science Center in Lansing.
Chew on This! will be back at Impression 5 Science Center December 23, after a year-long loan to the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.
Schools can apply for a grant beginning Monday by visiting impression5.org/deltadentalscholarship. Applications close January 26.
“Chew on This! is a great tool for educators to teach their students about the importance of good oral health in a fun and engaging environment,” said Teri Battaglieri, Director for the Delta Dental Foundation. “It’s crucial for children to learn about oral health at a young age because overall health and oral health are connected.”
The exhibit allows children to “play dentist” by donning a white lab coat and using larger-than-life dental instruments to clean a giant set of teeth. Students can also view dental images of the human mouth and shop for healthy food items at the Smart Mart.
To welcome back the exhibit on December 23, guests will be able to participate in several special activities, including making tooth models out of dough and painting with toothbrushes. Children ages 9 and up will be making Bristle Bots—dancing robots—out of toothbrushes, motors and other materials inside the Think Tank maker space.
Impression 5 Science Center is the creator of the Chew on This! exhibit and DDF has funded its creation. The DDF has awarded field trip grants since 2014.
Since its creation, Chew on This! has seen nearly half a million visitors.
About Delta Dental Foundation The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980, which serves as the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. The Foundation’s goals are to support education and research for the advancement of dental science and to promote the oral health of the public through education and service activities, particularly for those with special needs. For more information, visit www.deltadentalmi.com.
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