Temple University welcomed more than 350 children to Main Campus on April 24 for Bring Your Child to Work Day. The event provided a unique opportunity for children to explore a glimpse of their parents’—and in some cases grandparents’ or close relatives’—workplace, experience Temple’s campus firsthand, and expand their curiosity by participating in fun educational activities with insights that could lead to future career paths. 

Jonathan Reiter, senior associate vice president of business affairs and administration, was the brainchild of Bring Your Child to Work Day. As an employee of Temple for 11 years, he explained that his three children love the university and have been exposed to it their entire lives. He felt it would be an exciting opportunity for other employees to bring their children to experience Main Campus and partake in campus activities for a day.  

“My kids have been very integrated into the Temple experience; they love Hooter, the athletic teams and being on Main Campus,” said Reiter. “So, it was important for me to get a set of activities together that would excite people and encourage employees to bring their kids to be part of the campus community for a day. 

“It’s a great way for employees to feel more connected to campus,” he added. “Their children could be potential future students at Temple, so getting them to see our campus in person is a way to showcase it.” 

The morning activities featured a kid’s zone with an inflatable basketball game, arts and crafts, a table full of refreshments, and more at the Aramark STAR Complex turf field. The children could also take pictures with Temple’s mascot Hooter the Owl and interact with K-9 Falko and K-9 Zaki, two German shepherds on Temple University’s Department of Public Safety K-9 unit.  

One of the event’s highlights was a campuswide scavenger hunt that included a prompt to complete as many photo challenges as possible on Main Campus for a prize of Temple-branded merch. Some of the challenges included taking a picture next to the giant bronze owl statue at O’Connor Plaza; in front of their favorite food spot at “the Wall,” the outdoor campus food court; and lying outside on the lawns of Beury Beach. 

Veronica Aymer, executive director of business services, who assisted with coordinating the event, said it started with around 50 responses that quickly ballooned to more than 350 people who showed an interest. 

“It was truly a group effort; we worked with all the campus partners and vendors who genuinely care about Temple and our Temple families,” said Aymer. “We wanted to do something for the Temple community, faculty and staff to show the kids this is more than just where we work, but also what it is like to be on a college campus and a part of the Temple culture.” 

Another highlight for the children was participating in hands-on science activities at the Science Education and Research Center. One activity included using tweezers to dig out bones from an owl pellet to learn about an owl’s feeding habits. In another activity, the children made bracelets with different bead colors that correspond to each of their characteristics to understand that each person’s DNA traits are unique.  

Grace Griffith said she had fun with the build-a-bot activity, where she built a robot with fun materials like a CD, plastic propeller, batteries, motors, toothbrushes and foam stickers while learning how batteries, motors and propellers are used to build a robot.  

“The robot was cool, it made me happy to be with my mom at work,” she said. “The [scavenger] hunt was my favorite; I wanted to take lots of pictures.”  

Grace is the daughter of Andrea Gaudini, executive director of strategy, insights and operations in Temple’s Strategic Marketing and Communications division. 

“This was a terrific way for my daughter to see some of the work I do daily and it’s a great firsthand experience for her to see Temple and also instill that Temple pride in her,” said Gaudini. “Also, it was really special to be able to celebrate this day with my colleagues and people across the university with their children and interact in a way outside of our regular meetings. I enjoyed seeing such a great turnout and manifestation of Temple pride.”