Finding the Subject in the Material

Every day there’s an opportunity to see the subject in the material. This picture is the perfect example: we weren’t looking for an art shot on our historic meander, but we found one.

Museums and schools have had a long symbiotic relationship that has recently been put on the rocks.  Schools these days are severely underfunded when it comes to field trips, making teachers focus on getting the most out of every trip taken in a year. Museums, in turn, have had to move towards a more formal look at their classes and offerings for schools in order to satisfy local and state curriculum and education standards. Thus, we have the subject of today’s post: finding the subject in the material.

What does that even mean? Don’t you usually write the material for the subject? Yes and no. If you go into a museum with the subject in mind, you may not get as full of a field trip or visit as you’d like. But if you go into a museum with the material in mind, the subjects are endless.

Take, for example, a natural history museum. Rocks, minerals, animals, maybe even dinosaurs (anyone that says they don’t like dinosaurs is probably lying, FYI). If you look at it as just a chance to study fossils or the natural environment, you may miss out on the opportunity to discuss texture, history, human impact, or mathematics (think word problems). If you go into an art museum expecting to only discuss art, you’re missing out on mathematics, politics, world cultures, literature, mythology, world religions, history, and science, as well as psychology and personal development (to name a few).

All museums offer something beyond what’s described or pictured on the surface.  And visitors from different backgrounds will take away different meanings and relationships from the same objects. Teachers have a hard enough time teaching in a classroom; museums give them a chance to teach a bunch of subjects to a bunch of individuals who may not always feel a personal connection to a subject in school. Suddenly that student may have the chance to create a potentially lasting relationship with a subject because they now see it in a different light. You never know what will be the initial spark to someone’s fire.

In grad school, we were required to write lesson plans for potential activities that fit state educational and learning objectives. Our professor told us to write the activities and lesson plans and then find the objectives that met them, rather than read the objectives and write plans that fit them. So now I offer that challenge to you, readers.

This post isn’t just for teachers or parents. This is your personal challenge this weekend to visit a museum you’ve never been to before with no pre-conceived subject in mind, and see what the material presents to you. Find the subject in the material.

To Innovate or Get Back to the Basics, or Maybe Both?

Museums ‘should provide more hands-on experiences for children’; Museums should focus on providing real experiences like handling objects and dressing up as historical characters Photo: GETTY

Recently a group I follow on Facebook shared an article that really struck a note with me personally and professionally, as this blog is sort of a statement to the influences of technology. A group in the UK, Kids in Museums, has published a “manifesto” that gets down to one point: kids aren’t impressed by the flashing lights and technological interactive displays that museums have to offer, and museums should be focusing on a more hands-on approach to learning. You can read the full article here, but in the meantime, let’s discuss the brass tacks of this discussion, as it’s been one battle fought in the background in museums across the country for the last 20 years.

Technology has its place in museums, and I hope that my readers don’t feel like I’m attacking the use of it in museums. But most educational toys nowadays have more flashing lights and impressive sounds than a person can shake a stick at (that’s actually a lot of fun, by the way, shaking a stick); the interactive displays and technicolor lighting in some exhibits just doesn’t begin to entrance and enlighten children as much as it used to. Here’s the thing: kids still love dress up, they still love interacting with their surroundings and creating personal experiences and memories and learning in their own unique ways.

Living history museums like the Colonial Williamsburg Museum in Virginia focus on allowing children to interact with period actors and learn about the past through hands-on activities and personal discovery. Living history museums focus on a personal experience with historical materials to bring home the lessons of the past to help the future. Again, technology has its place in museums, but the true value of hands-on learning can’t be underestimated.

What do you think? Should museums focus on a more hands-on approach to their collections and displays, or should they keep the “please don’t touch” signs in place? What suggestions do you have for your local museums and historical societies to increase audience learning and visitor educational opportunities?

If you’re interested in more hands-on history opportunities, please feel free to check out a list of open air and living history museums on wikipedia. While not a complete list by any means, it is constantly being updated and can provide your next educational opportunity in the world of museums!

“Staycations” for Twenty-Somethings

With a weekend coming up, it’s time to address a subject that happens to be pretty fun to talk about: staycations!

a staycation is a type of vacation where one stays in the area you’re currently living, or according to Urban Dictionary “a vacation that is spent at one’s home enjoying all that home and one’s home environs have to offer.” With gas prices as high as they are and flying involving so many restrictions and fees, vacations that require traveling long distances aren’t always in the equation when your vacation time rolls around (if you get any). For twenty-somethings, budgets can be pretty tight, and staycations are a great way to enjoy your surroundings with a long weekend or a good couple days of vacation.

Now, this isn’t going to be a town-by-town breakdown. And, because this blog focuses on having fun with museums, we’re going to bring in the fun and budget friendly ideas that museums have to offer your staycation opportunities. First, let’s start with some basic tips and tricks to enjoy your home and surrounding areas.

Staycations require a lot of research and planning much like a destination vacation. If you have time to look for fancy hotels or cheap flight deals for a dream vacation in your spare time, you have time to plan the perfect staycation. Ask locals you work with or that you run into at the grocery store or gas station about their favorite local sights. Off the Beaten Path series offers not-so-widely known attractions to out-of-towners that can be pretty handy if you’re just learning the area or if you aren’t familiar with local famous landmarks. They also list local museums with interesting collections that can be really entertaining.

To that effect, when looking for local attractions, don’t count museums out. Small towns and counties have rich histories of their own, and even in the small town that I live in (current population at 24,499 as of 2012) we have two art museums, an historical society with its own mansion, and a small art gallery, not to mention dozens of local music venues and recreational activities. Check out what your local museum has to offer on their exhibits schedule (most are available online), or if they have a planetarium see what the show schedule and calendar look like. In Walla Walla, WA (fun town, so nice they named it twice!), there’s a Museum of Un-Natural History that features Dadaist art from a local artist; places like this won’t always show up in fancy travel magazines or always be the first thing that comes to mind for travel destinations, but I can guarantee that locals will be able to give you the best advice for things to do on a staycation.

So, when planning your next vacation, consider the cost and see what your current location has to offer. Small towns may not have much, but hey, if it’s a quick drive (say 2 hours), and you get to sleep in your own bed that night, what’s the harm in taking a bit of a drive to another small town and spending a day enjoying another town’s sights? Big cities have a lot to offer that often goes overlooked by people working there, and staycations are a good chance to get to explore even some of the major landmarks that may get set aside for when company comes (which, may or may not be in the near future).

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and if you’re considering a staycation, have taken one, or want to know more about this fun phenomena, let me know in the comments section