Engaging Techno-Teens

Technology: it’s everywhere. You’re reading this blog on a computer, on a tablet, on a phone. It has become a part of life. It’s also become one of the biggest challenges for museum educators and visitor experience designers throughout the world.

Teens have been, for me at least, one of the biggest educational challenges when it comes to museums and galleries. It’s hard to try to get them excited about art or history and natural history or even anthropology when the technology around them reminds them of the latest trends and current scientific findings, or who is dating who or who said what. Truth is, the here and now is pretty neat and incredibly stimulating and technology connects us to all of it. So, if you can’t beat it, use it.

A new trend among young museums goers is to take a “selfie” with an object as a statement of “look what I saw today”. If you have a teen, even a preteen, you’ve seen what I’m talking about. Neat thing about thatis that it’s an opportunity to get them involved in the piece, and maybe get them interested in the subject. Take your kids, with cell phones or other means of camera device, to your local museum and check everything out. Talk to them about the items they take a “selfie” with and ask them why they chose that piece. Create conversations around their interests and how they compare to the interests of the people in photographs or paintings.

For a fun challenge between family members, see who can capture the most of a particular type of object on camera. Pick what the theme will be before going into the museum: hats, coats, landscapes, smiles, whatever comes to mind. For each picture of an object or artwork that you take a picture, require each person to also take a picture of the label describing what it is and when it’s from. At the end of the visit, count up everyones pictures and talk about the labels. If you can, also use your phones (data plan providing) and look up what else may have happened the same year as the object (art or artifact) in the picture. It’s a fun way to talk about what you saw, compare objects and stories, and spend time together.

Photo scavenger hunts are a fun way to engage minds and think creatively. If you’ve never been to that particular museum or gallery before, think of abstract concepts to look for and then talk about why you chose that object to represent that concept. And when you get home, or are near a place that does digital photo printing, print some of the pictures (or all of them if you have the budget) and create a scrapbook page or a photo album of the day. That way, like a museum, you’re taking a part of your life and preserving it for others to see in the future.

(and believe me, I know that a film camera is far from new technology, but it’s my way of linking the past with the present!)

Tuesdays are for Toddlers: History style!

Here we are again for another round of Tuesdays are for Toddlers! This time, it’s a history edition.

History museums can be great places to visit, but many of them have that whole “please don’t touch” rule. That’s less than ideal for curious little minds that just want to explore the world with all of their senses. However, much like art museums, there are ways to make these institutions fun for even the youngest of visitors.

For toddlers, half the fun of exploring the world around them is taking part in what adults do. They are the masters of imitation, from facial expressions to catch phrases, and their brains are absorbing information at every turn of the road. Either before or after visiting a history museum, take them to an antique shop, or a thrift store that specializes in vintage clothing. Let your kids try on some of the clothes they have, especially hats, with the permission of the store owner/employees. If you have any family jewelry from loved ones and relatives, let them hold them (watch out for the mouth!) and have them come up with a story about that piece of jewelry. Let them create their own historical character and interact with their character; ask them questions about their lives and what they want to do with their lives.

Publishers are picking up more and more informational and educational biographies for children that tell stories about famous historical people, from Marie Antoinette to Abraham Lincoln. Some of them are actually fantastic and really worth a read. Take a look in the biography section of your local children’s bookstore and pick out a couple that your child might like or that fit their personality and spend a night reading to them. Talk about how it’s important to learn about history so that we learn from peoples mistakes and successes in the past.

And lastly, because I didn’t include a specific craft activity in last weeks Tuesdays are for Toddlers post, here’s one for today: Popsicle stick airplanes! Airplanes and flying are two things that can pretty often pique a toddler’s interest, regardless of sex. This is a fun way to get involved with your kids (prep work can be messy, so if you want to do it ahead of time to keep the mess down a bit, that’s perfectly okay) and still talk about how airplanes have changed our lives. Magnets not necessary, but it’s a fun way to hang their art from the museum last week on the fridge!

Tell me how your Tuesday with your toddler is going in the comments, and leave some suggestions for other parents too! Until next Tuesday!

 

Weekend at the Museum

While not  Night at the Museum, weekends at museums are always an opportunity to explore a little further and take a break from rushing.  Tuesdays are for Toddlers, but Thursdays are for the rest of us! I’m going to break this down by groups to make it easier to address unique situations.

For families with young kids (under the age of ten), here’s a tip: Look around and find an exhibit that’s in the area for a while and take a day to visit and spend time together. For art museums, try talking about stories you see, imagining a world similar to the art, or designing a painting about your own lives. Take pictures of the kids in front of paintings they like, and make sure that if they want to move, take a video in front of sculptures (careful not to touch!). Museums are usually seen as places to be quiet and somber, but I promise, they aren’t supposed to stay that way. Laugh, talk, make memories!

For families with older kids (over the age of ten and into the teens): ask for a family day without electronics (we’ll have a special post about technology and teens later),and take them to a history museum. Walk around and show them where the technology that they use came from; find ways to relate what they’re seeing to their lives. Again, make noise, make jokes, make fun of each other. Learning happens best when experiences are personal and meaningful, and that can be a little difficult when the past seems so far removed from us. Talk about families and relatives, share your personal histories, and look at the objects on display as if your ancestors used them.

For individuals looking for a fun experience: Go to any museum in the area and find the craziest looking piece they have. Ask every visitor that walks by what they see or what they think the item is used for. While some may find it off putting, let them know you’re conducting research and need a few opinions. Think of this as one of those social experiments where you do something a little off to watch peoples reactions, but instead, discuss their answers and get into a conversation. It’ll be fun and intriguing for all parties involved.

For young couples with no kids: No matter where you go, look at things a little closer. Art museums: look closely at the brush strokes, and have one person start counting on one side and the other counts from the other side. Meet in the middle and compare numbers. History museums: compare wardrobes or accessories, even home decor, and guess when the next time that particular trend will come back around. Talk about what you’d always dreamed you’d be doing at this point in your life when you were young and how your families are different history wise. It’s always fun to compare family trees and what you used to be like.

If you have any other ideas or thoughts, please feel free to share them in the comments below! And remember to check with your local museums to find out if they have any special events or activities going on this weekend. You never know when an opportunity will arise to make memories and have fun!

Tuesdays are for Toddlers!

Today marks the first post of a weekly theme: Toddlers.

For the purpose of this blog, toddlers are going to be considered children from the ages of 1-4. They’re a challenge for some, mostly because of their growing personalities and often changing natures. Let’s think of them as snowflakes; not necessarily always fragile, but each one unique in their needs, thoughts, and learning styles. However, they are some of the most rewarding people to teach. Getting to watch their faces light up when they finally master a task or a subject is really quite wonderful.

Today, let’s talk about toddlers in art museums. Art museums can be less than entertaining and heavy on the confusion. But, there are ways to bring life to each of the works in the building through the eyes of children. You know that saying “from the mouths of babes”? The cool thing about toddlers is that they can come up with some fascinating stories and comparisons.

So, let’s spice up a trip to the art museum. Bring crayons and paper (please check with your local museums before bringing in pens or markers; some museums have strict policies about bringing writing utensils into the galleries), and ask them to draw their own stories. Talk about what they see in the pictures, and let them enact out what they see in sculptures. Getting kids moving allows them to focus a little better, and giving them an opportunity to explain what they’re seeing or feeling in art helps them express emotions and process the world around them.

For a follow up activity at home, take some potatoes, radishes, carrots, and celery (or whatever you have in the fridge or pantry), and cut them in half width-wise. Put some water-based finger paints in a bowl and lightly dip the vegetables into the paint. Each of these veggies creates a different shape and pattern on paper, and as you keep stamping with them the grains and fibers of the plants will retain the pigment in the paint. Have your kids explain the shapes and patterns they see, and describe the story they are depicting with shape and color. It’s a fun way to get involved in abstract art and gets kids involved in the museum visit with reinforcement when you get home.

One of my favorite groups to teach was toddlers because it allowed me to get down on the floor and see things from their point of view. Sometimes, I think that’s just about the most excellent way to see the world.

Welcome!

Museums are wonderful sources of knowledge and learning, housing artifacts and photographs for the public.  Art museums, history museums, natural history and science museums, all have something to offer for everyone.  They aren’t always the easiest places to navigate when it comes to understanding that knowledge, though. Having worked in museums, I can tell you: it isn’t always easy making that knowledge easy to understand either. How do you take a bunch of information and create meaningful experiences that everyone can relate to?

My main age groups were grade school kids from all different backgrounds and learning types, and teaching art was the BIGGEST challenge ever. But I promise, there are ways and ways and ways to teach about art and make it personal, meaningful, and memorable.

I watched families come to the museum and walk around, their kids bored or uninterested, and trying to make sense of labels and objects. Usually they would leave after an hour or less if they weren’t catching a planetarium show or a laser show at the Planetarium. If only they’d had some tools or tips to help them navigate what there was to offer!

Most museums offer weekend activities or special events for families and museum visitors, and they are some of the most widely attended days for museums. These events offer a chance for visitors to interact with aspects of the museums collection through activities, lectures, presentations, or even demonstrations. These same types of activities and demonstrations can be created anywhere by anyone.

This blog will explore ways that families, single visitors, and kids can interact with museums and their collections. From the types of questions to ask kids when visiting museums, to the activities that can help relate to art, and even ways to use art and history to relate to other subjects (math, science, and english!) in the classroom and at home.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, or want more information about a subject just let me know in the comments! And thank you for joining me for Fun with Museums!