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.

Tuesdays are for Toddlers: Gone Wild!

Today’s edition of Tuesdays are for Toddlers is going back to nature: National Park style.

Fern Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo Credit: National Park Service Rocky Mountain National Park

The National Park Service has been around since 1916 and was founded by President Theodore Roosevelt to preserve natural areas that represent American beauty and majesty. After the establishment of Yellowstone National Park as the flagship park, the Service came to include Parks like Yosemite, Glacier, the Grand Canyon, and many more. These parks are full of recreational activities and learning opportunities from hiking, camping, nature watching, and educational tours and camps. Exploring nature with your toddler can be really rewarding and beneficial for both your child and nature.

Before going to a National Park, talk about what makes the country beautiful. Talk about the song “America the Beautiful”, written by Katharine Lee Bates and composed by Samuel Ward, and how it describes America’s landscapes. Discuss the animals that may be found in the area and what they like to eat. Remind them to not feed the animals, as they can change and become too comfortable with people.

When at the parks, enjoy nature walks and talk about the things they see and feel: what’s the weather like? What do the trees smell like? What colors can they see in the rocks and mountains? Some National Parks, like the Grand Canyon, have not only natural beauty but are also religiously and culturally important landmarks for American Indians. You may find ruins and petroglyphs (or pictographs) that show what life consisted of for the peoples living there. Bring paper and crayons or colored pencils with you and encourage your toddler to draw their daily life in pictures like the ones they see.

For a fun activity, try playing with air dry clay and make bowls and cups. Once the clay has dried, you can paint them in different designs and colors. And, to help with understanding the world, visit UNESCO’s website listing World Heritage Sites and discover culturally, naturally, scientifically, and aesthetically important sites around the world. These sites are chosen because of their inherent importance to human culture, not just one nation. Talk about these sites and if available, take a photographic tour of the areas. Pick a country you’ve always wanted to go to and dream with your toddler about the culture and the people.

In the news recently? 6 New World Heritage Sites have been selected and added to the list! 

Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/BUI THE TAM

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

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!)

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!

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!