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!

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!