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

Tuesdays are for Toddlers: at the Zoo!

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend and got a chance to visit some local museums and historical houses! Today we’re back for another journey in the museum world with toddlers. Today’s theme is all about zoos!

Zoos are awesome. I’ve always loved them. Loads of animals from all over the world in one place. Its great fun to watch the animals walking around, eating, exploring their surroundings and living their lives; it can be a challenge to remember these animals are here for a reason. The tigers that are lounging around in their enclosure? They’re on the endangered list, and more tigers exist in captivity than do in the wild right now. Bats are killed in nets, by planes, and by poisons left out to protect fruit in farms and orchards; yet here they are here, in the zoo, being cared for.

Zoos are a type of museum that preserve living collections for the survival of the species. Endangered species, or in some cases newly discovered species, are bred in captivity in an attempt to keep a species from going extinct due to habitat loss or overhunting. It’s important to remind kids of that when they’re at the zoo and enjoying the animals. Before you go to the zoo, try discussing different animals in your neighborhood (think squirrels, opossums, birds, and mice) and what the neighborhood would be like without them. Now try discussing how the forest would look with no deer, no bears, no birds singing in the trees. Talk about how things you enjoy about animals, for all that they can be a nuisance sometimes (raccoons digging in trash, birds and freshly washed cars). Animals play an important role in the environment and helping to keep the natural world running smoothly. (This isn’t a post saying hunting is bad or that we should all go vegetarian to save the animals; this is about natural conservation and responsible living.)

Talk about your favorite animals together: what do they eat? Where do they live? Are they furry or smooth? Can they fly or do they walk? Point out how some animals look like others (zebras and horses) and talk about how things like that can happen. Create a new level of learning when you’re next at the zoo, and remember that some of these animals are closer to being gone forever than we know.

For more information on zoos and wildlife conservation efforts, please visit http://www.joelsartore.com/ and see what one photographer is trying to do to bring awareness to the state of the natural world around us.

For a fun activity to do together, check out Crafts by Amanda’s idea for a cute paper owl activity using paper plates and paint! Enjoy decorating your owls, and for a change from strictly brown owls, look at different species of owl and have fun learning about the different animals at the zoo together!