Parent Talk / August-September 2008
Making the Most of a Trip to the Museum
By: Jessica Pegis
Most kids go to the museum at least once during the school year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go again, or more often. In fact, one way to hook your kids on the museum is to tell them you’ll go back to check out the stuff that really piqued their interest. Once the bug has bitten, you can expand the interest with books, toys, and related media.
To make the most of your outing, check out these easy tips:
Look at the website first
It’s impossible to see everything, especially in a large city museum, so check out the types of exhibits available first. Museum websites are pretty extensive these days and lots of them have a kid section with highlights for the under-12 set.
Think big, violent, and morbid
One thing that volunteering for school outings has taught me: hook the kids where they’re interested and watch the attention span grow. Dinosaurs, amour, swords, and Egyptian mummies are always a good bet. Kids enjoy getting so close to something that scary without actually being in danger. “They’re dead and they can’t do anything,˜ one child observed cryptically about the mummies when interviewed by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Learn and wonder together
Some parents traipse their kids through the exhibits with non-stop commentary. Ask any guide or docent and she’ll tell you she’s seen it. But nobody needs to do that. Observations (“Hey, look at that-”), open-ended questions (“Wow, how do you think it-?”) and plain old-fashioned curiosity will engage your child better than explanations and you’ll have a lot more fun in the process.
Get interactive
Take advantage of any interactive exhibits. Kids can go only so long just looking and listening. If there’s something to touch, even if it’s a screen, let the kids loose on it. Don’t expect them to stay in engaged in one spot for longer than 10 - 15 minutes.
Keep the experience alive
After your trip and depending on your child’s age, ask her to create a picture of her favorite item or exhibit or talk about the outing together and what you’d like to go back to see. Or rent Night at the Museum. (Did you know the American Museum of Natural History, upon which the film is based, was so inspired by the story that they started their own museum sleepovers?) When kids think of museums as libraries-places to return to over and over again-they become lifelong museum lovers and supporters.
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