Hi Reagan,

Right after college, I interned at a very interesting arts-education
non-prof organization in NY called VUE (Visual Understanding in Education).
Check out their website for ideas on research on arts education for children
and teaching samples and lesson plans. www.vue.org

While it won't be literally what you're looking for (i.e. a museum trip
lesson plan for youngsters) VUE gives an excellent range of examples
'non-confrontational' questions to encourage viewers to talk about the art,
called their Visual Thinking Strategies. For example, asking children 'what
do you see going on in this painting?' leaves much more open to their
imagination and interpretation than 'what's the farmer doing in the center
of the scene?'. Along these lines, questions about how your students feel
about the color/composition/ or figures in the scenes may also allow them to
really think about what they're seeing and relate to it in a more
interpretive way, rather than a literal or somehow 'more correct' way. The
lesson plans accessible through the VUE website offer follow up questions
guide the children through analysing a work of art. For many children, this
is their first time analysing their own thoughts and expressing their own
opinion with their own interpretation as 'evidence'. (see the links on What
the VTS look like and How the VTS works)

Not being an art educator myself, you (or others on this list) may know more
about how kids learn best. As a student of Art History, I always preferred
the approach that the viewer's interpretation of the work can never be
considered 'right' or 'wrong', but rather facts of history or the artist's
intent are be more factually based.

Hope that helps, Best wishes and enjoy,
Ziva


Ziva Haller Rubenstein
Rights & Reproductions
the Israel Museum, Jerusalem


----- Original Message -----
From: "Reagan Duplisea" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 7:54 PM
Subject: art museum tour for kids


> Hello!
>
> I am assisting at a community art camp and am in charge of leading a group
> of children through our art museum.  They range in age from 5 - 12. Does
> anyone have any recommendations on the best way to approach a tour with
such
> a great range in age? The museum has an excellent collection of
Renaissance
> works, some Romantic pieces and several American landscapes. Should I
focus
> on a subject (i.e. finding animals in the paintings) or just give them an
> overall broad view?
>
> Thank you,
> Reagan Duplisea
>
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