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Engaging Adult Audiences in Children's Museums

Topic inquiry for an upcoming issue of Hand to Hand (a quarterly publication
of the Association of Youth Museums.

We've heard a lot lately on Museum-L, Museum-Ed and elsewhere about efforts
traditional museums are (or are not) making to engage their young audiences.
I'm wondering how much effort children's museums make to engage adult
audiences.

Many children's museums' missions target children AND families as their
audience. There are very few children's museums where children wouldn't have
a good time but I wonder how many adults leave these places having had a
satisfying visit of their own. Aside from watching their children have
fun--or even getting right down on the floor and playing along with them,
both of which work for awhile-- how do your exhibits and programs appeal to
the "drivers" of your young audience? Do you have a wall of benches where
adults sit with that glazed look on their faces waiting for their kids to
wear out?
1. In planning exhibits, how do you appeal to adults or even older children?
 Layering of information in the exhibit? Interesting label copy?
Sophisticated design which satisfies aesthetic appetites? Collections which
may have historic or some kind of nostalgic appeal to adults?
2. Do you have any programs for adults? Lecture series? Films? Social
gatherings?
3. Do adults feel comfortable "playing" in your museum? Do they learn new
things? Do you allow adults to visit without children? Do many do that?
4. Does your marketing department consciously try to attract adult audiences?
How?

On a personal note, when I was visiting children's museums with my three
young children awhile back, I found that we almost never returned to a museum
which held no appeal on any level for me. My parenting style is not really
that dictatorial - I just seem to expect more from a "museum" than just
seeing my kids have fun.

Any thoughts?

Mary Maher, editor

Hand to Hand
609 East Market Street, Suite 102A
Charlottesville, VA 22902
804 295-7603