Jonathan Spear wrote:

>>So, I'm working with people at my school and the New-York Historical
Society to establish a touch exhibit with which the museum staff and
visiting teachers could enrich a study of colonial New Amsterdam / New
York.  I'm curious if anyone has experience with such exhibits or any good
ideas.  Examples: teaching about trade might be enriched if kids had a
beaver pelt to touch.<<

Just one suggestion--make sure the touch is more than just touch when you can.
To use your example--is there some sort of trading activity the kids could do
that showed them the value of the beaver pelt?  What did the Indians get in
return?--could the visitor have a choose of several objects, perhaps with flip
cards attached that give an idea of relative value and a wall text that talks
about the social experience of trading--how did it happen?  between who and
who? what affected value? etc.

Have fun!

Lisa Falk
museum consultant
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