This is why we need more museums for kids without velvet ropes.  Maybe Ms.
Poundstone should frequent some of the exceptional Children's Musuems
around.  I'm sure her kids would enjoy it, even if she wouldn't.

----- Original Message -----
From: Dillenburg, Eugene <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2000 10:52 AM
Subject: What our visitors REALLY think of us...


> In this week's LA Weekly, comedienne Paula Poundstone writes:
>
> Every year well-meaning parents and summer camps tragically waste millions
> of dollars taking kids to museums. Kids hate museums. No matter how
> high-tech or how interactive the museum, kids hate them. We're busy
showing
> them spectacular things - "Look! Over here you can actually see a real
baby
> dinosaur come out of its egg!" "Look! Here's an actual surgery, and you
can
> help stitch up the aorta!" "Come here, honey. If you're above this line
you
> can fly to the moon for an hour!" - and still kids couldn't care less
about
> anything in any museum except five things:
>
> 1.      They want to hang on the velvet ropes until they fall and get
hurt,
> no matter how long it takes.
>
> 2.      They want to hold the map. Not one of my kids can read a map, but
> they each have to have a map to hold in any kind of museum so they can
leave
> it on the floor of my car, hence establishing some weird psychological
> advantage over me.
>
> 3.      They want something from the vending machine that will melt and/or
> stain.
>
> 4.      They want to use the public restroom and open the door to the
stall
> that you are in.
>
> 5.      They want to each get something from the gift shop that they
cannot
> share. My kids would each get their own tug-of-war ropes. There may be
> nothing among the exhibits in the most brilliantly designed museum that
> catches the eye of any of my kids, but there's nothing in the gift shop
that
> doesn't. We could go to the National Museum of Manure and my kids would
want
> to stop by the gift shop and beg me to buy something for each of them.
>
>
> Eugene W. Dillenburg
> Lead Exhibit Developer
> Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit Project
> John G. Shedd Aquarium
> 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive
> Chicago, Ill.  60605
>
> v) 312 / 692 - 3136
> f) 312 / 939 - 8001
> e) [log in to unmask]
>
> This is a personal message.  The views expressed in this message are
solely
> those of the sender and are not to be attributed to the owner of the
> sender's domain, the sender's employer or any other person.
>
> Any reproduction or distribution of this message without this disclaimer
is
> prohibited.
>
> "Visions are worth fighting for.  Don't spend your life making someone
> else's dream."
> Vincent D'Onofrio as Orson Wells in "Ed Wood"
>
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).