Lisa DeSantis, from Canberra Australia, posted some queries regarding how
young children learn history and how that learning can be stimulated
through object based learning in historic house museums.

I recommend a quarterly publication _The Docent Educator_, 2011 Eleventh
Avenue East, Seattle, WA  98102-4109, for its very good articles on setting
"minds in motion."  According to its masthead it is "dedicated to improving
the performance, status, and satisfaction of volunteer and staff educators
teaching within museums, historic sites, gardens, parks, zoos, and
classrooms."  Some may recognize the Publisher/Editor, Alan Gartenhaus.

A couple of older references: "What Do we Know about School Field Trips" by
Stephen Bitgood in _ASTC Newsletter_, Jan/Feb '91.  And, "Learning Theories
and History Museums," by Sue Sturtevant Rayner and Judithe Douglas Speidel,
in _History News_, July-August 1987.  In particular, I recommend the
writings of Kieran Egan mentioned in that second article.

Various "living history" techniques have been seen as effective with young
children in historic house/museum settings and I recommend the July-August
'95 issue of _History News_ for it's several articles on using those
techniques.


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Edward Baker
Supervisor of Interpretation
Mystic Seaport Museum
Box 6000
Mystic, CT  06355
(860)572-0711
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