I would create a pre-visit exercise that went something like this:

Lay your hand on the table and look at the way the light creates 
highlights and shadows around the sometimes imperceptible curves and the 
way that those curves can be accentuated by varying the intensity and 
direction of the light.  Look at the texture of the skin with its 
infinite lines and see how it looks different if muscles beneath it are 
tensed. Notice how the fingers seamlessly join the hand.  Make your hand 
look calm, angry or pleading just by moving the fingers a little bit and 
tensing some muscles and relaxing others.  Look at the story in your 
hand.  My 45 year old hands show the scars of 15 years as a carpenter.  
How is my hand different from my 15 year old son's youthful, athletic hands?

And to really bring the point home, after looking at hands in all of 
these ways, put on a pair of gloves...

So prepared I would bet a large number of the students would not even 
notice that "that lady doesn't have any clothes on."  Kids are smart, 
even little ones.

Cheers,

Dan

-- 
Dan Bartlett, BFA, MA
Curator of Exhibits
IMLS Grant Project Coordinator
Midway Village & Museum Center
Rockford, IL

=========================================================
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).