To All,
This is an interesting thread. It seems to me that one of the things that museums don't do well--even children's museums--is educate parents about how they can engage their children in the museum. Parents know that taking children to museums is good because they will learn, but they don't know the why or how. As museum educators, we all know which objects appeal to children and we all know how to help children engage with those objects. We also understand something about developmental learning and know that engaging a six-year-old is different from engaging a twelve-year-old. (Although a lot of museums don't do this well--try taking a group of high school students to a museum whose school visitation consist almost exclusively of 4th graders.)
Does anyone do any kind of orientation for parents--either a video or brochure. We have chaperone guides which largely stress the don'ts, but has one of you developed something that says to parents "here's an example of the kinds of things you can ask your six-year-old as you look at this painting"--this type of thing?
Bill
William B. Obrochta
Manager of Educational Services
Virginia Historical Society
P. O. Box 7311
Richmond, VA 23221-0311
Phone: 804-342-9651
Fax: 804-355-2399
www.vahistorical.org
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cindy Boyer
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 9:57 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Children in Museums
I agree about the generality of the comments of "getting something out of it."
When I see a child disengaged in a museum setting, I try to fight the urge to engage the child in the environment. Sometimes I don't succeed, and find myself first exchanging a pleasantry with the parent - something affirming like "they sure have a lot of energy at that age, don't they?" then share something with the child like "I can't believe how many animal pictures there are in this room! How many did you count?"
Encountering school groups is another issue. I very much appreciated seeing on a museum website "Tuesday through Fridays in May there are many school groups touring between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. You may wish to plan the time of your visit accordingly."
Interesting thoughts about museums being more accepting/accessible to families; and does that equal being tolerant to dangerous behavior (dangerous to the collections, dangerous to the child)?
There was a mention of a "quiet zone" I would love to see an art museum offer a "quiet night" - a special night where visitors are invited to meditate and relax with the artwork. No cell phones. No guided tours. No talking. An evening of refuge.
I too, have issues with some adult behaviors in museum settings. I especially can't stand the increasingly common use of obscenity in young adult conversation, especially (euphemistically speaking) the "F-bombs."
I don't want to hijack this thread, but what do you think is acceptable behavior in a museum setting? To me, it is whatever does not interfere with other visitors enjoyment and appreciation of the exhibit.
Cindy Boyer
Director of Museums and Education
The Landmark Society of Western New York
133 S. Fitzhugh St.
Rochester NY 14608
(585) 546-7029 ext. 12
[log in to unmask]
Fax: (585) 546-4788
The Landmark Society: Revitalizing Yesterday, Protecting Today, and Planning for Tomorrow
www.landmarksociety.org
Confessions of a Preservationist: The Landmark Society blog Facebook / MySpace
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jennifer Snyder - Packwood House Museum
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 9:40 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Children in Museums
I couldn't agree with Johanna more. I usually find that the children are better behaved than adults - I have never had to remind a child more than once not to touch museum objects, and I've never had to ask a child not to sit or lean on museum furniture, either. (I cannot, however, say the same for adults!)
And, as others have stated, when a child IS unruly, it usually all comes down to the fact that the parent is not parenting properly or has brought them into a situation that is beyond their interest or attention span.
Jennifer Snyder
Assistant to the Executive Director
Packwood House Museum
15 North Water Street
Lewisburg, PA 17837
570-524-0323
www.packwoodhousemuseum.com
> -------Original Message-------
> From: Johanna Goldfeld <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Children in Museums
> Sent: Jul 07 '11 08:26
>
>
> I'd also point out that I often find ADULTS behavior (usually, very
> loud talking) to be more disruptive than any children in the room. So,
> let's not make kids the scapegoat. I surmise that early exposure to
> the museum environment sometimes instills an appreciation for art,
> culture, and history as well as an understanding of proper decorum
> that is useful later in life.
>
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