Being involved with your children at museums

Last time, I mentioned my experience at the Museum of Science in Boston watching chaperones and students on a field trip.  The role of a chaperone is a tough one, and the responsibilities and expectations can really vary depending upon the teacher, the field trip location, etc.  The Museum of Science helps out by providing activity guides with questions, suggestions, and recommended exhibits to visit that are intended to focus chaperones and the students in their group on a specific topic.  But most parents who visit museums with their children will probably do it for a family outing and not on a field trip.  I’ve certainly seen lots of families at all different kinds of museums, and it is really interesting to me how parents and children interact with each other at these places.  One time when I was at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I watched a mother in a gallery full of Impressionist paintings talking about the art with her kids, who I would guess were 2 and 4 years old.  At the Boston Children’s Museum I observed some parents gleefully playing in the sand and water with their little ones, while others sat back and watched.  At that same museum, an employee told me how some parents will point out interesting aspects of the Japanese House and reinterpret information so their kiddos can relate, but others don't even want to take their shoes off and instead send their children in alone.

What expectations do parents bring with them when they visit a museum as a family?  What are they looking to get out of it personally?  What do they want for their kids?  There are, of course, all kinds of reasons why families visit museum.  They may want to explore generally, see something specific, go to a new or special exhibit, get out of the house because it’s a rainy day, or just have fun.  Regardless of why we go to museums, these settings do offer opportunities for learning and discovery.  Moreover, chances are you consider learning to be important for your children.  Is it necessary to make every museum experience into an educational one?  I hope not!  I taught kindergarten for a long time and, even though I can tell you about the various cognitive, social, and physical benefits of painting a picture, building with blocks, and playing in the housekeeping center, I sometimes joined in these activities with my students just to have a good time and not to focus on educational objectives.  Nevertheless, I think it is important for parents to recognize the potential for learning that exists at museums and the crucial role they play in their children’s experiences at these places.

Many museums are set up for children to learn through natural discovery and interaction with the exhibits.  Children’s museums, science centers, natural history museums, zoos, and aquariums come to mind immediately, but many art and history institutions also do a great job of this.  A hands-off approach by parents can work really well in these places, and this also gives kids a chance to learn independently or by interacting with peers.  But when you do get involved with what your child is doing, there are so many ways he or she can benefit.   One way to think of it is as one-on-one instructional time – the type we all value when we think about our kids’ school education and why we want smaller class sizes or more help in the classroom.  When you are involved with your kids at the museum, you have an opportunity to ask questions, to get them to describe what they notice, to make predictions, or to make connections to their own knowledge.  It’s a chance for you to help them figure something out, encourage them to try something they might not have thought of otherwise, and extend their learning.  At an art museum, you can talk about the colors and shapes in a work of art, or you can tap into a little one’s familiarity with stories and get him or her to make up a story about what’s happening in a painting.  A children’s museum with an exhibit about farms provides parents and kids with a chance to talk about how food is grown and gets to the store, plan out a trip to buy groceries, or even discuss the idea of planting a garden.  Maybe this doesn’t seem like learning?  But it is, and it’s just as important and meaningful as learning the alphabet or how to add.  And as a parent, you should know that you are your child’s first teacher and you can have a huge impact on his or her education and attitude toward learning.

In case I seem too preachy, I can tell you that I’ve gone to museums with kids of various ages where I didn’t think about learning at all and I didn’t consciously try to do any teaching.  But I still got totally involved, we had a great time, and I suspect that a lot of learning occurred anyway.  Then there were the times when I tried to get the children to be curious, learn from the exhibits, and answer questions – sometimes this worked out, and sometimes it failed miserably.  For example, I went to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. with a three-year-old and had a great time dressing up in clothing from around the world and identifying and talking about the mounted animals in the Hall of Mammals.  On the other hand, I went to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, California with two slightly older kids and tried to get them involved with the interactive dinosaur adventure so they could learn about dinosaurs and paleontology.  Instead they decided to use the hand-held “research transmitters” as wands to play Harry Potter.  Oh well, that’s the way it goes. 

So whatever your motivation for going to a museum with your child, I hope that you agree that a museum visit can be an incredible learning experience and that you’ll stay open to the opportunities and possibilities.  Be curious, ask questions, jump in there and get down and dirty alongside your kiddo, and take advantage of those “teachable moments” that so often come up. Whatever happens, I think you’ll find that it’s a fun, shared experience for both of you – the kind where you create memories together.