Museums are unique community resources to be enjoyed by everyone. Visits to these treasure houses give families a special opportunity to spend time with their children in rich learning environments. And for children, the wonder of seeing the real thing in a museum often allows them to make the connection between the things they see and already know to what they are learning every day at home and in school.

Housing rare collections and treasures of all sorts, museums have the ability to inspire and amaze us. As keepers of our cultural history, museums preserve the memories of different cultures and individuals, their handmade objects--artifacts, inventions, art works, and historical documents. As custodians of our past, museums through their collections and exhibits invite us to become part of our history, while at the same time helping us to better understand our future.

For children and their families, museums provide a perfect opportunity to learn together. Exhibits carefully crafted by museum curators and other staff encourage thought, reaction, and reflection--look at the splash of color in that painting, explore the constellations of the universe from your chair in the planetarium, compose your own music on a synthesizer, or discover why a pendulum swings back and forth governed only by the laws of physics.

No matter what you or your child's interests; science, music, art, history, natural history, technology, or a specific topic such as airplanes, spaceships, trains, dollhouses, or miniatures there's a museum somewhere waiting for you. Museums not only differ by their collections but also how you learn from them.

Learning from Objects

What can children learn from objects in museums? By carefully looking at the objects they're seeing in the exhibits, children's minds become engaged and the objects become learning tools. Careful observation acts as a springboard for new thoughts and ideas, stimulating the use of critical thinking skills. Some of these skills include:

• Comparing and contrasting--recognizing similarities and differences in objects;
  

• Identifying and classifying--recognizing and grouping things that belong together;
  

• Describing--giving verbal or written descriptions of the objects viewed;
  

• Predicting--guessing what might happen; and
  

• Summarizing--presenting information that has been gathered in a shortened or condensed form.

Learning from objects is easiest when families know their children's learning style. Research shows that most children learn best through one of three ways: hearing (auditory), seeing (visual), or touching/reenacting (tactile/kinesthetic), and some by a combination of all of these.

Generally, children who are

• Auditory learners like to be read to, understand more by hearing explanations of things, and are better at following verbal, rather than written instructions;
  

• Visual learners often like to read on their own, love books with lots of pictures, like information that is presented on a graph or chart, and like to draw diagrams and pictures; and
  

• Tactile-kinesthetic learners like to touch objects and feel textures, enjoy arts and crafts, and like to be in skits or plays, often pretending to be the person they're studying.

Collections and Collectors

Museums hold many of the best collections in the world. Many people donate their precious collections to museums so that they can be shared with the public and also be preserved. In addition to giving collections a home, museums are collectors, adding to their collections as objects become available.

Why do people collect objects? Some people collect objects because they're rare and beautiful. Others collect objects because they remind them of a certain period in time such as their childhood, or of a favorite relative or friend. Occasionally, people start collecting by accident.

A collector of American political items said that he started his collection of Teddy Roosevelt campaign buttons with a Roosevelt bandanna that belonged to his grandfather. A woman who collects tea cups and saucers started her collection by while sifting through someone else's unwanted junk (to the seller it's junk, but to the finder it might be a treasure) at a yard sale. A well-known rare book dealer got started as a result of collecting Wizard of Oz books as a child. In fact, many people choose their careers based on the collections they had as a child. Serious collectors study the subject matter and acquire better objects and specimens to add to their collections.

Here are a few tips to help make your visit to any museum an enjoyable learning experience.

BEFORE THE VISIT

Children may be more excited about the visit if they are involved in the planning. Ways to do this include:

Talking about what they will see in the museum, especially if it's the first visit. This conversation may include some basic information about museums and also how objects get there and why people collect objects in the first place.

Finding out what excites them. If your youngsters are interested in meteors or mummies and your local museum has exhibits on these subjects, you're ready to go! If not, just choose a place that sounds interesting such as a museum in a nearby city. Or look for a museum online.

Relating what's being learned in school to a museum visit. Children can use the visit to do research or to find out more about a subject they're currently studying. Your local museum may have exhibits that will help bring the subject to life.

Reviewing personal safety and behavior rules. Make a safety plan with your children in case you get separated, including the role of museum guards and other staff. Talk with your children about how to behave in the museum by explaining that museums have rules of acceptable and unacceptable behavior. For example, art and history museums generally have a no-touching policy because the items displayed are rare and can't be replaced, but Children's museums are always hands-on.

DURING YOUR VISIT

• Be flexible and follow your child's lead. Don't be surprised if your planned visit to see the dinosaur bones is put on hold because the huge elephant has caught your children's attention. Let them enjoy the exhibit at their own pace. Be ready to discuss any questions they may have. If you don't know the answers, jot down the questions in a notebook.

• Try to relate facts about the exhibit that you're seeing to what your children already know. For example, a knight's suit of armor serves the same purpose as a catcher's mask, a bicycle helmet, or shin guards--to protect the body.

• Ask your children to tell you a story about an object in the exhibit that interests them. "Who do you think wore that suit of armor?" "How did they make it fit?" Encourage them to use their imaginations. If labels or wall text provide more information, include it in your discussion.

PLAY MUSEUM AND GALLERY GAMES

Children of all ages love to play games. Museum games or treasure hunts focus a museum visit and help to break up the time as you go from exhibit to exhibit. They stimulate your child's curiosity, sharpen observation skills, and generally make the visit more enjoyable. If the museum does not provide games, make up your own:

• Postcard Games. Buy some postcards at the museum gift shop. Then turn your children into detectives and ask them to find the pictured items. Not only will they enjoy the hunt, but they'll be thrilled to discover the real thing. Were the colors the same? the details? the textures? the size? Later at home, the cards can be arranged for a home exhibition.

• I Spy.. Have youngsters find an object in an exhibit and describe it to other family members so that each one can take a turn guessing what the object is: "I spy something red and brown with sharp edges" or "I spy something that inches its way along the ground."

• Seek and Find. Ask your child to find paintings that have his or her favorite colors, shapes, or objects in them. This game is not only fun but teaches children to look very closely at each object. Games like this give children a sense of accomplishment when they successfully find or identify everything asked of them.

• Where Is It? Ask your child to find something in the exhibit that is very old ... soft ... hard ... strong ... shiny ... Or something that feels rough ... smooth ... hot ... slippery ... bumpy ... itchy ... Or something that smells yummy ... burnt ... sweet ...

• Tell Me Why or How? Begin the game by saying something like, "If I could ask one question, I'd ask: Tell me the steps in building an Indian tepee?" The answers are usually within the exhibit. This game is fun in any kind of museum.

AFTER THE VISIT

Look for opportunities to continue learning after the visit. To reinforce the learning experience, you might:

• Use the museum's family guide with ideas for activities at home.

• Relate what your children have seen to things they already know. For example, if your children enjoyed an exhibit on astronauts, then you might talk with them about the first man on the Moon or what we know about the possibility of life on other planets.

• Suggest that your children start a collection of their favorite objects and build their own home museum. A good way to add to the collection is to look for yard sales or flea markets in your neighborhood. If you're lucky, your collectible treasures may be found for as little as 50 cents!
  

• Check television and newspaper listings for shows about auctions or other collectibles. These programs often feature many different objects that are being auctioned, describing their history, value, and context.

• Go online. Many museums maintain web sites that feature information about their exhibits and interactive activities for children.

• Encourage your children's creativity by suggesting they make a sculpture or mobile of something they saw in the museum from things found at home--newspapers, broken toys, building blocks, or clay. Display it in your home. If you visited a science museum, try some experiments at home with weights and measures, lights and shadows, or mixing acids and bases (soda and vinegar, lemon and milk). Check your library for books of activities and experiments.

• Ask your children to talk to friends and relatives about the visit. What were their favorite things? What didn't they like? And why?

• Check your notebook and examine your children's unanswered questions. Research the answers and talk them over with your children. See if some of the questions relate to their schoolwork.

• Use community resources. Watch for special events, such as festivals and exhibits at your local library, high school, community center, or shopping center. People are resources too--collectors, painters, and backyard naturalists may live in your neighborhood, eager to share their knowledge with children.

Publications for Families

A Child's Book of Art: Great Pictures First Words by Lucy Micklethwait (London; New York: Dorling Kindersley 1993) contains pictures from different periods, cultures, and artists accompanied by a word or phrase to stimulate discussion between parents and children ages 4 to 8.

Bottlecaps to Brushes: Art Activities for Kids by Lynn-Steven Engelke (Washington, DC: National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian, 1995) provides a tour of selected museum exhibits, with activities showing how to create art from everyday materials.

Minds in Motion: Using Museums to Expand Creative Thinking by Alan Reid Gartenhaus (Caddo Gap Press, 1991) explains how science, history, and art museums can expand creative thinking in children and adults.

Museums: What They Are and How They Work by Cass R. Sandak (New York: Franklin Watts, 1981) discusses types of museums, how they work and who runs them, and how to make the most out of a visit.

National Gallery of Art Activity Book: 25 Adventures with Art by Maura A. Clarkin (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1994) focuses on objects from the National Gallery of Art's collections, combining puzzles, games, and hands-on art activities with learning about great works of art.

The Nine-Ton Cat: Behind the Scenes at an Art Museum by Peggy Thomson and Barbara Moore (Boston: Houghton Mifflin; Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1997) takes a behind-the-scenes look at the National Gallery of Art, including its workshops and labs.

Publications for Teachers

Teach the Mind, Touch the Spirit: A Guide to Focused Field Trips by Helen H. Voris, Maija Sedzielarz, and Carolyn P. Blackmon (Chicago: Department of Education/Field Museum of Natural History, 1986) describes the structure of field trips and includes pre- and post-visit activities. Includes tips for teachers from teachers; resources; and philosophy, strategies, and techniques to museum teaching. Available for $10 from the Department of Education, Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Road and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605.

True NEEDS, True PARTNERS: Museums and Schools Transforming Education (Washington, DC: Institute of Museum Services, 1996) describes 15 collaborative projects between museums and schools around the country. Available free from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Room 510, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20506; e-mail: imsinfo@imls.fed.us ; or call (202) 606-8536.

Publications for Children

A Kid's Guide to the Smithsonian by Ann Phillips Bay (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996) presents highlights from the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of American History, and the Museum of Natural History. Includes tips for planning--and surviving--museum visits.

Are Those Animals REAL? by Judy Cutchins and Ginny Johnston (New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc., 1995) takes a behind-the-scenes look at some of the ways museum artists prepare wildlife displays.

A Visit to the Sesame Street Museum by Joe Mathieu and Liza Alexander (New York: Random House 1987) tells a story about how Sesame Street characters Bert, Ernie, and Grover discover the wonders of art, science, and history during a visit to the Sesame Street Museum.

Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki (New York: Harper & Row, 1988) explores what dinosaurs were like and how their skeletons got to the museum.

Let's Go to the Art Museum by Virginia K. Levy (Pompano Beach, FL: Veejay Publications, 1983) introduces children to the basic elements of art.

Mommy, It's a Renoir! by Aline D. Wolf (Altoona, PA: Parent Child Press, 1984) helps children learn to appreciate art.

Museums by Janet Papajani (Chicago: Childrens Press, 1983) describes various types of museums and their collections.

Taken From the Publication: Museums & Learning: A Guide for Family Visits - April 1998

Published by U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Research and improvement and Smithsonian Office of Education.