Museums are a great way to foster learning outside the four walls of the classroom. What are some family ideas for making your visit memorable?
Plan Wisely
Plan your visit carefully. Unless your destination is a small, local museum, don't expect to see everything in one day. Decide in advance what you will try to do. If you are a museum member, read through recent mailings, or call and find out about fun family activities, special events or programs.
Are there traveling exhibits that you might want to catch before they move on? Are there displays or programs that would be especially meaningful to one of your children? For example, if your child is interested in astronomy, consider a trip to the science museum's planetarium.
Will any exhibit augment K12 grades classroom learning? If your son is studying South American history, you might want to consider a stop at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's Incan and Mayan galleries.
How much time will each area take? Consider the size and complexity of each exhibit as you plan your day. You may find that some sections might take the entire time you have allotted for your visit. For example, you can spend several hours in the Denver Museum of Natural History's "Prehistoric Journey."
After you have decided what you want to see, prioritize your list. Visit those areas high on the list and traveling shows first. That way, if you run out of time, you can always pick up the others on your next trip.
Pick Up a Guide
Most museums have more than just static exhibits. Are there docents or volunteers who can offer more in-depth explanations?
For example, at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., docents will give visitors special insight into the stories behind the scenes. They bring the past to life by describing the time in which Wright took his first flight at Kitty Hawk or revealing the secret of what Charles Lindbergh ate on his trip across the ocean.
Are there written or hands-on materials that will make the display more meaningful to your children? At the Denver Art Museum, special backpacks are available for kids to check out. Each pack is for a separate section of the museum. These family backpacks are filled with hands-on activities. Through letters, games, scavenger hunts and other fun diversions, children can see examples from the past and present and experience them, as well.
Are there interactive exhibits that will draw your child in? At the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida, children can fly a war plane or helicopter via flight simulators.
In the "Hall of Life" at the Denver Museum of Natural History, children become part of the exhibit. They discover their current height, weight, blood pressure and heart rate. They interact with computers to learn about their family gene history and analyze their eating and exercise habits.
Are there demonstrations, or programs available that might carry the learning further? At the National Air and Space Museum, children can learn about flight through demonstrations that explain lift. At the Denver Museum of Natural History, they can watch a rat play basketball. There they can also touch "real" dinosaur bones or watch paleontologists as they actually uncover bones from the plaster that was cast in the field.
Keep the Learning Going
You can also make your excursion more meaningful by providing your children with additional materials about what they saw there.
For example, if you plan to visit the Edison Home in Fort Myers, Florida, you might want to help your children locate books about the famous man and his inventions. If you have just completed a trip to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., you might want to visit the library and check out a book on their favorite artist.
Become a Member
If there are museums that really interest you and your family, it pays to join as a member. For families with two or more children, you can recoup the membership fee within a couple visits.
And members often receive mailings detailing museum exhibits. The mailing usually includes a current calendar of events as well as information about special members only workshops, classes or open houses.
Timing is Everything
Visiting museums during the busiest times can be very frustrating. It's more difficult to see the exhibits and you may not be given the time you need to throughly absorb what you are seeing. You may be forced to move on before you are finished. And it's more difficult to keep track of your children amongst the throngs.
Instead, go when crowds are thinner. Call the museum and ask: Are some hours of the day better than others? Often museums are quieter during the week than on the weekends.
When do school groups come on field trips? Several school groups can turn an ordinarily quiet museum into a bubbling cauldron of activity. Moreover, school groups tend to be loud, more disinterested, and thus more disruptive than families.
If you're thinking about a trip to the museum during a school break, remember that great minds think alike.
By making visits to museums more meaningful, we make the experience fun. Children love to learn, especially when they don't realize it. Make learning an adventure in your family.
Lynn Dean is a Colorado writer and the mother of three children.