By Spramani Elaun
As a seasoned museum educator and frequent visitor, I am passionate about inspiring you to start visiting museums with your children, or even on your own! Here are 10 Great Reasons to Take Children To A Museum: A Guide for Parents & Teachers.
1. Museums Are Great Fun & Interesting!
Forget what you think you know about museums! These treasure troves of knowledge can be an exhilarating way to spend your day. Whether it’s a museum dedicated to history, science, or the arts. Each museum is a unique experience filled with intriguing exhibits. But that’s not all! Consider the myriad of unconventional museums scattered across the country. Like the colorful array of Pez dispensers at the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia in California. Or visiting extraterrestrial mysteries at the UFO Museum & Research Center in New Mexico. Or appreciating the quirky charm of the Museum of Bad Art in Massachusetts. There’s even a Museum of Weird in Austin for those who fancy the peculiar!
2. Embrace Your Local Museum [STAYCATION!]
Isn’t it true that we often explore museums when we travel? But have you ever pondered about the treasures that lie within your own town? Taking time to discover the local museums can give you the thrill of a small getaway, right in your hometown.
3. Museums Have Air Conditioning
Did you know that museums can be a sanctuary of calm and escape from the heat? Designed to be peaceful spaces where quiet contemplation is the norm. When life gets overwhelming, or the outdoor temperature soars, consider escaping to a museum. It’s not just about enjoying art—it’s a unique way to practice mindfulness and rejuvenate your senses.
4. Visiting A Museum Makes Children Smarter!
Museums are vibrant hubs of knowledge. They offer insights into their diverse subjects, facilitating an immersive learning experience. As you meander through the captivating exhibits, you might find your perspective being subtly reshaped. Perhaps you will acquire a newfound understanding of historical events. Museums provoke thoughtful introspection and feed your intellectual curiosity, encouraging you to see things in an illuminating new light.
5. Museums Support Community Networking
Museums are potent platforms for building connections with individuals who share your interests. They regularly organize intellectual symposiums, lectures, and networking events. Attendance at these engagements allows you to interact with peers who are passionate about similar topics. These gatherings provide a unique environment where learning combines with social interaction, making it enjoyable. Embrace this convergence of education and social mingling, and you may find your evening at the museum to be both enlightening and delightful.
6. Museums Support Educators
Such experiences can also be a profound source of teaching inspiration. For instance, a visit to a science museum can provide you with new teaching resources, equipping you with unique insights that augment your teaching of the Great Lessons. Likewise, a visit to a history museum can offer a fresh perspective on historical events, enriching your ability to weave compelling narratives into your curriculum. Museums serve as catalysts for enriching educational experiences.
7. Museums Support Cultural Appreciation
Museums are instrumental in enhancing art literacy by unveiling its profound connections to social, historical, and cultural landscapes. Museums offer an immersive journey into the past through their plethora of artifacts and captivating stories. Imagine infusing your lesson plans with diverse cultural narratives, making learning an exhilarating adventure across a spectrum of subjects. The inspirations drawn from these experiences could even transport your classroom into an inspiring gallery of ideas. As an art teacher, I heavily rely on cultural exhibits to enrich my art lessons.
8. Museums Erich A Child’s Experience
Have you ever noticed how experiences tend to outshine material possessions when it comes to enriching our lives? This is because experiences, unlike physical objects, evolve over time. They morph into personal narratives that we replay in our minds, often embellishing them with positive emotions and minimizing any negative aspects. This iterative process of reinterpretation makes us happier in the long run. Now, imagine forging such experiences within the dynamic and enriching environment of a museum. The joy derived from a museum visit is a gift that keeps on giving, resurfacing again and again in your memory, each time imbuing you with a sense of fulfillment and contentment. Here’s your corrected sentence: My own children still talk about visiting King Tut and the Museum of Man!
9. Museums Ignite creativity!
Museums, true to the essence of their name containing “muse”, serve as a springboard for inspiration. A trip to a museum can unleash your imagination. Being exposed to various artists stimulates fresh thoughts and your imagination. Museums are designed with the intention of fostering a learning environment. They offer comprehensive knowledge on their focus subject, equipping you with the resources to form your personal interpretations based on your interest. Navigating through exhibits may challenge your viewpoints.
10. Children Can Visit Museum Virtually!
In the digital age, experiencing the wonders of museums has extended beyond physical boundaries, with numerous institutions offering virtual tours. These virtual experiences are particularly beneficial for children as they cater to their curiosity while providing an engaging educational environment.
Planning a Museum Trip:
Consider the Family’s Interests: Choose a museum that aligns with your family’s interests to ensure an engaging and enjoyable experience. Whether it’s an art museum, a natural history museum, or a science museum, selecting one that resonates with your family’s hobbies or curiosities will make the visit more memorable.
Research the Exhibits: Before your visit, take time to research the current and upcoming exhibits at local museums. This not only helps to build anticipation but ensures you’re choosing a museum with exhibits that will captivate your family.
Check for Family-Friendly Programs: Many museums offer programs specifically designed for families or children. These can include interactive displays, guided tours, or hands-on workshops. Such programs can significantly enrich your family’s museum experience and create lasting learning opportunities. I love exploring local family art experiences in San Diego and Los Angeles.
Virtual Museums
Type some of these museums into your browser and see what they have to offer:
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is a standout, offering virtual tours of current and past exhibits.
The NASA Kids’ Club is another excellent online resource, providing interactive games that make learning about space fun.
The British Museum, with its interactive timeline, allows children to explore artifacts from various eras.
The Louvre offers virtual tours of several popular exhibits, providing children an insight into world art and culture.
The Guggenheim Museum in New York, recognized for its impressive modern art collection, provides virtual access to its unique spiral gallery.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam offers a detailed online tour exhibiting the artist’s famous works.
Google’s Art Project lets you virtually stroll inside the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and look at art from every angle, enabling you to view the works of artists like Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali.
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, houses one of the most important collections of Italian Renaissance art and is readily available for online exploration.
The Getty Museum in Los Angeles offers interactive tours of their collections and gardens for a comprehensive virtual experience.
These virtual tours not only present a convenient way to explore art collections, but also provide educational resources to deepen understanding and appreciation.
World Wide Museums
Take a look at these four intriguing museums dotted across the globe that might pique your interest:
- Ramen Museum, Yokohama, Japan – This unique museum provides a deep exploration of the beloved Japanese dish. Dive into the history of ramen and discover its diverse varieties. It’s a gastronomic delight for any food enthusiast.
- The Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb, Croatia – Embark on a profound journey through a myriad of dissolved relationships, showcased through intimate objects left behind from former lovers, accompanied by their poignant narratives.
- The International Spy Museum, Washington, D.C., USA – The perfect destination for aficionados of intrigue and mystery, this museum unlocks the clandestine world of spies through exhibits showcasing various espionage artifacts.
- The Underwater Museum, Cancun, Mexico – This extraordinary museum occupies an entirely aquatic environment! Visitors can scuba dive or snorkel to observe the 500 life-sized sculptures that form an intricate reef habitat for marine life.
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