In the Loupe: Preparing Kids to Visit Museums

Prepping a group of young people to visit a museum?

Sometimes museum spaces can seem a bit formal or unapproachable to kids, especially when there are no designated youth spaces. But even traditional, object-focused museums can be exciting for everyone. 

Though we no longer offer this remote program, educators and caregivers have told us they appreciated the prep activities we offered for our Skype: In the Loupe program, so we are sharing them here! 

Why do we keep it?

Sometimes the concept of a museum can be confusing to kids. History museums, in particular, might seem like unfamiliar buildings that hold old things in glass cases.  It's not always possible for smaller museums and historical societies to host children's programs or "please touch" exhibits, but that doesn't mean kids can't find these spaces engaging.

This first activity can be completed as a worksheet or a conversation. It is an opportunity to talk about the types of things people keep and find important. 

Q- Ask children what objects in their possession they find interesting, important, or dear? And why?

If the museum you are visiting has a website or social media presence, this might be an opportunity to share some interesting posts or articles. Helping kids orient and set expectations for their visit goes a long way to making the site visit or field trip successful.  At Morristown, we have a Junior Ranger program, and our activity booklet is available on site (in print) and on the web (PDF).

What is a Collection?

The artifacts or collections displayed in a museum can vary in content and materials.

Collections might include historic structures (buildings), library and archival materials (books and papers), natural specimens (flora, fauna, rock, and minerals), and museum artifacts (furniture, clothing, art, etc.). Some collections overlap into more than one category of description. 

This activity is fun to play on a chalkboard or white board with teeny post it notes. 

Newark high school students play the collection game.

Nomenclature

Nomenclature is the name or term given to something. Museums name, classify, and categorize artifacts as a way to record their unique qualities for identification and interpretation. 

Artifacts are categorized by type (what they are), purpose or use (what they are used for), and material (what they are made of). 

Museums also catalog or record specific details about artifacts, such as size, condition (good, fair, poor), historical information (when or how they were used and who used them), and provenance (who has owned an artifact and how it was acquired). Natural history artifacts, like specimens, might include additional scientific information like chemical content or indication of rarity. 

In most traditional museums, artifacts contain labels with this information.

Note the artifact description on this object label. 

 

Exploring Galleries with Specific Lenses

A fun way to explore galleries is to gamify your visit. We often have students use the following thought lenses when they look around. 

Consider...

Accessibility

• descriptions and language 
• is it user friendly?
• layout
• color and image contrast
• exhibit height
• connecting the story
• viewing or audio description

Story Telling & Dialog

• exhibit themes
• paring of artifacts
• does it inspire questions?
• layout (room and exhibits)
• educational use
• relevance to visitors
• is it engaging?

Preservation

• artifact condition
• artifact materials
• surrounding environment
• artifact conservation needs
• cases, mount, & displays
• lighting
• exposure (touching, humidity) 

Prep activities by Sarah Minegar