What to do in the summer holidays?
Especially when your mum is working. Well firstly, have friends over, prevents boredom and therefore lessens the potential for squabbling, then perhaps go out. So we organised for a friend each to come over and a trip to the Horniman Museum, where I was working that afternoon in the Discovery For All session in the Hands-on Base.
The Hands-on Base in the Horniman Museum is exactly what it says it is. A gallery full of objects to touch. I armed the kids with a camera and was intrigued to find out what they got up to, what they looked at and and what exactly captured their imagination.
They began with the 'Teeth' Discovery Box.
Silver teeth.
Fossilised teeth, a mammoth's.
Wooden teeth.
Photo opportunity teeth.
Everyone does this with the shark's jaw.
Next the 'Toys' Discovery Box.
Toys from recycled materials.
As a student I remember playing Mancala but have long since forgotten the rules.
However, another family hadn't forgotten and they taught my kids how to play. They sat and played Mancala for ages, two groups of visitors who hadn't met before. I love that!
This wasn't their only opportunity to meet and interact with other visitors. The Puffer fish often draws people together.
We learn from a family from Ecuador that in Spanish it is called a "balloon fish". "Cool!"
They swap the camera and take photos of each other.
They listen,
...perform, on their own,
...together,
... dance,
...and wonder how long this snake would had been were the head and tail still attached.
Of course a museum visit is not all about the objects.
"Mum, mum, I got to show you something."
"What?"
"What's this doing here?"
They have expectations of what should be included in museum collections. And plastic halloween masks are not one of them.
The Hands-on Base is only open for the 'Discovery For All' sessions which are Sunday mornings and some afternoons in the school holidays.
Details on the Horniman Museum website, here.
Thanks to Miriam, Tom, Naomi and Roman for the photos and providing even more evidence that museums are not "boring".
I'd like to put in a plea that grown-ups can have something like that as well. I recently went to the Lowry and pottered into an art area where I helped myself to some paper and crayons and started drawing an orange (You might ask why an orange. This is why an orange ) Shortly after, I realised that I was getting some strange looks. I was the only unaccompanied grown-up in the place. Why can't I express my reactions to an exhibition in a practical way too? Why is it always for kids?
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I'm glad your four had a great time and that they clearly engaged with the touchy things. But can I do it too? (Without having to find a kid to take with me?) In other words - why the emphasis on school holidays?
(End of short rant)
'Not letting grown-ups join in' is well worth a rant. I can give you many examples. However in this instance I have to stick up for the Horniman as it's Discovery For All. We love grown ups coming in too and I am especially impressed with the unaccompanied grown-ups who join in when there are so many kids around. I also work at the Imperial War Museum who also love & encourage adults to join in all the events and workshops. I can't help myself joining in things like this in museums & galleries. I won't mention the places that charged us all to get in, then only let the kids do stuff!!! Keep joining in, I say, and ignore the funny looks. :)
DeleteI'm pretty sure we have an identical Halloween mask, will have to let the kids know it's a museum piece!
ReplyDeleteYes, a big Hurrah for letting everyone join in. I think as adults we can be too inhibited to join in or perhaps too inhibiting. Also museums can be exhausting with little children expected to be silent and still -I avoided many of the more famous galleries in Italy for this very reason but the Peggy Guggenhiem in Venice was a brilliant experience for them. On a visit to The Horniman long ago in my student days I was delighted by those big pull-out drawers that are under the display cases! We went to Hampton Court a few weeks ago and the kids were very pleased with the more touchy feely elements of the display which was absent from my own childhood visits there, so it just shows what can be done with the minimum disruption to the overall atmosphere of the space.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place. My kids would have loved this when they were growing up. Our GoMA has a wonderful children's space, with hands on activities tied to current exhibitions. Grown-ups can have a turn too :) Love the puffer fish, but the snake skin gives me the creeps!
ReplyDeleteI think that this is fantastic!!!!!! I totally get the "hands off" approach needed for so many things, but this shows that you can get "hands on" with things and encourage children and adults to really experience them in different and new ways and then they understand more the needs for the "hands off" side of things I think! At work we have a table of shells that you can touch and cabinets full of shells that you can't touch and when children hold the ones they can they realise how fragile they are which makes them appreciate the rest. Fabulous work that you and the museum are doing. So glad that you and everyone else had such a great time!!!! xx
ReplyDeleteI love hands on museums, we went to a great one recently in Lichfield, the Erasmus Darwin house. All sorts of objects to handle and a dressing up box of Georgian costumes - it was really good fun. On a 'being quiet' note from reading the above comments, I was dismayed recently when at an English Heritage property, a Roman city, that my son and stepsons who were chattering excitedly were being shot dirty looks from a group walking around listening to these hand held talking tour device thingies. I had to resist myself from taking the silly contraptions and throwing them into the Roman baths! :) Must get to the Horniman museum when I am in London this autumn. x
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous idea the boxes are. So many things can't be touched, for good reason, so to be able to play with ,wear and use some items is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of the game Mancala before, a new one on me.
Lisa x
Wonderful to be able (and encouraged) to touch. Although I do think it is also important in certain environments and situations to know that you just can't touch, feel and play with things, so as to preserve them for the future and ensure other people can enjoy them too. It's all about balance I guess. Looks like everyone had a wonderful afternoon. I like the look of Mancala. X
ReplyDelete