For what its worth my six-year-old son went to the british museum twice in
the last six months. On both occasions he was with an adult. In the summer
he was done in an hour and a half, while this month he spent over four hours
in the museum, and would have spent longer had time permitted.

The difference? He was six months older. And the second time they had the
touchscreen handheld PCs with the childrens'  tours loaded on. They went on
the ancient egypt, and one other tour. Apparently he wanted to hear the
adult descriptions for each artifcact as well.

Well designed spaces with kid-friendly areas worked for him too, in
particular the wellcome trust on the euston road, the wallace collection's
armour or the V&A, each of which offer areas to draw, build or try stuff
out.

The highly subjective conclusions I draw from this are that both work: the
electronic guides audio or full handheld PC allow a depth of engagement one
could only otherwise have with a docent or museum educator led tour. The
physical activities allow for discovery-based learning, imagination and
inspiration.



- Ray

Ray Shah, think design, inc.
web application development & design
office: 212.922.0952 mobile: 917.476.0952
web: http://www.thinkdesign.com


On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 8:10 AM, Nick Poole <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> Dear Museum Computer Group,
>
>
>
> I thought that some of you would be interested in the press release
> issued today by Kids in Museums. The information has been provided by
> real visitors submitting hundreds of feedback forms and letters, and I
> think it makes sobering reading for those of involved in online
> collections!
>
>
>
> I have a feeling that this is going to become an emerging theme in the
> next 2 years as the excitement of Digital recedes and leaves in its wake
> something better-integrated which makes best use of technology to inform
> people about and lead them to real, physical and meaningful interactions
> with collections - we're likely to see more 'back to basics' rhetoric as
> the Public Sector Recession bites deeper and there are fewer
> opportunities for speculative digital projects. Kids in Museums are keen
> to encourage a debate around these themes, and I'd be interested to hear
> any reactions on-list.
>
>
>
> All best,
>
>
>
> Nick
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> LAUNCH OF 2010 KIDS IN MUSEUMS MANIFESTO THURSDAY 14th JANUARY
>
>
>
> Sitting at a computer screen or fingering a fossil? Families want less
> technology and more simple hands-on experiences in museums.
>
>
>
> The new 2010 Kids in Museums Manifesto is being launched, compiled
> entirely from visitors' comments. And this year families have made it
> clear - they don't want 'hands on' to mean passively pushing buttons.
> They want hands on to mean just that - handling real things,
> dressing-up, getting messy. They want a bit of bone to handle or a
> replica of a Tudor costume to pull on. Families can sit in front of a
> computer screen or play on a Wii at home. Museums should be different.
> They have the thrill of the real.
>
>
>
> 'I remember my first visit to the British Museum with my father at the
> age of eight. I was fascinated by the Rosetta Stone. I was thrilled to
> be able to touch it - it was uncovered at the time - and physically
> connect with history,' says Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum.
>
>
>
> 'Of the thousands of visitors' suggestions we received for the 2010
> Manifesto, hardly any mentioned technology and gadgets. Families talked
> about making paper planes in a gallery like Leonardo da Vinci, or
> shining a torch into a dark corner of a glass cabinet as if they were
> discovering something for the first time. There's nothing hi tech about
> that,' says Dea Birkett, Director, Kids in Museums. 'Museums need to
> listen to families, and provide sensual experiences, not clean and
> clinical ones.'
>
>
>
> The demand for better hands-on, interactive exhibits is just one point
> in the 2010 Kids in Museums Manifesto - 20 ways to make a museum family
> friendly - being launched at the British Museum on 14th January. The
> British Museum is a signatory to the Kids in Museums Manifesto and a
> place families have always enjoyed.
>
>
>
> Other new points in the 2010 Manifesto include:
>
> Provide a place to leave prams
>
> Families are fed up of being told there's nowhere to store their prams
> and pushchairs in museums. Museums and galleries should provide a place
> for families to leave all their baggage, so they're free enjoy Picasso,
> ancient pottery or prehistoric artefacts without being encumbered by
> buggies stuffed with changing bags and piles of winter coats. And if the
> galleries weren't crowded with unwanted prams, visitors without kids
> would have a better time, too.
>
> 'Don't touch!' is never enough
>
> Families tell museum staff - be positive when you speak to us! Stop
> telling us off. Say things like, 'Isn't that a great painting. Let's
> look at it together from further back.'
>
> Have flexible family tickets
>
> Don't dictate the size of a family. Families come in all shapes and
> sizes. We want a family ticket even if we have three kids, or are a lone
> parent family with a grandparent too.
>
>
>
> Kids in Museums - a Brief History
>
>
>
> In 2003, writer Dea Birkett was thrown out of the Royal Academy's Aztec
> exhibition when her youngest son, aged two, shouted 'Monster!' at a
> statue of Eagle Man who looked rather like - well - a monster. Four days
> later, Dea wrote a piece about her family's expulsion in the Guardian.
> By the end of that day, hundreds of families emailed to say they were
> fed up being treated badly in Britain's museums, and wanted to see
> change. Kids in Museums was born, a voice for every family visitor.
>
>
>
> Today Kids in Museums is an independent charity, working with museums to
> make them more welcoming to families, in particular those who have never
> had the opportunity to visit before. Kids in Museums believes in
> changing museums, we can change lives, giving opportunities and
> experiences to new families.
>
>
>
>
>
> Further details, interviews and copies of the 2010 Kids in Museums
> Manifesto contact:
>
>
>
> Telephone 020 7022 1888
>
>
>
> Email [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
> Website www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk
>
>
>
> Images and Quentin Blake illustrations available for press use.
>
>
> ****************************************************************
> For mcg information visit the mcg website at
> http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
> To manage your subscription to this email list visit
> http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
> ****************************************************************
>

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