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| |    Learning in Museums: Exploring the World of Information by Gloria Needlman and Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. Recently, many museums have been built specifically with young children in mind. (One of the first of these, the Boston Children's Museum, was directed for many years by Dr. Spock's son, Michael.) Here, the old "do not touch" warnings are replaced by signs that invite children to explore by touching, listening, moving, and playing. But even such older types of museums can offer rich experiences to children. Here are some tips to help you make that happen. Ask open-ended questions The best learning often starts with an open-ended question. "What do you think these signs should tell us, to help us understand the exhibit better?" "Tell me what this reminds you of." "How do you think this works?" In contrast, questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no take less thinking and usually don't lead to rich conversations. So, before you ask a question, ask yourself, "Could this question be answered with a simple Yes or No?" If it could, try asking your question in a different way. And don't forget to be a listener! Too often we adults explain too much and give too many definitions without first finding out what it is that the child is really interested in knowing. For example, a young child might ask if dinosaurs are really, really old. Before going into a long explanation about fossils, an astute parent asks the child why he is interested. It turns out, he wants to be reassured that no dinosaur will be coming around to eat him up at night! Read the signs with your preschooler A lot of the information that makes museums interesting is printed on signs. But the language often is too complicated for young children to grasp. One way around this is to read the sign yourself, then give your child a brief, simple summary of the important points. Better yet, first ask your child what she thinks the sign should say. The answer to this question will tell you a lot about the meaning your child is taking from the exhibit. And the process of making a guess (or hypothesis) about the meaning of printed words is actually an important part of the process of learning to read (and is also something that experienced readers do without thinking about). Let the exploring continue at home Any really successful exploration raises more questions than it answers. That can be true, too, of a young child's museum experience. Suppose, for example, that your child is fascinated by giant mammoth skeletons. Chances are you didn't have time on the visit to learn everything about them, such as where they lived, how they ate, or whether they lived in groups. You can keep your child's interest alive by going to the library and finding a book with pictures of mammoths and other creatures from the same era. Many young children are fascinated to learn that what they see in real life in a museum can also be found between the covers of a book. With a book, too, a young child can listen to the same passages repeatedly until she really understands them (assuming your patience holds out). In addition, most children find the idea of "doing research" at a library to be very grown-up and exciting. And at the same time your child is learning about a particular topic--say, dinosaurs or volcanoes--she is also being exposed to something much more fundamental: experiencing the thrill of discovering something new, then digging in to learn even more about it.
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