How Every Museum Can Be More Like a Children's Museum
As I head off to the InterActivity Conference this week, I’ve been thinking about how traditionally hands-off museums can learn valuable lessons from their Children's Museum counterparts. While most cultural institutions strive to educate and inspire, Children's Museums have mastered the art of making learning an immersive, hands-on adventure that visitors actually *want* to experience.
Here's how different types of cultural institutions can channel some of that same Children’s Museum mojo:
Art Museums: Let Visitors Create, Not Just Contemplate
Art Museums traditionally rely on the "look but don't touch" approach, but they could also:
• Create "inspiration stations" near notable works where visitors can try artistic techniques.
• Offer "remix corners" where visitors can create their own versions of famous paintings.
Michelangelo didn't become an artist only by looking at sculptures—he also made them. Let your visitors create art, too!
Natural History Museums: Bring Those Dioramas to Life
Your taxidermied animals are looking a bit dusty. We know they're not real, so why pretend? Instead, why not:
• Transform static exhibits into sensory experiences (What does fossil or mummified evidence tell us about what a mammoth could have sounded or felt like? Let visitors find out!)
• Create "science detective” stations where visitors solve real-life ecological mysteries tied to the actual locations featured in the dioramas using scientific tools
History Museums: Let Visitors Step Into the Story
History museums often treat visitors as passive observers of the past rather than active participants. To change this:
• Create "decision points" where visitors face the same choices as historical figures.
• Design immersive environments that engage all senses (Yes, medieval towns did smell that bad!)
The Secret Sauce of Children’s Museums: Less Reading, More Doing
The magic of Children's Museums isn't just about bright colors or simpler content—it's about active engagement. Children's Museums transform visitors from passive observers into active participants -- creating meaningful experiences that stick with people long after they've left the building.
So go ahead—add that dress-up corner to your art gallery or install a wind tunnel into your history museum!
Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!
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