Comments on: Discuss the Manifesto

By: Yves

Yves — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:28:52 +0000

Why does a museum have to be child friendly? I would prefer a museum visitor friendly (that encompasses EVERYONE, no more ghettos please).
What does it mean then childfriendly? I am a curator in a museum and what it really means is that we have to dumb down information and labels, using simple words. Of course you cannot use ‘technical’ words all along but by doing so, very often, you loose the accuracy of the information you want to convey. An example: we were told ‘you cannot use the word electron’. What do you then propose to use? Would you prefer ‘subatomic particle carrying a negative electric charge’? Surely not. Parents should take control and explain to their kids. That’s called communication. And if the parents don’t know about it. Why not a trip to the nearest library with your kids? Museums are here to inspire and educate. To educate you should aim at just above the visitor’s level of education. Otherwise watch ITV or Channel4 ‘educational programs’.
Playgrounds are here for kids to run around, shout, scream…Playgrounds are the places were you should advice ‘don’t say shush!’. Not museums. In Museums yes, please says SHUSH. And yes please say DON’T TOUCH.
A question: Are kids ever seen wondering alone in museums as are adults? Of course not. They are always accompanied by their parents. So parents, please start to be responsible for your kids and theach them good manners and behaviour. A kid’s behaviour is the mirror of the parent’s behaviour. THat’s whom they learn from.
For all those propably screaming at my post (poor souls!) I will say that I have 2 children. We go to the museum I work for often enough. THey enjoy the place. But when they want to run about we go to playground or even better woods.
This ‘manifesto’ brings more harm to museums than benefits.

By: grit

grit — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:39:00 +0000

our home educated children are in a museum at least once a week. i usually negotiate the cheapest entry fee i can, but it is irritating to have to do so when i could be better spending the time engaging with the kids and exhibits.

on the plus side, i have 100% praise for all you very patient and kind museum people who deal with us, from desk staff to behind-the-scenes curators. we use our fantastic museum resources as part of our learning lifestyle, and we would not do so were we not greeted with interest and kindness.

but what has ed balls to do with this? what is his agenda here? is he coming up with a fantastic idea to have a great big non-uniform family database here, run for our convenience by capita?

By: Peter Kennedy

Peter Kennedy — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:13:17 +0000

Keep children out of museums, they’re usually not interested and just ruin the experience for those who are interested. Museums and galleries are not an ‘activity experience’, they are places where people come to contemplate and marvel at wonderful works which are usually beyond a child’s understanding. Middle class parents should put the children in the park and let their imaginations work for themselves instead of filling up every public place, because they are too lazy to manage them properly.

By: Wendy Ward

Wendy Ward — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:57:13 +0000

I’d like to wholeheartedly agree with Trevor, George, and Fred’s comments above and add a few more.
I’m a regular visitor to museums and galleries and have seen all of them over recent years turn into little more than glorified creches, full of parents letting their children tear around the place shouting and screaming. Or as the museums like to call it “participating”. Hove museum is a wonderful place, but I avoid it at the weekend as you just can’t hear yourself think in there.
Weston Park museum in Sheffield used to be one of my favourite places to go as a child – it was dark, warm, quiet, a bit fusty and full of amazing things that I could look at for as long as I wanted. Today it’s like the Early Learning Centre.
Children spend most of their days being noisy and racing around at school, after-school clubs, playing computer games, etc etc, why can’t we keep museums (and galleries) as a calm, peaceful environment and parents use them as a chance for their children to experience something different – being quiet, looking, thinking and drawing.
If they don’t want to do this or are incapable, then please take them to the nearest playground.

By: Jane Allnutt

Jane Allnutt — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:55:35 +0000

The new manifesto looks great! Can’t wait to see all the reaction to it at the Launch on Thursday!

By: Jo

Jo — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:16:32 +0000

I have worked in a rural life museum for the past 4 and a half years. We are an independant Museum so we have to charge an entry in order to survive. It is set on a large site with many open spaces. We are going to sign up to the Kids In Museums manifesto as we believe in many of it’s aims. If children do not feel welcome in Museums they will not visit them in adulthood. Do those people who have complained about children in museums remember being a child? I bet they were taken to museums etc when they were younger and that is why they still go today. EVERYONE should be welcome and we need to remove the elitist middle class image of museums and galleries. They preserve and promote our culture for the whole of the country not just the chosen few.

I have to say that we very rarely have any problems with children being disruptive to other visitors. The only time this may happen is when they are not properly supervised by the adults with them and not through noise as other vistiors usually see that a museum should be a place of fun.

The visitors who cause the most trouble tend to be adults who disagree with paying, who ignore barriers and climb in displays or complain about things such as puddles (something which is very hard to do anything about especially as we are based on an old farming estate).

By: Annette Kelly

Annette Kelly — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:12:54 +0000

I just wanted to say that I took my 13-year old daughter and her 12-year old friend to a Jacqueline Wilson event at the Foundling Museum last Saturday. It was the most AMAZING day, the event was terrific, and very well organised. The Foundling Museum itself was so interesting and informative, and very stimulating – my two girls got home after a very tiring day and immediately went out to the park to take some photographs and try and make a short film as they were so inspired by the short b/w films running in the basement gallery of the Foundling Museum. I hope the Foundling Museum becomes better known, it was purely by accident that I met someone at a networking event at Middlesex University who is the events co-ordinator for the Foundling Museum. I had never heard of the Museum before that, and it is the most fantastic place to visit.

By: Dea Birkett

Dea Birkett — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:29:41 +0000

Thanks for all those recommendations. Do nominate them for the Family Friendly Museum Award. Further details how to do so on our Guardian Award pages. Families decide the winner!

By: Jean Webster

Jean Webster — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:41:05 +0000

My top 3 places to visit this last fortnight.
West Stow Anglo Saxon village in Suffolk. The friendly, archaeologist guide was superb, the homes & trails amazing. The exhibition was interesting, the cafe great value & shop had good things to buy.
The National Portrait Gallery, BP Portrait Award 2009 has a very good quality Family Trail leaflet for children to enjoy. A real buzz going on. And free!
We took friends with their 12 year old son to the Enjoy Bristol Science on Sunday. Very interactive & I liked the animation opportunity. Good shop with decent objects to buy priced at £1. I am sending a bendy Morph to my son in Antartica!

By: minnickup

minnickup — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:14:54 +0000

Hello,
I used http://www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk forum to get information for that i had in my class. This is an excellent site for this information