Deepen Play with Our Museum Exhibit Guides
What are they, what do they do, and how can we use them?
Published on August 10, 2022
Have you tried out any of our new Exhibit Guides at either of our locations yet?
As you explore our spaces with your child, we hope you will deepen the learning through play that is core to our mission: We inspire growth in all children by engaging families in learning through play, by checking out the guides and trying some (or all) of the tips. We have slowly been creating and adding guides with the help of our education interns from VCU, Reynolds and Tufts and are getting close to having one for each of our exhibits.
So… WHAT ARE THEY?
The exhibit guides a “cheat sheet” of sorts: A QR code to scan with your phone, or a handheld guide in either English or Spanish designed to make the exhibit experience more meaningful for both you and your child(ren).
WHAT DO THEY DO?
These guides are designed for YOU, the caregiver to help you understand the purpose of an exhibit, to give you some engagement tips and help you be the expert guide for your child.
HOW DO YOU USE THEM?
Our guides have some general tips for any exhibit with a exhibit specific description on one side and on the other side there are three core support areas:
Talk:
Look at this section to give you some pointers about how to talk about the exhibit elements with your child (Hint- There are often “helpful words” you can use to create learning connections!).
Play Together:
Use this section to give you some jumping off points for engaging more intentionally in the space.
Explore:
This area invites you to connect the current play experience with other experiences in the museum or home or anywhere.
Overall, we want you to enjoy learning through play as much as your child. The best part is that these exhibit guides are just a starting point! So, when you see an exhibit guide, pick it up, skim through and try something….and see how much fun you and your child can have! We would love your feedback too! Tell us how the guides impacted your museum experience and offer suggestions too!
To access these guides at home, visit: https://www.childrensmuseumofrichmond.org/plan-your-visit/exhibits/. Then, click on the exhibit you are interested in to find the related exhibit guide! This can be a great planning tool BEFORE you visit!