Enriching Exhibition Planning

Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose

A Case Study: Mammoth Discovery

Courtesy Karen Carr

Project Overview • 2,500 sq. ft. Exhibition• Content Partnership & Web Site - UCMP• Audience Research Partnership - UCSC

- Front end- Formative/Prototyping Labs - 3- Summative

• State of the Field Survey - RK&A• Professional Development - Project Cohorts

Research• Three Prototype Labs• Labs 1 & 2 - start with “Proof of Concept”

and basic engineering• Modify throughout the lab (as possible)• Each lab builds off the others

A Community of Learners

• As cohort museums we share our process• Open up a dialog about our challenges• Offer a forum on research partnerships• Explore the value of real and authentic experiences in

which engage children and families with evidence

Evidence-based science activities

Femur

Lupe’s Skull

Four findings: Parents’ talk in museums…

n Varies depending on gender of children (and on content of exhibit)

n Scaffolds children to go beyond their initial unfocused observations

n Guides children to attend to evidence

n Varies depending on parents’ background

• Continuing to explore and expand our community of learners and research questions around early childhood and science play

• Investigating means of engaging adults as learners in CM settings

• Practicing a playful approach and serious science e.g. Wild Zones and 01SJ’s Imagination Playground

What’s next?

For children, play is as natural as breathing – and as necessary.

— Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld