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Kids + Art Museum = FUN?

If the thought of taking your child to an art museum sends chills up your spine, here are some anti-chill tips.

Before You Go

• Present the trip in a positive light.
• Call ahead to see if the museum offers any special family programs or activities for children.
• Read some children's books about art and artists. Phone the museum to find out whether it publishes a booklet that gives kids behind-the-scenes information on its collection.
• Lower your expectations about the length of the visit. Don't plan to see everything.
• Generally, art museum visits are more interesting to children who are at least 7 or 8 years old.
• If you're bringing a baby along, check the museum's policies on strollers and baby backpacks.
• Phone the museum in advance to ask whether it's OK if children sit on the floor or try to recreate the poses in the pictures. If the exhibit is crowded, museum officials may be less inclined to allow kids to take up a lot of space.
• Make sure kids understand that they can't touch the art unless there is a "please touch" sign. (Children are very tactile and may want to feel the bumpy surface of an oil painting or the smooth, cool surface of a sculpture.)
• Explain the type of behavior you expect. Just as in restaurants, there are certain rules that must be followed, including no shouting or running.
• Visit during a less crowded time period, or head for a less popular section or exhibit.
• If you can scout out the museum beforehand, pick out a few pieces of art you think the kids will like and visit those first.
• Make sure you know where the rest rooms, soda machines and cafeteria are located.
• If the museum allows photography, consider giving each of your children a disposable camera to record their favorite pieces. Disposable waterproof cameras like the Kodak Max Waterproof Camera and the Fuji color Quicksnap Waterproof 800 are good choices.

During the Visit

• Don't make children look at every single painting and sculpture in the museum. Let them pick and choose what they like best.
• Choose exhibits that will interest kids. Egyptian mummies, African masks and brightly colored pop art might hold more appeal than the Renaissance masters. Consider children's own hobbies. A young girl may enjoy Degas ballerina paintings, for example, and boys may enjoy paintings of horses or soldiers.
• Avoid frightening art (such as war or bloody scenes) or inappropriate art (such as explicit sexuality).
• Don't bore your child with too many details of artistic techniques or the lives of the artists.
• Encourage children to be observant by asking questions about the art elements in the picture: color, form, line, shape, space and texture. Ask questions such as: What colors do you see? Are there more curved lines or straight lines? How does the artist make something look far away in this picture?
• Ask questions about the content of pictures, and listen to your child's answers. Ask questions such as: What do you see in the picture? Why might the people be doing that? How does it make you feel? What would it be like if you were in the picture? Let children know that there are no right or wrong answers because appreciating art is a matter of personal interpretation.
• Children bring their own experiences to the pictures they see, often looking for a story in the paintings. Let them experience and see the art through their own eyes. Don't force them to see what you see in a picture.
• Encourage your children to "act out" their favorite pictures. Or suggest they sketch or draw their favorite pieces.
• Don't stay too long. Typically, an hour is enough for preschoolers, and two hours or less sufficient for school-age children.
• If children get overwhelmed or cannot control themselves, be prepared to leave.
• After the tour, let your children pick out some postcards or prints of paintings at the gift shop as a souvenir.
• Ask whether the museum has a brochure of suggested follow-activities to do at home.

After the Museum

• If your kids express an interest in a particular artist or piece of art, get books on the topic from the library and explore another gallery or museum.
• Encourage your children to create their own art at home. (Why not stock an art closet with plenty of paper, paints, oil pastels, chalk, scissors and other art supplies?)

Internet Museums for Kids

• Kids can learn about art at the New York's Museum of Modern Art's Web site. Take a look at its tips on how to use the site successfully with children. http://artsafari.moma.org/safari_for_adults.html
• If you're planning a family trip to Washington, D.C.'s Smithsonian Institution, check out 10 tips for a successful visit at this Web site: http://newsdesk.si.edu/basic-smithsonian-press-kit/kidtips.doc/odyframe.htm