When I was 5 years old, my parents brought me to see a fascinating exhibit called The great Pharaoh Ramses II and his time. For many years, I dreamed of becoming an Egyptologist. Many of my school projects were about Egypt and I even had a hieroglyph stamp set. Sadly (or luckily since there are not that many work opportunities for an Egyptologist in Montreal), I never pursued my childhood dream and did a business degree.At the grand age of 1 year old, Alice has already visited 5 museums:
Montreal Fine Art Museum (Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibit)
Montreal Botanical Garden (Butterflies Go Free)
McCord Museum (Toys 2)
Biodome (Permanent Exhibit)
Redpath Museum (Permanent Exhibit)
Each visit was a complete success. Alice was wide awake, looking curiously around her, fascinated by the shapes, colors, textures, sounds and smells that were surrounding her. Of course, she does not care that much about the tragic extinction of dinosaurs or the Monarch Butterfly migration. However, I'm convinced that each of these experiences can have an impact on the way that she sees "her" world.
Alice might not talk a lot (5 words so far) but it was obvious that she was having a good time at the Redpath Museum since her facial expression and her body language changed many times during our visit (about 45 minutes).
Visiting a museum with a baby/toddler implies a few challenges but with some time management and realistic expectations the experience should be enjoyable for the parents and the kiddo.
What is your favorite museum (visited with or without kids)?
* * * * *
paula kiliclar: Thank you. Her room is slowly having more "personality"! It's fun:)
sew nancy: Ah ah ah, this is not art...it is just me playing with paint during one afternoon :)
4 comments:
Hi Claudia...long time no comment! I LOVE visiting the Redpath with my children. Just the perfect size and so beautiful. The museum of civilisation in Ottawa and the science museum in Toronto are two of our favourites!
The Viking Museum in Oslo!! Just went last summer, and it was incredible. Three Viking boats with beautiful curly prows in a tall-ceilinged room. A small selection of beautiful artifacts, and everything displayed in a wonderful way.
Hi Claudia!
I've been reading your blog since you posted a dress you made with Nani Iro fabric but I didn't have a blog at the time and didn't comment before.
We lived in Toronto for some years but never took my Umi to any museum (I found them expensive! haha, how cheap of me) but I took her to see the animals at the zoo, some awesome art shows, all the best parks in the city and niagara falls...
She says she doesn't remember! (well, only the animals at High Park, especially the fat squirrels) but Im convinced that there are some neuronal connections that wouldn't have happened without my monumental efforts to provide her with the best stimulation I could provide. or at least I hope so! that stroller was really hard to put in the bus hahaha
My all time favorite museum (and one I'm most looking forward to visiting with my son) is the Milwaukee Public Museum (in Milwaukee, Wisconsin). I don't know that it's really all that spectacular of a museum, but visiting there when I was a kid was always a magical experience. Hopefully when we're visiting there in August, we'll have time for his first visit to that museum.
We've visited more zoos and aquariums because they're great for toddler attention spans, but at 2 my son has already visited the local art museum (an exhibit on Egypt!) and the kids science center here. I appreciate museums that work to make their exhibits accessible to kids, while still keeping it interesting for adults.
Post a Comment