Hands On Activities

The article, "Young Children's Perspectives of Museum Settings and Experiences" by Barbara Piscitelli and David Anderson and discusses a study done to see what children really respond to in museums.  According to the study, Piscitelli and Anderson argue that hands on exhibits are not necessarily required for children to have a memorable experience. According to the surveys, they found that children respond and remember things more if they can relate them to something from their daily lives.  The exhibits didn't necessarily have to be hands on to engage children.  So for example, exhibits on dinosaurs and cars were better remembered by children because children often play with toy dinosaurs and cars. 

Piscitelli and Anderson conclude that exhibit designers need to investigate and understand what areas children are already familiar with in order to devise exhibits that will have the most meaning for children.  The connections between what the children are interested in and what the exhibit is over should be obvious to a child in order to best grab their attention.  

I have a hard time believing that museums don't necessarily need hands on activities.  Dinosaur and car exhibits may be already familiar with children and therefore don't require hands on activities to engage them. However, in an exhibit on an unfamiliar topic, hands on activities may make the difference for children understanding the concepts. 

Often when I think of hands on, I think of electronics.  This article is from 2001, and since then electronics have become increasingly incorporated into our daily lives.  It would be very interesting if a more recent study could be compared with this older one.  

http://journals.ohiolink.edu.ezproxy.libraries.wright.edu:2048/ejc/pdf.cgi/Piscitelli_Barbara.pdf?issn=02604779&issue=v19i0003&article=269_ycpomsae