The Blog of Boston Children's Museum
A behind-the-scenes look at Museum life.
Recently, a child said to me that “why” is her favorite word and that she could even ask it for a hundred years. That’s a really long time! While the frustration of being caught in a “why” loop might cloud the positives, we can remind ourselves that there is curiosity beneath all of these “whys.”
At Boston Children’s Museum, we define Working Flexibly as incorporating and revising ideas based on new information, employing objectivity and acknowledging subjectivity. Learn how Working Flexibly comes into play throughout the Museum in Program Fellow Sydney’s latest blog.
Next up in the Habits of Mind blog series is Thinking Creatively and Imaginatively. Habits of Mind are ways of thinking and being that help children (and adults!) stay curious, creative, and confident. Envisioning possibilities, solutions, and forms of expression; having ideas; thinking outside the box; problem finding and solving are all aspects of Creative and Imaginative Thinking. Let’s dive in.
Mud pie masterpieces, crushed flower cupcakes, watermelon pie, what might you cook up using natural materials, kitchenware, and your imagination? Boston Children’s Museum recently celebrated our Summer of Curiosity, encouraging visitors to think, wonder, and ask questions about the world around them. Learn about Museum Program Fellow Kate and team’s experiences in the latest blog post!
Boston Children’s Museum’s Japanese House, a 140 year old traditional Japanese House, was a friendship gift given from Kyoto, Japan to Boston in 1979 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their Sister Cities relationship. Years later, the Japanese House still acts as a symbol of friendship, bringing together old and new friends. In this blog, Sean shares their thoughts about reuniting with old friends at the Japanese House.
What are they thinking?! If you found yourself observing and wondering about what’s going on in young children’s minds – you’re not alone! Learn about MIT’s Early Childhood Cognition Lab’s research work at Boston Children’s Museum.
On Boston Children’s Museums’s opening day in July 1913, Delia Griffin began her work as Museum Curator. Miss Griffin wasted no time in creating exceptional experiences for the museum’s visitors, bolstering incredible growth during her time as curator. In honor of Women’s History Month, we are spotlighting the life and work of the incredible Miss Griffin, a woman to whom Boston Children’s Museum owes so much of its history.
The Collections and Archives team may be working remotely these days, but collections care doesn’t stop for a pandemic. Caring for and preserving the diverse array of historical materials at the Museum is a big job and an ongoing task as part of the Museum’s stewardship responsibilities. To help in these efforts, we recruited our team mascot, Hans, to share some of these tasks and explain why they are a priority in our work. Our staff is helping to oversee Hans’s work from afar…
The Power of Play 