The HRC thanks Elizabeth Pratt Fox for serving as guest author for the following entry. Betsy is a museum and historic site consultant. She has assisted clients with institutional assessments and planning, collection assessments, and exhibition planning and implementation. Prior to forming her own consulting company in 1997, she was the curator at the Connecticut Historical Society. She serves on the Board of the Connecticut League of History Organizations, on the Cheshire Historic District Commission and is part of the Peer Advisor Network at the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.

Learning to Think Like Kids--Again:

Connecting Kids to History with Museum Exhibitions

In 2003, D. Lynn McRainey and John Russick were part of a team that began planning the new history exhibition for kids called "Sensing Chicago" at the Chicago History Museum. This was to be the first exhibition at the CHM developed just for children. The team quickly learned that little had been written on creating experiences in history exhibitions just for kids.

McRainey and Russick's book, Connecting Kids to History with Museum Exhibitions, grew out of the conversations that they had on the subject with the CHM staff, consultants, colleagues and over 1,000 kids who participated in the development of "Sensing Chicago." They then invited the authors of the thirteen essays in the book, who are associated with various museum disciplines, to join the conversation.

The chapters in the book are divided into three sections:

• Valuing Kids:
  

This section of three essays could also be called "Getting to Know Kids" since the authors cover a large amount of data on how children learn and how exhibition development and design can help kids of different ages connect to the past.

We were all kids once, but the authors remind us that this does not qualify us to think like kids. "Understanding that children see the world in a way that is qualitatively different from that of adults is critical in shaping learning experiences..." Using clearly written charts and lists, the authors give us the data we need when planning exhibitions suited to children's exploration and learning styles.

• Connecting Kids to History:

This section explores how exhibitions have used storytelling, play and the senses to engage children. There are numerous examples of exhibitions that build on the familiar to give children the tools they need to explore stories over time.

Jon-Paul C. Dyson's chapter "Playing with the Past" is a goldmine of practical examples of exhibitions that have used play to teach history to children. Unlike some of the exhibitions in the book that cost up to $350 a square foot, Dyson gives advice that can be used by institutions of all sizes.

• Creating History Exhibitions for Kids:

The last section of the book covers how interactives, objects, design, labels and media can all play important roles in building an exhibition that creates an environment of exploration, and learning.

Although the book is about how kids learn and enjoy history in museums, we know that they do not come by themselves. This last section brings the family experience back into the subject. John Russick's seven attributes of family-friendly exhibitions and the Institute for Learning Innovation's family learning characteristics are worth the price of the book.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone involved in the planning and development of history exhibitions or spaces in historic house museums. This book is so much more than about connecting kids to history; it is really about how to plan for visitors of different cognitive skills and abilities and to build exhibitions that will bring history into their lives.

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