Yet another snow storm descended upon our region, pulling children out of school for a beloved snow day--undoubtedly placing a number of them in the offices of their working parents, too. Nothing significant had hit the hard ground yet, but snow day refuges were already in the office to greet me when I arrived that gloomy morning. Hello free help!
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Among the pelts that Wyatt helped me to sort, these two short-tailed
weasels, also known as ermines, were some of his favorites.
He excitedly noted that he remembered learning about how they
camouflage during a snowshoe field trip at the Museum. |
Of course, it would probably be irresponsible to ask a ten-year-old to aid in restoring specimens stored in jars of ethanol or complete cataloging paperwork. But that doesn't mean that I can't put them to work in another manner. While my coworker was able to trick her daughter into entertaining herself through some remedial office work, I only succeeded in coaxing Wyatt to help me. As soon as I mentioned "pelts" and "competition," I had the boy hooked.
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| A mess of teaching pelts were to be organized by my new helper. |
The Museum has become a construction zone lately. Volunteers show up daily to help build, paint, and arrange elements for a new pollinator exhibit. Our children's play area within the exhibit hall has been effectively cleared out as we await a new Curiosity Center from the Twin Cities. At the other end of the building, I've started my own project. Mammal pelts, skulls, feathers, and other natural objects, which had resided in a wooden cabinet for years, will soon move to a cheery alcove which I tentatively refer to as our "Discovery Nook." That's where Wyatt's work took place.
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Allowing Wyatt the freedom to arrange pelts in whichever manner he chose
both kept him entertained while his mother worked and
led him to making some inquisitive comparisons. |
I admit that some of my Museum projects couldn't have succeeded without the help of children. The Discovery Nook is largely intended for children's use, so why not seek the advice of a child in developing it? Having just finished installing some pelt racks, I led Wyatt into the work area to become a judge of the Museum's specimens. We laid out every teaching pelt I could find and began to go through them to determine his favorites--they would become the first pelts installed in the refurbished area.
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Our Director even stopped in to help Wyatt figure out what might
work best in the Discovery Nook. |
It was a simple project, but I think that both Wyatt and I benefited from our collaboration that morning. He shared his thoughts on most of the pelts he picked up--Wyatt found a weasel and he promptly remembered learning about their winter adaptations while on a field trip with Emily Stone from the Museum. Then, he was surprised to learn that a mystery pelt came from a beaver, but since a memorable outing with his father he had been privy to beavers' impact on their surroundings.While picking out pelts could have been accomplished on my own, I was happy to share the exchange with a young learner. Perhaps most importantly, I was reminded of how such seemingly insignificant interactions may significantly impact a child's outlook on the importance of all that museums do.
