Activity 4
Future Shoebox Scenario
Summary
The children design their own miniature ideal museum space using crafting materials.
Goal
Learn about the children’s preferred ways of going through a museum. Learn from their ideas. This activity takes a more general view of the exhibition space.
Preparation
Prepare crafting materials for the children. Make sure to have a shoebox or similar shape as the space for each child. Provide scissors, tape, glue-sticks, paper, cardboard, pipe-cleaners, old magazines, yarn, textile, foam, trash objects, etc. The more varied the material, the more inspiration you can give the children to let their imagination run wild.
Method
Explain the following to children:
Now you will design a miniature of your ideal museum space. Think about what it shows the visitors, and how it shows that.
You can take inspiration from the questions you wrote down in the previous exercise, or the stories you came up with in the exercise before that.
The museum design team will use your ideas to develop actual exhibition spaces*.
Allow the children a moment to think about what artifacts they might want to show in their exhibition.
Let the children build their miniature exhibition at their table for 30-45 minutes.
When the time is up, let every child present what they have made. Ask questions:
How do you go through this space?
What does it show here?
Why is this here?
What do you like most about it?
*Children get very excited when a real life purpose is attached to the things they do.
Tips and Tricks
Results from this exercise can become direct insights into how children view museum spaces. If you have permission from the children and their caretakers, film their presentations of their design for future reference.
What can you expect from this method?
Museum Experience: Observing how children design their ideal museum space provides insights into their preferred ways of interacting with exhibits. Designers can learn about the elements and features that appeal to children, guiding the creation of engaging and immersive exhibition layouts.
Creativity and Imagination: The crafting activity allows designers to witness the creative ideas and imaginative concepts children incorporate into their miniature museum designs. Insights gained can inspire the development of interactive and visually stimulating exhibits within the actual museum space.
Visitor Engagement Strategies: By analyzing how children organize and present their exhibits, designers can glean insights into effective strategies for engaging visitors. This includes considerations such as layout, signage, interactive components, and storytelling techniques that captivate and educate young audiences.