Kids Build at the Museum

The moment that I'm writing about took place in the "Kids Build" exhibit, the first exhibit that we visited. I was curious about how people were interacting with this exhibit, and I liked that it was relatively quiet and peaceful and there was some natural light. When I sat down and watched for a while, what I noticed the most right off the bat is that there were so many parents actually playing with their children. They could have been checking their phones or chatting with other parents, but they were all interacting with their kids instead. I think that the relatively open layout of this room helped parents because it wasn't all child-sized...they could find a place to sit. In the "big kids" area, there were two moms helping their 8-10 year olds build model structures. In the outside area, there was a father with a baby in a stroller. Although the baby was strapped in (I don't know why), she was craning her head around to watch all the other children with great interest. Later on the father fed her with a bottle. Another two parents sat on the floor in the toddler area as their kids built with blocks. Two older boys worked together to build a house with the giant lincoln logs. The intention of reaching multiple age groups in this exhibit was clear and seemed to be very successful. The intention of providing opportunities for collaborative play was also fulfilled, as children played both with other children and with adults. I wondered, even if "community" as a concept isn't explicitly discussed, if it helps to understand community when you help each other build something.