On Thursday, Emily and Diane took Cal, Ian and Saige to visit the museum. In these first visits of the year, we are inviting children up in groups of three. This is Cal’s first visit to the museum, while Ian and Saige are returning for the second time.
Our first stop is the coatroom to hang up our coats. Here, Emily asks us if we remember the three rules in the museum
Ian: Yea.
Cal: Walk. Can’t touch. Because the art is glass.
Emily explains that the rules help the art to stay safe while also helping all of us to stay safe too. Emily shares with us two helpful tricks to keep ourselves from touching the art – hold hands with somebody or hold your own hands together, behind your back.
We listen closely and then all decide to head up the stairs. Saige wants to stop at the second floor. We are heading into the room to the left when Cal stops us.
Cal wants us to all come back to try this out.
Cal: Emily, if you move, that will change colors!
We all go back to try Cal’s discovery.
Previous slide
Next slide
We then continue on into the back room where we find something to watch and something to play with.
As we walk into this room, Cal finds some soft cushions. He uses his hands to do some quiet drumming.
Cal spends the next several minutes creating with the three horseshoe magnets. He arranges them into different letters and an anchor.
Cal: It’s stuck together. What’s this letter called? Saige, what letter is this?
Ian, what is this letter called?
It’s an anchor. I’m putting an anchor down. I’m putting an anchor down so I can pull you up.
A ‘B’. I made the letter B. Write a C and a B and a C. They are magnets! See?!
Whoop. Whoop. Whoop.
(Cal says as he traces his finger around the shape of each magnet)
Ian and Saige spend this time mesmerized by the transforming images on the screen. Saige calls out different colors that she sees.
Saige: Whoa, it’s crazy!
Look at him! He’s holding up his neck. What?! He’s going down. (giggles) What’s that? What’s he doing?
We decide to move on. The children want to stop in the room next door. Saige is immediately drawn to the artwork on the back wall.
Cal: Look! I wonder if that’s a clock. What are those bend things? I see little stars.
Saige: Stars!
Saige: A rainbow. Rainbow again! On the sign.
And a rainbow there!
As we are sitting in front of Paul Laffoley’s The Ultimate Quest, we hear some noise. It sounds like tools being used but it is rather musical, like a song.
Saige: A song?!? What?!?
Cal: What’s that booming coming from?
Emily opens up a secret door and finds her friends, Ross and Rory, the museum’s preparators, working in their shop. They turn off their loud tools for a moment and invite us in to say hello. The children are all timid, but very curious.
Ian is very interested in this special room where Ross and Rory are working. When Cal and Saige are finished looking, they both enjoy some floor – rolling time while Ian stays still and takes it all in. He does not want to leave. When it is time to go, Ian’s feet are glued to the floor, clearly expressing his desire to stay.
We soon continue on up the stairs and into the Dewey Gallery. Cal wants to see the place where his big brother did the “summer sing” and he sits on the steps with Emily and Saige. Ian’s attention is quickly focused on the entertaining piece by Brian Bress. Cal, Emily and Saige soon join Ian in front of this piece to watch the changing drawings.
Saige: What’s he drawing on his body?
Cal: That’s a monster…What’s he making? (He watches)
He’s making a person…with eyes…with eyebrows.
Emily asks if we are ready to go back to Studio Blue. While Cal and Ian feel ready to go, Saige wants to stay. Saige would like to go to see Drippy Droppy, a Studio Blue favorite in the sculpture park, but we’ll have to do that another day as it is almost time for us to join the others for snack. Saige and Emily decide to stop at one more sculpture on our way out – The Rising Column by Niho Kozuru.
Cal: It’s a silly doggy thing (like a very large dog treat) Saige: A red light. It means stop.
It is time to go back to Studio Blue. We have had a wonderful time!
