Night at the Museum

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In the Night at the Museum movies, Ben Stiller’s character Larry Daley gets to see history literally come alive due to an ancient curse. Your local museum likely does not have the same curse, but you can have just as much fun! Here are some activities to do on your next trip.

Write a Story About a Historical Object

Have you ever wondered about the background of an artifact? Sometimes the exhibit will tell you exactly who owned it, but often all is known is what region and rough time period it came from. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a personal story. Let your imagination be your guide and make up your own tale about the artifact!

Tips

• Try thinking about your own things, such as your baseball bat or favorite necklace, being in a history museum years from now. If you could write the description beside it, what would it say?
• Ponder about how it was made. Who made it? Did someone make it for someone else? What kind of material is it made of? How long do you think it took to create?
• Consider whom the artifact belonged to. Were they wealthy or poor? Were they young or old? Was it a male or female? Did it have multiple owners over the years? Do you think it could have been a family heirloom? Do you think it was lost once and then found by a different owner?

Try to Recreate a Work of Art

Bring a sketch pad to the museum with you and pretend you’re the artist. Re-draw a landscape painting, a portrait or even try drawing a sculpture. Don’t worry if you’re not a natural artist. It’s just for fun, so even feel free to add extra details to make it your own!

Tips

• Really put yourself in the mind of the artist. Why do you think they painted the scene at night or during the day? What kind of sounds do you think the artist heard as they created their work of art? What kind of mood were they in that day? Were they relaxed or excited?
• If the work of art is a portrait, think about the relationship between the subject and the artist. How do you think they knew each other? Were they friends? Were they in love? Do you think maybe they didn’t like each other at all? What do you think they were talking about when the artwork was being created?

Organize a Scavenger Hunt

For a more active adventure, a scavenger hunt can make a trip to the museum more exciting. Before you go, split up your family or friends into two teams and create a list of ten things you each have to find. But try not to make it a competition of who can find everything first. Take your time in the museum and focus on learning. Then get back together with your group at the end and discuss what you’ve found.

Tips

• Make the scavenger hunt about finding specific facts and create the list for the other team by doing research. Use computers at your library to visit your museum’s Web site and find out what exhibits are currently on display.

   

  Then take out books on the subject to find certain facts. For example, if you were doing the scavenger hunt at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., you could ask the question: Who made the top hat that Abraham Lincoln was famous for? The other team could find the answer (J.Y. Davis) at the “Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life” exhibit.

• Your scavenger hunt doesn’t have to be that specific. You can put things on the list, such as, “something that you’d find underwater” or “a picture of someone royal” or “something from France.” You could also make the scavenger hunt about your opinions. Write a list of things, such as, “The oldest thing I found today was (blank),” or “The prettiest thing I found today was (blank).”