Hello!

My husband and I rarely go on trips together. Usually there are children in our company. While the sons were small, they traveled with them, now they began to take out their grandchildren. Often my sister joins our small team with her husband and youngest son. Since we usually travel in the cool season, in our case #vacation with children is not only and not so much a beach program, but a cultural one.

I have loved museums since childhood. And I even like to visit the same museums several times — the perception changes, even if the exposition remains the same. But our museum expeditions are not always interesting for children.

Once we made a strategic mistake: in St. Petersburg, we took two teenagers and a preschool child with us to the Russian Museum. We, adults, were ready to walk the halls for hours, and the children got tired very quickly, and then frankly toiled. To be honest, they didn’t want to go «see the pictures». It’s simple: it was not for their age, it did not correspond to the level of development. Three years later, teenagers, having become young men, were already looking at paintings with great interest, recognizing famous works.

The first condition: the exposition of the museum must correspond to the age and level of development of the child.

Yes, you can go to the art gallery with your child, but you need to understand that it will be difficult for him to endure more than half an hour. It should be a trip to the museum just for him. And there is absolutely no need to show all the pictures. You need to plan in advance which pictures you want to show the child — those that are available to his perception. And show exactly them, talk about them. Of course, you will need to prepare in advance. For example, in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow (in Lavrushinsky Lane), for the first visit with a child aged 7-9 years, I would choose paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov: “Three Heroes”, “Alyonushka”, “Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf”. I would show “Morning in a Pine Forest” by Ivan Shishkin, landscapes by Isaac Levitan and Alexei Savrasov. And — enough. Otherwise, there will be a bust, and there it is not far from rejection, rejection. To «I hate museums!»

In the Tretyakov Gallery. Photo from the personal archive of the author. In the Tretyakov Gallery. Photo from the personal archive of the author.

You also need to take into account that children of primary and secondary school age simply do not like to contemplate. Especially the boys. They need to touch everything with their hands, twist, knock. If possible, climb. I say this as a former teacher who has worked with children for 28 years. Therefore, for the first trips to the museum, it would be good to choose such museums, where it is allowed to touch the exhibits with your hands, manipulate them, climb.

For example, in Kaliningrad, in the Museum of the World Ocean, there is a room with various apparatus for studying the depths. You can touch them, look into windows and doors, climb stairs. The kids are very interested in it!

At the Museum of the World Ocean. Photo by the author 2020. In the Museum of the World Ocean. Photo by the author 2020

In addition to inspecting various deep-sea vehicles and mechanisms, you can be a navigator of a modern vessel. And on the famous research vessel «Vityaz» (it is also part of the Museum of the World Ocean) — turn the steering wheel.

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In the museum you can try to manage a modern ship. We barely persuaded our grandson to release this simulator for others: a couple of adult uncles were already toiling, waiting for their turn to steer. Photo of the author. On the Vityaz, you can turn the steering wheel and try to talk with the help of auditory tubes. Photo of the author. Of course, the Museum of the World Ocean has a wonderful aquarium. The grandson “hung” there for an hour. Photo of the author. In the museum you can try to manage a modern ship. We barely persuaded our grandson to release this simulator for others: a couple of adult uncles were already toiling, waiting for their turn to steer. Photo of the author.

Recently we were in Temryuk. And there is also a museum that will not leave indifferent any child. It will be interesting not only for boys, but also for girls and their dads. This is the Military Hill. Of course, children, even preschool children, need to be explained that with the help of this technique in the Great Patriotic War, our soldiers managed to defend the Victory. And then — complete freedom! Climb as much as you like. Parents just so as not to yawn, insure.

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Military hill, Temryuk. 2021 Photo by the author Military Hill, Temryuk. 2021 Photo by the author

Second condition: to begin with, we choose # museums with interactive features for the child. To not only watch and listen, but also to touch, twist, climb, try …

By the way, there is another small but very entertaining museum in Zelenogorsk, in the Kurortny district of the Leningrad region. This is the Ant Museum. There is a wonderful guide — Romanovskaya Olga Alexandrovna. She won’t let a child get bored! And he will tell a lot of interesting things, and let him examine the ant through a microscope, and draw with the baby. Yes, and adults will learn something new for themselves.

Sculpture of the Ant near the building of the children’s library, on the fourth floor of which there is a museum. Photo of the author. 2021 Sculpture of the Ant near the building of the children’s library, on the fourth floor of which there is a museum. Photo of the author. 2021

Finally, the third condition: the theme of the museum should be close to the interests and hobbies of the child. For example, if a child is fond of cars, collects collections of «models», he will be interested in the Zelenogorsk museum of retro cars «Horsepower».

One of the exhibits of the museum of retro cars in Zelenogorsk. Photo by the author, 2021. One of the exhibits of the museum of retro cars in Zelenogorsk. Photo by the author, 2021

For children who love cats, the Murarium Cat Museum in Zelenogradsk, Kaliningrad Region.

And almost all children like layouts. I like it too! It’s like a toy city, which you have all at a glance! There is a wonderful model of Moscow at VDNKh. And in St. Petersburg, I really liked the model of St. Petersburg of the 18th century — the Petrovsky water area.

I suggest watching a video made in this museum.