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Make a Mini Museum



Session Aims
To research and identify common objects
To identify and use correct vocabulary
To understand the purpose of museum collections

What you will need
A card board box, or rigid cardboard to make one with
Extra cardboard for making "rooms" and object mounts
Glue stick
Paint or coloured paper
Pen/pencil
Scissors
White paper
Sticky tape (preferably masking/paper tape)
Some exhibits for your museum (these can be found in the garden/ in the play ground/ around the house or on a walk - please adhere to government guidelines on leaving your home)


Before beginning any practical activity or craft please read through all of the instructions and check that it is suitable for you and your family. Please be careful when using scissor and make sure any cutting equipment, glues and paints are suitable for the user. Never cut towards yourself or anyone near you.

Introduction

Question: what is a museum and what are they for?

A museum is a building that holds a collection of objects. Some museums focus on a single subject—eg, natural history, local history, art, science, or archaeology.
Other museums contain a mixture of objects f which cover different subjects.

Museums are there to look after important objects, to research them, conserve them (which means to stop them being damaged and repair damage if necessary) and in most cases make these exhibits available to members of the public so they can learn from them to.

Question: why are museums important?

Museums are important as they help us to understand our past, to keep our heritage safe and most importantly to help us learn about fascinating things.

Activity: build a mini museum

Step One: build your museum
  1. Take your cardboard box, a shoe box would work well.
  2.  Cut away one of the largest sides so you have a big opening
  3. Use strips of card, roughly the same depth as your box, to create rooms or galleries in your museum
  4. Paint or decorate your rooms with coloured paper

Step two: how to make an exhibit
  1. If you don't have any exhibits you can make your own using pictures from magazines/postcards/photos etc.
  2. Cut out the picture you want to use
  3. Stick it onto card and cut it out


Step three: collect exhibits and research
  1. Collect some exhibits for your museum. I have chosen to focus on natural history but it could be a toy museum, or any other kind of museum.
  2. If you have access to an outside space you could try finding exhibits there but please adhere to government guidelines about going outside.
If you do collect exhibits from nature please be careful and sensible about what you pick up, and wash your hands after touching the objects. Only collect discarded things such as empty snail shells, sea shells or seed heads.

Once you have assembled you exhibits you need to curate them. This means you need to research and record information about each object. This information could include:
  1. - its common name
  2. -  its scientific name
  3. - where it was found
  4. - when it was found
  5. - who found it
  6. - what it is made of
  7. - what colour it is

Write down your findings, you could use books or the internet to help you.

Once you have researched your objects you can write them some labels, neatly. Choose the information you think the visitors to your museums would like to know.

Step Four: Mount your exhibits

Cut out your labels

Step five: Assemble your museum
  1. Make mounts or stands for your exhibits to keep them safe in your museum
  2. Install your exhibits with their labels

We would love to see what you've made. Share your creations with the #ExplorewithSWM

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