Recently, upon reviewing my museum groups on LinkedIn, I saw this question: Do you have nice (and funny) ways to remember the rules of behavior in the museum for young visitors? It’s a great question and it reminded me of a post I wrote about how museums can effectively communicate rules and/or policies to visitors without coming across as stodgy, fun-killing ogres.
Some of responses did not offer much in the way of “nice (and funny)” but focused on the negative aspects of managing young visitors in any configuration, virtual fists shaking in the air. I have interacted with thousands of children in museum settings so I have sympathy for the associated challenges, but there are easier ways to influence positive behavior besides stern looks and banishment. One of my favorite methods is through video which can be fun, engaging and save you a lot of breath repeating rules ad nauseam.
Here’s how the Milwaukee Museum of Art does it (bonus points for using a dragon!):
Cabinet of Curiosities 