The Canadian Children’s Museum in the Museum of Natural History , Ottawa, beautiful memories and my visit …once again after ten years ! My recent trip to Canada and United States can be called “A Museum Holiday .” ..as I went Museum crazy on this trip and loved it! 
It was my first visit to The Canadian Children’s Museum in 2006 that fuelled my interest in museums.An interest which has stayed on.The interactive and experiential learning was evident in my kids happy faces back then. They learnt about various cultures, people and diverse lands in this world through play and fun experiences in the Museum. The children stamped their passports before entering the various installations of different countries and explored and did many country specific activities before moving on to the next installation. It was an absolute treat to visit this museum then and now again in 2016.The packed museum was full of children who didn’t seem to want to leave back then or now and nor did I!…and why ? .The pictures say it all.
Some lovely features of the Museum :
1. The Museum lets the children travel the world, enriching their lives and broadening their experience by exploring other cultures through exhibitions, props, costumes and hands-on artifacts, including an extraordinary assortment of toys and games.
2. Children can find experiences that engage their interests, increase their skills and knowledge, and help them achieve development milestones. They can clamber aboard an extravagantly decorated Pakistani bus and a three-wheeled auto rickshaw from Thailand. Or step inside a Bedouin tent and homes from India, Indonesia and Mexico.Or wear the Arabian robes and sit in the tents in a desert or climb on the camel’s back.
3. The Museum’s diversity and richness engage children of all ages, allowing them to explore and learn through play at their own pace. It’s a fun, memorable first step in a child’s understanding of the arts, culture and history.
4. The Children’s Museum has been developed around a central theme — The Great Adventure — and gives younger visitors an opportunity to travel the world. Over 30 permanent exhibit spaces have been designed as a series of contextual environments situated along a random circulation route.
5. The Museum has been welcoming over eight million children and their families since 1989, with average annual attendance of 500,000 and caters to children up to the age of 16 years.
Wishing such Museums are built in India soon too.Sadly the younger generations have kids who no longer play outside and have few stimulating environments like these in our country. Instead many families do their weekly family outings in various Malls that have mushroomed everywhere!
Hoping Museum Visiting overtakes Mallidaying ( new term for holidaying in malls) in our country too. Waiting for real estate giants and business men to get interested in investing not just in the Entertainment parks and toy stores but also in building such lovely Museums ! Meanwhile do include Museum visits on your trips abroad. There are textile museums, transport museums, shoe museums , natural history museums , science museums, art and design museums etc etc everywhere in the world! Amaze your children with the beautiful infrastructure, fun learning spaces and developmentally appropriate stimulating environments created in these Museums.
Watch this space for an account of the Next Museum featured here ..
Guggenheim Museum, New York !
( Thanking my husband …..for without his support and love I wouldn’t have travelled to places like these in this world ! Also Thanking Ramesh Uncle for taking me to this museum in 2006 & in 2016.)
SAAKSHI SINGLA 