Starting with play

February 2017

Paul BowersHead Exhibitions

‘Children’s Room’

National Museum of Victoria, 1917

“Gone were the Latin names and the high cases. The displays were eye-catching and changed frequently”

The last Children’s Gallery

2013: Early Years Framework

• Multiple forums with Academics, Policy-makers, Practitioners, Families

• Built our understanding• Created our advocacy positions• Discovered scale of interest and demand• Built allies, momentum and credibility

2013: Early Years Framework

• National (2011) & State (2009) curriculum:• importance of learning from birth, • importance of play-based learning, • role of educator and parent.

• Theory (Piaget, Vygotsky, etc)• Children learn through play• Constructivism: learning builds on pre-existing

knowledge• Scaffolding: children learn well when assisted

• Neuroscience underpinning it all

Gallery redevelopment – kick off

• Appointed 2 internal stars • Conversational brief development – about 5

months of coffee chats• Set 0-5 as the target audience • ‘parents as first teacher’ a guiding principle• Arrived at the Vision

A wondrous museum place filled with multi-sensory, child-led, play-based learning adventures

where children’s minds run free.

Types of Play1. Symbolic Play – eg a piece of wood to symbolise an object2. Rough and Tumble Play3. Socio-dramatic Play – enactment of real experiences eg going to the shops4. Social Play – play that has rules set between two or more people eg games5. Creative Play – making things6. Communication Play – play using words or gestures eg charades7. Dramatic Play – enactment of stories eg a movie seen by the child8. Locomotor Play – movement for its own sake eg chase, tree climbing9. Deep Play – risky play to develop survival skills eg lighting a fire with matches10. Exploratory Play – ‘see what happens’ play eg banging, mouthing objects11. Fantasy Play – creating a make believe world not limited by reality12. Imaginative Play – pretend play eg patting a pretend dog13. Mastery Play – constructing environments eg making a dam14. Object Play – exploration of an object eg examination of a cup15. Role Play – exploring ways of being eg sweeping16. Recapitulative Play – exploration of ancestry, history, rituals Hughes, B. (2002) A Playworker’s Taxonomy of Play Types, 2nd edition, London: PlayLink.

Working with our audience

Developmental ages and stages• ‘Sitting up’ ~6-12 month old babies • ‘Cruisers’ ~12-18 months olds• Toddlers from 18 months old to 3 years• Young children from 3-4 years old• Young children from 4-5 years oldChildren are co-creators:• Asking children to design their ‘dream museum’• Observing children interacting with experiences• Prototyping interactives and programming

Materials and experience exploration across all ages. Gowrie Childcare & Polyglot Theatre, 17 March 2015

Exploring the idea of Camouflage Disco, across all ages. Gowrie Childcare and Polyglot Theatre, 27 March 2015

Children’s needs & expectations

• Young children: tactile• Older: narrative, games and social• Nature focus: rocks, bushes, forest, sea, animals, parks• Being scared (in a good way!), hiding places• Balance between familiar and unfamiliar• Construction activities, dancing / movement• Pretend and narrative play • Sound/music and light• High energy spaces/experiences balanced with calmer

spaces/experiences to pull back into; and take time out

Adult’s needs & expectations• Child and carer playing• The child wants to have fun, feel welcome, free, comfortable, safe, confident that

they can do things.• The carer wants to be part of child’s learning, needs to know what to do.

• Child playing, carer watching• The carer expects to actively observe the child explore, learn and be independent.• They need to feel reassured that this is OK, that they are not being judged and

have a comfortable and appropriate space from which to watch.• Child playing, carer chilling• The carer wants to escape, belong, indulge, take a break and socialize while their

children are safe. • They need to feel reassured that this is OK and they are not judged and there is a

comfortable space to do this.

Tactile, magical, comfortable

Design Brief:• Inclusive – additional needs, learning styles and diversity• Multi-modal• Highly tactile – with the inclusion of natural materials • The consideration of materials/mediums as adding to the

overall sensory experience of the gallery• Comfortable – seating, acoustic improvements to the

environment. Seating. Sitting on floor. More seating. • Clean - durable materials that are robust and cleanable• Safe – sightlines, pathways, access and egress• Pace – high and low energy areas and activities

Scared. But not too scared! 1/2Dream Museum workshop at GowrieMaggie, 3: “I like butterflies. A lion, a tiger, a tiger”. Evan, 5: “Yes! These are the children finding the monster in the bushes. They are scared!”Prototype 2“Where are the dinosaurs? Are they coming to get me?” Genuinely scared, left area. Spider projected onto floor, children ran off as it moved towards them and others stomped on the image

Scared. But not too scared 2/2Final delivery:Tiger specimen in corner of Camouflage DiscoLower key sounds (not too scary)Slow projection movementsNo spider!

Posting shapes 1/2Based on developmental information, children enjoy putting things in and out of containers from 18mths. Also, that toddlers are attracted to faces.

Idea of posting shapes into faces, simple action reaction, getting a sound reward.

Did 2 rounds of testing with 3-4 year olds.

Posting shapes 2/2Only some holes have soundssounds are a short durationholes lower down provide younger children with chance to engageWe don’t worry about dropped blocks!

Safe, welcome

Conclusions• Actually listening• Start with tiny team• Result reflects the

making• Let the audience tell

you how to be museumy