Day Tripping with the Kids

I finally managed to plan some time into a hectic schedule to visit the National Gallery of Victoria (the main gallery in my state). Having been before I didn’t bother with the regular displays, but went straight for the Napoleon Exhibition. As I arrived I had just finished a discussion with a lady I met on the train, and the answer to her questions were “no I’m not a big Napoleon fan” and “no I don’t know anything about France”. But I do love art, and now I actually am quite a Napoleon fan, and know way more about France than I ever did before and am definitely adding some of Napoleon’s past haunts to my itinerary for travelling to Europe next year!




Get to the point...here it is. Take your kids to the gallery! If you live in a tiny country town, head down to your local community centre where local artists can display their works, or where the historical society displays sketches of days gone by. If you live in a bigger urban centre you will likely have a larger gallery with some local and international works; you might even have a couple of really famous artists on display in your home town. And if you live in a big city, you are the luckiest of all having access to bigger galleries with international and national collections and probably lots of artefacts and historical displays. Turn your trip to the gallery into a full day event. Take a picnic lunch and take advantage of any discounts you may be entitled to. Many galleries and museums have low income discounts, student discounts, family discounts, travel club discounts, kids under certain age free and lots more.

But what has all of this got to do with learning? Well as I said, I knew nothing about Napoleon, and had no idea about any of France’s history other than what I have seen in “The Man in Iron Mask”(which I'm pretty sure is all made up). But by the time I was done I had enjoyed some beautiful, magnificent art works, seen some gorgeous displays of artefacts from Napoleon’s reign and felt enlightened about a time in history that actually had such a great impact on the history of my own country, Australia. I learnt that the French Revolution saw the removal of the monarch, I learnt that Napoleon of was of Italian descent but changed the spelling of his name to suit his home country of France, I learnt that over time he built his credibility to the point where he was sworn in as Emperor, and then appointed himself as a sort of monarch all over again until he was exiled in 1814. I also learnt that he was married twice, had an obsession with all things Australian, and was reading Captain Cook’s journals when he died.

All this from a one hour visit to the gallery.

This is the magic of discovery that your kids could experience in a trip to the gallery too! Many art galleries now have children’s programs that are run especially to teach kids artistic skills and art appreciation. During the school holidays you may find your local gallery advertising sessions that your kids would absolutely love, but you may never have thought of before. These sessions are sometimes free, but most require a small charge to cover materials. Imagine having 2 hours all to yourself during the holiday period to go for coffee or peruse the gallery yourself, while your kids are learning about the history of painting and creating their own works of art.

Many galleries these days also have audio aids or iPod tours, where for a small fee or no charge you can take a device and headphones and have a guided tour around the entire gallery. Now tell me…what kid wouldn’t love to have their own iPod guide them around the gallery? The best one I’ve seen so far was at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania which was sensor driven, and somehow just magicially knew where I was and which piece I was looking at. If you are in Hobart with your kids…take them there! It is amazing!

So keep an eye out in the local papers or sign up to websites to see updates and notices of holiday programs or special kids events or exhibitions that your kids would love. If you have a daughter obsessed with Princess Kate take her to see a royal exhibition, if your son loves Ben 10 take him to the museum to see the  “old fashioned” gadgets pre-Ben10.

Not only can your children learn to appreciate art and improve their own artistic skills, but they can learn so much about the world, about general knowledge, history and society. They can learn new words, new phrases, why things are the way they are today and where we came from in the past. Art isn’t just pretty pictures, a picture tells a thousand words! And wouldn’t you love your kids to know those words?   

Find more ideas like this here to make learning fun for your kids!

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