Every museum on the planet is closed. Let’s just say that again: Every museum on the planet is closed. Millions of us are staying at home, and families are acclimatising to home education in huge numbers.
The very first museums, those cabinets of curiosity, were made in people’s homes, the way a collector or nature lover could show off their collection to friends or tourists. Homes are where the first museums were born.
So, while we’re waiting patiently for our museums to recover and open again, we would like to help families return to the origins of museums. Finding stories in objects you love and recording them for your own enjoyment, or to show to your family, and ultimately to share with other folks who share your interests is a great way to do a juicy long-term project while we’re all stuck inside.
Here are some project ideas you might want to explore… None of these require a Box, of course.
Project Ideas
We’ve suggested age groups for these projects, but really, anyone can do any of them!
Ages 5-9
- Mystery Objects
Make a collection of nine items in your home that you find interesting or did not know about before. Photograph and tell us about them! - Nature at Work
Take a nature walk and collect nine items that best describe the kinds of things you saw (leaves, flowers, etc). Photograph each thing and tell us about them! - Museum of Me
Create your own oral history by drawing or taking pictures of your life for nine days and describing your activities. Use #museumofme on Twitter for inspiration if you get stuck!
Ages 10-14
- People I Know
Create an oral history by interviewing nine people about their lives. (Be sure to get their pictures and ask permission to post their stories online for others!) - My Favourite Foods
This isolation is very food-centric. What foods or meals do you enjoy making and eating? Have you discovered new food thanks to being stuck at home? - Nine Stories, by Me
Write nine stories and illustrate them. Make a collection by recording the short stories and connecting them to your illustrations.
Ages 14+
- My Favourite Museum Objects
Find an online museum or exhibit and pick nine objects. Research them and draw pictures of the objects to create your own exhibit. - My Neighbourhood
Take a walk around your neighbourhood and take nine pictures that best illustrate where you live. Tell us why you picked those pictures and what they mean. - The Junk Drawer
Pick 9 objects from that drawer where all forgotten pieces of paper, small leftover mechanical objects and lost pen lids live. Can you find out what they originally were? How would you give them a new life or use?