Interactive museum exhibits have increasingly placed replicated and virtual objects alongside exhibited authentic objects. Yet little is known about how these three categories of objects impact learning. This study of family learning in a botanical garden specifically focuses on how 12 parent-child family units used explanations as they engaged with three plant types: living, model, and virtual. Family conversations were videotaped, transcribed, and coded. Findings suggested that: 1) explanations of biological processes were more frequent than other types; 2) model and virtual plants supported
With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), four Philadelphia area museums: New Jersey State Aquarium, The Academy of Natural Sciences, The Franklin Institute Science Museum, and the Philadelphia Zoo - collaborated to develop Families Exploring Science Together (FEST), a four-year program designed to provide science experiences that stimulate, encourage, and enrich families' interest, involvement, and learning in science. The museums partnered with community-based organizations in culturally diverse neighborhoods in the Philadelphia/Camden region to offer families a variety of
This planning project seeks to study new ways to tap into family vacation agendas as opportunities for increased learning. It will assess and prototype a variety of program development activities related to outdoor and indoor experiences for families on vacation to the Grand Strand coastal region of South Carolina, and potentially to other such vacation spots around the country. Such experiences are intended to facilitate family learning about coastal ecosystems. The planning work is a collaborative effort among professionals in university and museum organizations along with the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.