l Developing early years programming at the National Gallery of Ireland

Developing early years programming at the National Gallery of Ireland

JOANNE DRUM

Introduction1

Fig 1 Baby Workshop © National Gallery of Ireland

1. This article is adapted from a presentation made at the Irish Museums Association Education and Outreach Forum on 27 June 2014, Dublin 2. TEDGlobal. (2011)’What do babies think? Online at: http://www.ted.com/talks/alison_ gopnik_what_do_babies_think 3. Ward, E. (2013) ‘Can babies Most of our institutions take in a good deal of very young visitors, who we want to see return. knowledge of how children learn is developing all the time. New research is showing that children are thinking and making neurological connections which even 20 years ago might have been thought impossible. Scientists are examining babies’ eye movements, reflexes, brain waves, and reactions, and are constantly learning new information about how children, particularly those too young to communicate by speaking, learn2. In an article in the Museums journal from May 2013, Esme Ward, of the Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester Museum, concluded that “clearly babies in museums is about much more than enjoyment. Isn’t it time we started taking them seriously?”3

My experience in taking a Child Development certificate course has been fascinating in looking at how babies learn, and seeing how this knowledge can be applied to our work. I also completed a free online child development course. Some of these are fantastic and I would recommend them. At the National Gallery of Ireland, we have a huge programme of events and resources for families. Since September of last year, we have also provided workshops for babies and toddlers.

enjoy museums?’ in Museums Journal Online at: http://www.museumsassociation. org/museums-journal

Why are we doing this?

The area of early years programming and provision in cultural institutions is an area for which there is growing demand, and although it is being addressed on a wider scale in the uk, there is not a great deal of provision for it here in cultural institutions. We all know that families

are increasingly seeking out ways to enhance a visit to a cultural institution, and we strive to make the NGI as family-friendly as possible. We already have a huge programme of events, as well as resources for families. In recent years, there has been an increase in visits by families with very young children. These families, with their babies and toddlers, were not being served by our formal programming, aimed at children aged 4+.

New parent’s tour

We have been running monthly tours for new parents since 2005, but these tours were aimed at the adult, rather than the child. Since our aim is to enhance the experience and enjoyment of the collection by providing a range of support services tailored to the differing tastes and needs of a diverse public, it follows that we provide support to those who are looking for it, such as parents of young children. We also need to be aware that babies and very young children are capable of enjoying museums and galleries from their own perspectives. It doesn’t have to be about a specific learning outcome, about teaching them the difference between baroque and Rococo. It’s about getting them comfortable here, enhancing their experiences of the place, and, ultimately, creating lifelong visitors (though this a very long-term approach to audience development and we don’t see it as that kind of exercise).

What are we doing? And how are we doing it?

In mid-2013, the Head of the Education Department suggested to me that I should look into devising workshops for babies and toddlers. I was a little reluctant, as I had returned from maternity leave a few months before, and thought it would look like I had personal motives! I have since discovered how having a child has been very helpful to me when planning the workshops, and I have brought her to several of the tiny tots ones. The NGI is currently undergoing a process of refurbishment and rebuilding (2011-2016), and three-quarters of the Gallery is closed to the public, though we remain as busy as ever. It is a good time, however, to test new ideas.

After researching the kinds of programmes that are available for babies and toddlers in uk museums, I planned a short series of workshops for autumn 2013 – just three workshops for babies and three for tiny tots. The babies’ workshops were to take place on the third Monday of each month at 2pm, and were aimed at babies who were not walking, so up

Fig 2 Tiny Tots Workshop © National Gallery of Ireland to about 12-14 months. The Tiny Tots workshops took place on the third Saturday of each month at 2pm (just before our 3pm family programme) and were aimed at children who were walking to those under 5. In September last year, I managed to attend a kids’ in Museums seminar on Babies in Museums in London.4 We are listed as supporters of the kids in Museums manifesto on their website. I also met with colleagues at the Museum of London and Tate Britain, both of which are leading the way in early years provision in cultural institutions in the uk.

We already had an existing database of family contacts, so, when sending the pdf of the july to December events brochure, I let them know that we were doing these workshops. Bearing in mind that most of our family contacts were on our list because of previous trips to the gallery and engagement with education events, I wondered how we might contact first-time parents. Being a recent first-time parent myself, I knew that one of the things all new parents do is visit (or get a visit from) their local public health nurse. I made a list of all the HSE clinics in the Dublin area and wrote to the public health nurses explaining my plans, and asking them to get in touch if they would like me to send multiple copies of our brochure to give to the mums. The response was better than expected, and many nurses began to spread the word. I also knew from being a new mum myself, that once we had established a programme and an audience, that mums would begin to spread the word amongst themselves. I know one mum has told me that she shared this information with her Cuidiú group and other mums from that group have attended. I also sent the brochures to libraries in the Dublin area with mum and baby groups.

4. Kids in Museums. Online at: http://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/

Equipment

I bought equipment for the babies’ workshops (amongst other things; a circular rug, cushions, shapes, noisemakers, a parachute, feathers sensory equipment – lots of things that would be kept separate for the babies workshops and cleaned before and after each workshop). Things have to be kept separate of course because there isn’t a lot of money to spend on equipment. The biggest hit was for tinfoil. One must remember that the world/environment is stimulating to babies anyway.

Feedback

Fig 3 Young Babies Workshop © National Gallery of Ireland I asked parents for feedback at each workshop. The results were overwhelmingly positive, and negative feedback was constructive. Time related feedback said that the time was perfect, that later would be best, and that earlier would be best. We decided to keep it as it was, as this suited us best! With regard to the age group, nonmovers and crawlers were suggested for baby workshops. In an ideal world we might do this, but we don’t have the resources. Some of the parents suggested that we provide lyric sheets when we plan on singing songs. We have done this for some of the longer songs, or the tutor has gone over it quickly. They aren’t that hard.

We decided to continue with them in 2014. While the baby workshops remained the same (third Monday of the month at 2pm), we made some changes to the structure of the Tiny Tots workshops, increasing the provision from 1 to 2 workshops per month, and reducing the age from walking to age 5, to walking to age 3. The two workshops that we do each month are the same, and take place on consecutive days, a Friday and a Saturday. We feel that this facilitates parents who may be working full-time, and also parents who stay at home with the kids. I’ve noticed that a lot of activities for toddlers take place during the week, and most are aimed at aged 3 and up, or, in rare cases, ages 2 and up.

The workshops are free, but must be booked in advance by e-mail. They are very popular, and we have a waiting list every time. We kept the booking system after the pilot period, as anecdotal evidence (Museum of Scotland) suggests that allowing a drop-in workshop could cause problems. The babies’ workshop is limited to 10 babies, and the Tiny Tots workshop is limited to 15 children. In reality, we book 20 kids in for the tiny tots workshops, as temperatures and schedules often mean that not everyone who books shows up, and we can accommodate a few extra if needs be. These are family workshops, and the adult is expected to participate as well. The workshops last 35 minutes and most include

plenty of singing and movement. All of the tutors on the workshops so far have been mothers and/or grandmothers as well as artists, and they have put huge work into their plans.

Table. 1 Attendance at Workshops on 2013 and 2014

Year 2013 2014 Tiny Tots 85 (3 workshops) 367 (10 workshops) Babies 77 (3 workshops) 113 (5 workshops) Total 162 642

Conclusion

Since beginning our pilot programme in September, we have catered for over 800 people. The feedback has been very positive. I am confident that introducing these workshops was the right thing to do. My next project will be on age and stage worksheets, based on contemporary understandings of children’s development. The idea would be that even a parent with a baby could pick up a worksheet at the desk on the way in to the gallery, and enhance both their and their babies’ experience of the gallery.

Joanne Drum is an Education Officer at the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.