Museums and Learning Foreword

Museums are unique community resources to be enjoyed by everyone. Visits to these treasure houses give families a special opportunity to spend time with their children in rich learning environments. And for children, the wonder of seeing the real thing in a museum often allows them to make the connection between the things they see and already know to what they are learning every day at home and in school.

Museums and Learning: A Guide to Family Visits was produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement and the Smithsonian Office of Education. Both are committed to the highest quality in learning opportunities and the importance of extending them beyond the school day.

The suggestions in the guide address the needs of children between the ages of 4 and 12. You'll see how museums can inspire as well as inform and build skills for both classroom and lifelong learning. It is our hope that each child's visit to a museum will be a thoughtful learning experience.

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