St Nicholas Prioy leaflet 2010St Nicholas Priory is family friendly finalist
St Nicholas Priory has beaten hundreds of museums nationally to reach the shortlist for the 2010 Guardian Kids in Museums Award.
Smelly, dirty, messy, noisy, tasty. These are the common characteristics of the six finalists announced last Saturday. They all provide sensory, hands-on experiences from which families emerge not only wiser, but grubbier. The six finalists will now be secretly visited by families of all shapes and sizes and measured against the Kids in Museums Manifesto – 20 ways to make a museum family friendly. The winner will be selected and announced in April.
Dea Birkett, Director of Kids in Museums, said "Congratulations to St Nicholas Priory for deservedly getting on to the six strong shortlist of the Guardian Family Friendly Museum Award. This is testament to all the pioneering, innovative work being done by the museum. Judges were particularly impressed with the way in which children’s activities weren’t squeezed into one corner, but were everywhere, throughout the museum, so the whole place belonged to everyone.”
The Shortlist:
Beningbrough Hall & Gardens, York
Great North Museum, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Herbert Museum & Art Gallery, Coventry
Highland Folk Museum, Newtownmore
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent
St Nicholas Priory, Exeter
Kids in Museums Manifesto
Be welcoming. Cleaners, curators, front of house staff and those in the café should all be involved in making families feel welcome. Consider different families’ needs, with automatic doors, wheelchair-user friendly activities and Braille descriptions.
Have flexible family tickets. Don’t dictate the size of a family. Families come in all shapes and sizes.
Give a hand to parents to help their children enjoy the museum. Sometimes it isn’t the kids who are shy. Parents need your support too.
Don’t say ssshhhush! Museums are places for debate and new ideas.
Answer kids’ questions – not just those asked by adults. Address them directly when you do so. You don’t have to be experts on everything, just enthusiastic and open.
‘Don’t touch’ is never enough. Say why. Use positive remarks like, ‘Isn’t that a great painting! Let’s look at it together from further back.’ Teach respect by explaining why some things shouldn’t be touched. Direct to something nearby which can be.
Reach out to homes and communities. Not everyone can come to you. Sometimes, you need to go to them first.
Use your website to encourage families to visit and give clear information. Be honest about what you can’t provide, so visitors come prepared. No one can do everything.
Don’t assume what kids want. They can appreciate fine art as well as finger painting. Involve kids, not just adults, in deciding what you offer.
Don’t forget toddlers and teenagers. Older and younger children are often left out. Every age brings fresh ideas and insights.
Be height aware. Display objects, art and labels low enough for a child to see.
Watch your language! Use your imagination with signs, symbols and words understood by all ages.
Be interactive and hands on, not only with computer screens and fancy gadgets. Dressing up and getting messy are as important as buttons to push.
Produce guides, trails and activities for all the family together, not just the kids. Encourage families to chat.
Have different sorts of spaces – big open spaces for children to let off steam. Picnic areas for families to bring their own food. Small quiet spaces where children and families can reflect. Provide somewhere to sit down.
Keep an eye on your toilets, and make sure they’re always pleasant places, with baby changing facilities and room for pushchairs. It’s the one place every family will visit.
Provide healthy, good-value food, high chairs and unlimited tap water. Your café should work to the same family friendly values as the rest of the museum.
Provide a place to leave coats, bags and pushchairs. It makes it far easier for families to move around.
Sell items in your shop that aren’t too expensive, and not just junk, but things kids will treasure.
Give a friendly goodbye. Ask families to describe the best bit of their visit, either in words or pictures. Respect these responses and act on them. Invite them back.
A gold or silver item that is at least three hundred years old OR any two or more silver or gold coins at least three hundred years old OR ten or more copper alloy coins at least three hundred years old. Any items found with the coins or treasure item are also considered treasure. By law, any potential treasure must be reported to the coroner. Contact your local Finds Liaison Officer for advice on this.