This one simple trick will change visiting museums with your kids!

ums. They are full of brilliant juxtapositions, random collections, and masterpieces.

My kids are old enough to be out of diapers but not quite into cubists. The don’t say dadda anymore but the don’t get Dada. It can be challenging to get them to actually look at art. When I am in a museum I see a lot of parents in the same position. Kids who are bored; art that doesn’t speak to them.

What I do? I bring blank journals and pencils. Sounds too easy - but it absolutely works. If a gallery has bunch of Chinese Snuff Bottles, they sit in front of the display and draw their favorite. We see if we can guess which one it was. They draw sculptures from a few different angles. They try to recreate the lines of an abstract painting.

What that actually means is they sit and they look. It changes the whole dynamic and speed of the experience. The guards stop what they’re doing and comment on the kids’ work and give them special tidbits about the work. It’s kind of magical.

Try it. Bring your journal and pencil - mechanical is best, so you don’t deal with broken leads and complaints about sharpeners. Many museums will not let you use a pen in the gallery.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever seen in a museum?

Beriberi Quite Contrary * DuChamp had a Potty Mouth * Cultivating my own Mini Dali, Kahlo and Cassatt