Greetings all,I think my experiences as a grade school student could spark a museum education person to try something new.
I grew up in a small town. The city bus stopped right in front of West Main Elementary.
I often hopped on the bus and rode downtown where I attended the YMCA for swimming lessons and the public library to browse around.
The library had a collection of stuffed and mounted birds and small animals in plastic cases that could be checked out just like a book.
More than once I checked one out and took it home.
The next day I took it to school and shared it with my class during show-and-tell.
The other activity that introduced me to all kinds of nature were the National Audubon and National Geographic lectures my mother took me to at our downtown theater.
This was in the 50's when TV was new and we did not have one.
Today I am disappointed when I find that grown men and women don't know the difference between a male and female duck, for example.
I believe that many museums have a responsibility to expose kids to the beauty of nature so that they will appreciate and protect it.
Pete Hames
Volunteer
Houston Maritime Center and Museum