Hands On! pre-conference! 2016
In collaboration with Ecsite, the European network of science centers and museums, we offered the first HO! pre-conference in Graz, Austria! Graz welcomed us very warmly and made it possible for us to meet our own HO! family, as well as the much larger Ecsite association. The event was facilitated by the Graz Children’s Museum, who organized a vibrant participatory opening, in which school classes, kindergarten groups, universities, companies and conference participants built an incredibly long chain-reacting-machine.
In the morning session, eight different approaches to museum work were introduced to us. A particularly inspiring presentation came from the Discovery Center in Boston, who see their museum as a laboratory and closely cooperate with universities and parents. The research tools they use for their studies could be helpful for other museums seeking to gain more information about children in museums.
In the afternoon, we offered various workshops, dedicated to the theme ‘Colors of Cooperation’. Over the course of the program, we visited different partners in order to gain a deeper understanding of how children’s museums can cooperate with schools and universities as well as art museums and companies.