Every tour contains a lesson, and these two were no exception. First graders at the end of the school year are always a lot of fun.

I began the first tour in the Silk Road Room (for the setting–quiet and comfortable), where I read the book “The Truth About Dragons by Julie Leung. Before reading, though, I asked the Ss what they knew about dragons. All Ss were forthcoming with sharing their knowledge (which was much), most of which was pretty common descriptors (fire breathing, wings, reptile-like, etc). The arc of the story includes a section on a bog (Wetlands) and a forest (Forest), as well as an appearance by a seven-tailed fox (Kitsune). 

After reading, I explained that we would explore these areas and hunt for dragons. I gave the Ss two dragon figures to carry with them as a reference (thank you, Kathy Wales), a cape (handkerchiefs tied around the neck; thank you, chaperones), and a clipboard to keep a running total of dragons found (thank you, students, for sharing the task). 

On our expedition, we discovered and discussed various items in the galleries: the deer, the ponds, the cranes, the Kirin, the Kitsune, and the Singha (about which we had a lively argument about whether or not it was a dragon, with the consensus that it might be (made a “maybe” column on our tally sheet). We talked at some length about the Kirin and its attributes as a hybrid creature.

With few dragons to be found in Gold Mountain, I told the Ss that there were at least 7 dragons in the room; they looked and looked. I then asked them to find a spot in front of the golden mirrors, face the mirror, and act like a dragon, looking as ferocious as possible. Even the chaparones participated in this one! So there were 9 more dragons added to the list. The coins were not forthcoming, but after examining the toad/frog, we discussed the three legs, the bulging eyes, and the necklace of gold coins around its neck.

In the Neighborhood, we found several dragons and also had a few maybes (after some lively debate). At the Feng Huang, the Ss were quite impressed with the various components of the creature, but all agreed that it was not a dragon, and other than “claws,” it did not have many attributes that were dragon-like.

On to the Restaurant, where there were a multitude of dragons to be found. Eventually, they found in excess of 60 dragons total (they counted all the plates, bowls, and other dinnerware that featured dragons). We then talked about Daruma and goal setting, wrote their goals, and drew faces on their origami Daruma. 

Finally, our journey came to an end at the Guardian Room, where they quietly reflected on the last dragon and its companions. 

It was evident from the very beginning that the second tour would not be as successful as the first. After introductions, we went to the Silk Road room for discussion and the story, but they had very little knowledge of dragons, and were not really interested in the story. I truncated the story, just giving them the basic gist and sharing pictures of dragons. I gave them a brief outline of our journey, the dragon figure, a clipboard (to the one volunteer), and what they were to look for. We then went to the Wetlands to look for dragons.

About half of the Ss were very engaged, and the other half were more or less wandering. For some of the objects, I gave an overview or a story, but found very little engagement. They continued to search for dragons. We followed the same path and basically the same activities, with a bit of tweaking for the Ss. 

At about the mid-way point, some of the group were tiring and not participating very much. One S was taken outside by a chaperone (possibly the parent). 

In the Restaurant, we continued our search for dragons; curiously, they did not locate the less obvious ones (the plates, etc.). We talked about the Daruma (but did not do the activity, the Kitsune, and a few other objects. We went into the Guardian room and enjoyed a quiet few minutes.

We finished with a hunt for dragons in the garden with a few Ss who were still interested. 

BTW: this group found considerably fewer dragons than the first group.

Some observations:
The chaperones in the first group were engaged; those in the second group were not. 
The Ss were from two separate classrooms. 
The first group was well prepared: they had seen the video (recognized some of the objects) and engaged with the materials before coming. The second group most likely did not.
Lonnie informed us after the tour that the second group had a substitute teacher on the trip, which may have accounted for some of the behavior. 
The museum had many visitors during our tours. One family group with children mingled with our group, which had me counting heads to make sure we didn’t lose or gain anyone.

I found this overall activity a good way to get Ss engaged in the objects through close looking. Also, when there was a question of whether an object was a dragon, the Ss had to state why they held that position.

This was a dual-immersion school (Spanish), which may have accounted for some Ss’ communication skills. The first group had more advanced English skills than the second. I attempted to be mindful of my presentation to accommodate all Ss.

Overall, this tour was great fun!

Today, I toured the exhibition with five 2nd-grade students (Ss), one of whom had special needs. After introductions, we began with an observation task. Then we proceeded to the Wetlands gallery. I asked (Ss) to share what they knew about butterflies. They shared information like butterflies are pretty, they are good for nature, etc., but eventually they moved on to the butterfly life cycle. We also discussed the transformation process (Transformers), which they were familiar with from TV. Next, in pairs, I asked Ss to examine one of the kites above them and note what they observed. They worked on the floor (sitting/lying) and were completely engaged. At this point, the father of the student with special needs decided she was not going to be able to continue and left. We regathered and discussed what they had discovered and the questions they had. Eventually, I explained the kites, what they represented, and the figures on them. We discussed the Qing Ming festival and likened it to Day of the Dead. Since the Ss were familiar with Day of the Dead, its purpose, etc., they began to identify the people on the kites and their roles in the artwork, parents, uncles/aunts, etc.

Next, we proceeded to Kitsune. Discussed shapeshifters. I told a story of a man meeting an old man on the road who was a Kitsune (avoided the lady Kitsune) and the consequences. Discussed the fact that many cultures have stories such as these to teach lessons, etc. 

At the Golden Toad, one S read the “Uncle Speaks” and talked about “Enough is Enough”. Can you ever have enough? We then examined the toad closely and verified that it did, indeed, have three legs. We then, each in turn, pulled the handle and were rewarded with a coin. Finally, I asked them what they thought was the most valuable thing in the room. They walked around a bit, looking at the few objects. One S said, “Well, there is just a bunch of us!” That was when they got the connection! Each of them was valuable.

On the way to the FengHuang, they were sidetracked by the Apartment. They were especially intrigued by the food on the table. Then they looked for items in the apartment that differed from those they had at home (phone, TV, etc.). One student commented that it “looked like the 80s.”

Passing through FengHuang, one girl commented that it was a phoenix or a firebird. I responded that it was like a phoenix, but in this culture, it was actually different. The comment that the Feng Huang doesn’t rise from the ashes prompted the response that the sculpture appears to have fire rising from beneath the figure, giving it a fire-like appearance. I couldn’t argue with that assessment.

Finally, to the Storefront, where, after a bit of exploring, we focused on the Daruma. We talked about the purpose of the Daruma and goal setting, and I brought a Daruma from home for them to examine. I had also made origami Darumas that they could design with eyes, etc. They thought of a goal, wrote it on the back, filled in the left eye, and took the Daruma with them. 

Overall, a good tour. There was only 1 tour today because of the low number of students. Having small groups and only three docents works well in the museum configuration. The Ss were well behaved, engaged, confident, and eager to learn.

Today I had two delightful tours with first-grade students! Using Yvonne’s recent idea about dragons in the courtyard, I crafted a tour around the concept of dragons. Since they were first-graders, reading Nian was appropriate. I began in the Crossroads gallery by asking what they knew about dragons and whether they had ever celebrated Chinese New Year. Then I read the story and had the students add sound effects (quiet noise). At the point in the story when Mei discovers that the Nian doesn’t like the color red, I passed out red scarves for everyone to carry for the rest of the tour (since we needed protection against any dragons we came upon).

Before leaving the Crossroads, I told the students that we would be going on a dragon hunt. I taught them the rhyme “Going on a Bear (Dragon) Hunt,” which we repeated each time we began a new journey, and explained their assignment: to hunt dragons in the galleries!

We started in Room 5, where they looked for a dragon that might be hiding. Both groups eventually guessed that the dragon was hiding beneath the mountain of the Ascending Dragon. They referred to the story as their evidence. We then discussed the drawing itself, the materials, and the word ascending. Some even found the dragon on the surface of the mountain.

On to the next hunt (Going on a dragon hunt …). Room 6, where they quickly found the dragon (Study for Seven-Headed Dragons). We discussed the materials used, including colored gunpowder, and debated the number of dragons to add to our count (1 versus 7). We stopped at the materials case and discussed the various surfaces and how they were affected by fire, among other things.

Dragon Hunt continued to Canvas on the Moon and The Annunciation of cAITM, in Room 9. Students were asked to discover dragons within the two works on their own. They drew their discoveries, counted, and shared.

The hunt ended in the garden, where the students discovered dragons throughout, keeping a running total. Of course, being first graders, the counts were not precisely accurate, but there were far more dragons than I thought possible in our galleries/garden.

Reflection (what would you do differently?):
The tour worked well with its central theme being something the students were interested in and familiar with. The story of Nian was engaging. I tried to point out during the reading, clues that they could use when engaging with the work in the galleries. 
I don’t think that I would do much differently. The students were engaged, curious, followed directions easily, and enjoyed themselves.

Comments & Suggestions:
I suggest that we discuss taking a short break between the two tours at some point. 
Today, the students (and adults) were given a few moments to use the restroom, take a breath, etc., and I think it made a difference in the second group’s focus. I don’t think anyone mentioned the word “lunch” throughout the second tour!

Perhaps we could consider starting the second tour at 11:15 and concluding it at 12:15. Just a thought.

The two tours today were a lot of fun. The kids were smart, curious, imaginative and clearly comfortable with each other, so virtually everyone participated. I started out telling them i wanted to tell a story that is a bit scary (they were up for it) and launched into the story of Nian. The part about children being eaten gave a thrill. The connection to fireworks, and then to Cai’s hometown, gave some context to his art. We watched the Return to Darkness video and then discussed art v science, and experimentation. I emphasized the goal for the day, was to ask questions, use imagination and have fun. The kids had paper and pencil throughout and drew, took notes and so forth without much prompting. We made a stop at the Silk Road camel for the teacher to take pics. And lingered at the Pyramid and Annunciation. The kids really set the flow.

Reflection (what would you do differently?):
As noted, the kids set the flow really via their interest/enthusiasm so it was easy and fun for me.

Comments & Suggestions:
I was thinking a little snack between sessions might help keep the kid’s energy up for the second tour. they were definitely ready for lunch.

And I wish all touring students had name tags (that don’t fall off) like these kids had.

I had two great tours today with second graders! I didn’t even have to adjust from one to the next. I tried an activity that had been rolling around in my head. We discussed the art/science connection with Cai’s work. I had them experiment with their heartbeat (pulse on the neck): count the resting beats for 15 seconds and record on the clipboard. Then, they ran in place for about 1.5 minutes and counted the beats (15 seconds). We discussed the difference, increase/decrease, and what would have accounted for that increase. They gave examples such as fear, activity, nervousness, etc. We then watched the video of Cai sitting in the middle of the explosion (Fetus Movement II: Project for ETs No.9. I explained the process he went through to record his body’s reactions and then showed them the electrocardiogram/seismogram and discussed the results. 

At the Annunciation, I had the students choose one of the panels to study and determine if they could find an animal, person, etc., within the panel. They then drew what they envisioned on their clipboard and shared it aloud.

Finally, at Palmyra, I asked the students to divide one of their papers into four sections and label them: See, Hear, Smell, and Feel. They then “jumped” into the work and, proceeding one by one, recorded their reaction to each sense. The interesting responses include “feeling lonely,” “hearing loud explosions,” “smelling smoke,” and “seeing dust.” They all had some very astute responses to this work. I asked one group what they thought the artist was trying to say, and one boy thought that he was trying to show that war and destruction are not good.

We ended with the Return to Darkness and the construction/deconstruction/reconstruction of the Mandala.

Reflection (what would you do differently?):
This was such a good tour, and I don’t think I’d do anything differently.

Comments & Suggestions:
My fellow docents today, Eiko, Jeanne, and Randy, were great and seemed to enjoy their tours. Lonnie, as usual, ran a smooth and tight ship. Thanks to all.

My experience was the tale of two tours! The first group was engaged, knowledgeable, curious, and full of ideas, which they were eager to share. The second group was hungry! The timing on this tour worked well. We began promptly at 10:00 and were able to make it through efficiently.
These were second-grade students.
Our discussions were engaging with both groups. They all seemed very interested in the science/art connection.
The first group was fascinated by how the explosions affected the substrates. The second group, not so much. They seemed to prefer wandering so I let them explore when possible. This group(2) was particularly fascinated by the stencils. I did a quick visual by tearing a hole in a piece of paper and using a pencil to shade in the hole, producing a filled-in circle on the blank paper substrate.

I think with the second group, I might have used Bob’s idea of giving them pencil/paper early on. (I’m not sure they were ready for that amount of independence.) Before beginning, we did some movement in the garden but it didn’t help. There was little to be done once it was announced that they were hungry.li

Both groups were fascinated by Palmyra, so I’d like to learn more about the work and how to tour it with primary students. Any ideas would be appreciated.

I toured with Bob and Fran, and we all used a counterclockwise scheme rather than the overlapping routes. The kids were enthusiastic and curious. I started in Room 11, and had a discussion (what is art? What is science? Have you done experiments -like trying ketchup on a hot dog? and what does it mean when art and science collide?). I used the science/experimentation framing as we viewed the art. We then watched the Return to Darkness (mandala) video which they enjoed, and were particulary captured by the resulting art versus the original layout. I borrowed Bob’s idea of giving the kids something to write/draw on early in the tour for their notes/sketches. Having that in hand seemed to improve their engagement and each room kicked off a new flurry of activity for most. For the Ascending Dragon work, none of the kids saw a dragon, so I again borrowed from Bob and had them draw their vision of a dragon. Canvas on the Moon generated a lot of discussion, particularly what animal’s eye was looking back at them.

During the Ascending Dragon discussion some kids saw a volcano, and took pride in naming countries that had them. Similarly, in Inverted Pyramid, I referenced Egypt, but the teacher/kids took pride in mentioning that pyramids are in Mexico, Guatamala, etc. I will be better informed next time.

I liked moving all the tours in one direction.