02 Mar, 2009
Top ten tips on how to do the National Gallery with kids (or any other art gallery for that matter!)
Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Ottawa for kids|Easy ways to make kids happy|parenting
I am trying to convince people that the National Gallery in Ottawa is not a place for snooty old art lovers, but is accessible to anyone and everyone, especially kids. Kids are such creative little critters. Shouldn’t we do everything we can to encourage them?
Perhaps it sounds daunting to bring the kiddies downtown for an afternoon of art appreciation, but it doesn’t need to be. We’ve been taking the girls to art galleries for years. This is what’s worked for us:
1. Early bird catches the worm and avoids the crowds. Worried about your rambunctious toddler and/or fussy baby? The National Gallery is super for strollers and is fairly easy to get around. Check the hours and time your visit for when the gallery opens. They’re open at 10:00 a.m. most days.
2. Co-ordinate your visit with the gallery’s Artissimo program.It’s free with general admission. Artissimo is a wonderful and thoughtful children’s program. The photo pictured above is looking down at Artissimo. There were kids of all ages – from toddler to tween – all working on different projects when we were there on Sunday.
(Sidebar: it was a big day for Sarah. Her landscape – pictured below – will be hung on a gallery wall for other children to admire. She is thrilled. She said it was a dream come true! I really love helping my kids’ dreams come true.)
3. Full tummy = happy mummy
The cafeteria at the National Gallery is shockingly inexpensive. The four of us had a big lunch there for twenty bucks. Check out my grilled veggie sandwich:
I had a tough time deciding what to eat because the other sandwiches sounded so good. Salmon was the most expensive at $5.95. There was chicken too.
A grilled cheese (I haven’t seen bread this white in a long time) set us back about $2.50. Other lunch entrees (I think there was an eggplant parmesan) hovered in the $7.00-$8.00 range.
4. Leave your bulky sweaters and coats in the coat room or else you’ll be forced to listen to that familiar refrain (there’s a facial expression that goes with it too): “I’m hawwwwt mummy!” If you’re wearing winter boots, consider switching them for runners or other lighter footwear.
5. Enjoy the architecture as well as the art; both inside…
… and outside:
6. Teach your children the how-to’s of art appreciation. Hands are best kept in pockets or behind our backs. Don’t lean in too much. It makes the security guards jumpy. If you’re closer than one arm’s length that’s too close.
7. Don’t try to take in too much during your visit. I used to make my kids stop and look at special paintings (“See kids, this is by a guy named Van Gogh. He’s a Dutch post-impressionist who cut off his ear!”) and read out the information on each little card. I found myself getting increasingly annoyed at their increasing boredom. It was a surefire way of getting our kids to hate going to the gallery.
Our new strategy is to let the kids lead us. We pause to look at things of interest and skip all the rest. That’s why it’s a good idea to …
8. Get a family membership. It pays for itself after only a few visits, especially if you factor in their special exhibits which always cost extra. You can easily zip in and zip out and not feel pressured to stay. When we had our family membership (since expired, sadly) it also gave me the luxury of visiting on my own time and catching up on everything I missed, sans children.
If money is an issue you should go on Thursday evenings. It’s free between 5-8 p.m. (This happens to be the only night they’re open late.)
9. Get them talking. Ask a few age-appropriate questions about the art but try not to turn the whole experience into a huge teaching lesson. (Which might be a huge turn-off.)
- What colours do you see? What shapes?
- What is this made out of?
- What do you think the artist is trying to say?
- What does this remind you of?
- What’s going on in this picture?
- If this was your own art, what title would you have given it?
10. Don’t forget the gift shop. Postcards, sketch books, or a set of shiny new set of watercolours might be enough to inspire your mini-Monet.
Any other tips to share? I’d love to hear them.
