good day/ bad day - in the same day

Good Day:

• Going to the Pitt Rivers Museum and the attached to the Natural History Museum.
• Being warmly welcomed by the staff.
• Each child given a wind up torch to view the vast array of things in glass cabinets in the exciting dimmed lighting.
• Having one member of staff per child assisting them on the mouse hunt, and telling them fascinating stories about the artifacts along the way, whilst I sat down in a chair (as offered by another member of staff) and watched.
• Most beautiful museum building I've been in. Architecture makes me happy.
• Signs that say "Please Touch".
• Shrunken Heads, complete with a how-to instruction panel.
  

Bad Day:

• Going to the Ashmolean Museum.
• Having the children sternly told to walk and keep their hands to themselves when they were already doing both.
• Getting in a lift with a member of museum staff to be told the "Home Ed bunch are worse than the Autistic lot" and that "children should be forced to go to school and this freedom home educated children have isn't good for them in the long run."
• Getting arrested for assaulting the member of staff (not really, but I was itching to poke her in the eye.) I did get my own back on the way out, when a poor chap stopped and asked me to take five minutes to fill in his visitor satisfaction questionnaire. Ha!

What is interesting is that the Ashmolean is huge, recently refurbished and modernly crisp but with a distinct lack of child friendliness about it.

Pitt Rivers and the NHM are much smaller even when combined but stuffed to the brim with touchy feely things as well as drawers that the children were encouraged to open and nosey in. They also had staff that positively brimmed with enthusiasm and knowledge, instead of cold fish children haters. The last one makes a huge difference.