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Gari Melchers Home and Studio

Gari Melchers Home and Studio

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Please Touch! Historic House Tours

May 28, 2018 by Michelle Crow-Dolby 5 Comments

Keeping historic house tours engaging for visitors can be a challenge, especially children’s tours. The traditional “Listen, don’t touch” guided tour is simply not appealing to youth in today’s digital world.  The authors of the ground-breaking manifesto, the Anarchist’s Guide to Historic House Museums, are calling for historic sites to create a more visitor-centered paradigm.

I’ve recently re-imagined our house tour for younger audiences.  The new experience engages all five senses and utilizes the Socratic, or inquiry-based, teaching method. I believe these qualities make the tour a dynamic, interactive, and tactile experience.  Students are required to use their critical thinking skills to answer the questions guides pose.

Instead of docents telling students everything we think is important, they now use objects from the education collection, including full scale 3D printed replicas and carefully selected vintage material, as learning prompts.  The prompts are followed up with related archival photographs and a particular set of questions designed to lead students to an idea. Our younger guests become active participants in the tour as opposed to passive recipients of information which is a well-documented way to facilitate retention and promote deeper interest.

Screen Shot 2018-05-28 at 9.01.30 AM

New material gleaned from our archives being shared during the tour include information about the couple’s beloved dogs, Corinne Melchers’ Scarlet Macaw, Polly, and the staff and servants the Melchers’ employed to help run their household, garden, and grounds. Life without the Internet and television is also discussed.

Early feedback, from both teachers and docents, has been positive.  My staff and I look forward to giving our original “Please Touch!” tour to this summer’s field trips and the many engaging conversations along the way.

~ Michelle Crow-Dolby, Education and Communications Manager, Gari Melchers Home & Studio

Category icon3D Printing,  Children,  Historic Home,  Historic House,  Senses,  Socratic Teaching Method,  Tours Tag icon3D,  historic house museum,  historic house tours,  Socratic teaching,  youth museum tours

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katherine Smothers says

    June 1, 2018 at 10:20 am

    The “Please Touch” tours sound fabulous for children. Are they scheduled as separate and different tours? do you have a schedule for the summer? should we make a reservation?
    Katherine Smothers

    Reply
    • Michelle Crow-Dolby says

      June 1, 2018 at 10:36 am

      Hi Katherine, Right now we are offering Please Touch! tours to our youth groups visiting on field trips. However, if your family would like to schedule a tour, I’d be happy to set one up for you. Email me at mdolby@umw.edu.

      Reply
  2. Carole Crow says

    June 1, 2018 at 10:22 am

    Michelle, great work on your new and exciting 3D art concept! Your children guests will be so excited to hear “please touch”!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Looking to Learn: Learning to Look – Gari Melchers Home and Studio's Blog says:
    July 22, 2018 at 1:13 pm

    […] Please Touch! Historic House Tours […]

    Reply
  2. Looking to Learn: Learning to Look - Gari Melchers Home and Studio says:
    November 3, 2021 at 1:21 pm

    […] gateway to original and personal understanding for students and serves as a companion piece to our Please Touch! historic house […]

    Reply

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Falmouth, VA 22405
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