MAPS2022

I've been in an interesting scenario as of late. Having been promoted to the position of Weekend Supervisor, I am now exposed to a whole different side of the museum's operations. At the same time, my oppportunities for observing exhibits and guests have been restricted in comparison. However, I believe that I was able to observe a handful of exhibits for a sufficient period of time and use my own experiences at those exhibits to contextualize what I saw. While exciting, every time I see Sparks in the Innovation Workshop or discussing facilitation on the floor, I get a knot in my stomach and truly miss what I had previously been doing. At the very least however, I do know that I was recruited by Education to work Noon Years Eve in what promises to be a fantastic event for members, vistors, and staff.  In the exhibit exploration assignment, I focused on five exhibits: Magnetic Islands, the Innovation Workshop, the Toddler Tuesday light mixing program, Mindball, and the Air Canno...

I wanted to focus my Exhibit Exploration on the various ways to engage guests with magnets at the museum. While I initially planned to look only at Magnetic Islands, it occurred to me this week that Ring Launch, Ferrofluid, and the magnetic blocks in the play area of the IWS tie in logically to this discussion. I am not including the magnetic tiles at the Light Fountain, to limit my exploration to one floor only.  Most guests are familiar with magnets when they come to the museum. I think they are an effective exhibit choice from a constructivist perspective, since they are something nearly everyone can connect to a real-life experience, whether that is with a magnetic toy, refrigerator magnets, or something covered in science class at school. What MOXI offers is an opportunity to explore the core idea of magnetism in multiple contexts, and in ways likely unavailable at home.  Magnetic Islands: Magnetic Islands offer several different options for engagement. I’ve observed gue...