07/01/2003 – Growing Magazine – Magazine – Patrícia Cerqueira

Kids also have fun and learn in museums(Click to see the full interview)

You are unsure if a museum is child’s program? But know that yes, and good. Look paintings, sculptures, exhibitions only do well. “Awake sensitivity,” says the writer Eliana Pougy, from the series The Art and Children (Publisher Atica). It may even be annoying, not being able to play tag, speak up and hold the impulses not to touch the works not to hide behind the sculptures. But, even this adds to the experience being different because the child has contact with the rules that generally are not used. And entertained differently. “The variety of objects, arranged side by side, arouses curiosity and often amuse the child,” says Renata Bittencourt, manager of the Educational Action Center Itaú Cultural Institute in São Paulo. When visiting art exhibitions, his son enhances the perception of various forms of world representation, release the imagination. Exercising the mind and refines the power of observation. “The artist lives here in the museum?” Said Jael Dantas, 8, puzzled about where would be the painters of the works of art of the São Paulo Art Museum (MASP) in the first visit he made to the site in May.

Faced with a work of art, sincerity of children is in full swing. In Itaú Cultural Institute, noting the Cafezal screen, by Candido Portinari, children have a good explanation for the scene. Said the portrayed farmers have big feet, and hands because they are workers. Already the land agent, which also appears in the painting, is small because he does not have a job to do. About a woodcut of Livio Abramo, they wandered about why the characters were painted with a frightened face. “I think they saw a monster,” said one boy. “It was a snake,” countered another. “No, I think a dragon frightened,” ventured a third party. “The great thing is this. Let each viewer complete idea of the way that best suits your needs,” says Eliana, who teaches art to children since 1999.

Alphabetize by the look

Walk through shapes, colors and names also collaborates on child literacy, provided it is instigated. Draw attention to what she likes and what you think is the best way to include it on the tour. “And the more you think and discussions on a topic, the more the language and the thought of the child develop,.” Says Aglay Barbosa Faria, educational coordinator of the State School Teacher Adolfino Arruda Castanho, in São Paulo. The school has a living room with playing 35 prints several established artists from around the world. In it, students learn to read and also to add and subtract with the dates of birth and death of artists.

After 3 years

According to Nereide writer Schilaro Santa Rosa, author of the series The Art of Seeing (Editora Scipione), children over seven years utilize more this kind of tour. They begin to understand that the work was made by a person in a given time, and there is no other same frame. Between four and six years, parents should encourage the observation of the child, playing to find out, for example, where are the legs, arms and hair of the figure portrayed in the work. Just do not extend the program for more than 30 minutes to not bore them. Have to minors, the museum is an almost prohibitive place. Children 3 years or less like to interact, putting the hand at all. And so the ride can be a stress.

The Brazilian has resistance in visiting exhibitions, by Nereide, thinking that it is a boring place, made only for those who understand art. Not quite. Everyone can benefit from the experience. Parents unaccustomed to the environment can opt for guided tours that most museums offer or initiate contact by large exhibitions. And it is worth investing. A survey conducted by a French institute, INSEE, found that children with more cultural leisure are twice as likely to visit museums and concert halls into adulthood. This contact only brings benefits. “In the future, we may have more critical adults, more demanding and better able to reflect on the world,” adds Nereide.