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capabilities and limits, but also to examine
their ability to learn and the ways it
develops. Because children’s cognition is
mostly based on experiences of here and
now, it is important to choose subjects
that are essential and current for them.
In order to become a lifelong learning
environment, museums should try to
encourage children to everyday use of
the museum. To involve children, the
museum has to find a way to consider
their various needs in exhibition planning.
A solution to this problem might
be child inclusive exhibition design.
What is child inclusive e exhibition de-
d
sign?
It is an approach to the design of exhibitions
that are accessible to and usable by
not only adults but also children with all
their limits, capabilities and needs.
This derives from inclusive design,
which is a model mostly considered in
relation to elderly and disabled people.
According to this model, a person is
excluded by design, when the demands
of a product usage go beyond the capabilities
of the user. In the museum context,
this model also relates to children
who do not comply with common design
standards and are therefore often
excluded. There are several ways of
improving museum learning in the
terms of design requirements including
the creation of child friendly environments,
preparing clear orientation and
labelling system, organisation of child
Texte publik gemacht
suitable spaces, usage of different media
and senses, and advertising campaigns
for children and child centred web design.
Strategic concept
Taking these suggestions into consideration
and working in cooperation with
the Roemer- und Pelizaeus Museum
Hildesheim, I have developed an additional
layer for children for the permanent
exhibition ‘Ancient Peru: Cultures
in the realm of the Incas’. This exhibition
aims to give an impression of the cultural
diversity of old Peru over the centuries.
It is targeted to adults, mostly to
specialists interested in the subjects and
well informed citizens. Children are
considered only in the terms of school
groups or as participants of workshops.
For this reasons, the main focus of my
project lays on attracting the attention
of children and families to the exhibition
as well as awakening an interest in different
cultures and nations. It is also
essential to make the old Peru exhibition
more appealing by the involvement of
different senses and media. By following
these goals, the position of the museum
as a lifelong learning environment can
be established and strengthened.
The project is targeted to the group of 8
to 12 year olds. This age group is already
able to actively participate and understand
the subjects presented. Through
supplementing the needs of children in
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