We welcome thousands of children and young people every year for visits, tours and talks at the Museum of London. One Friday in November, we decided to swap places, and let the kids take charge.
Twice a year, Kids in Museums organises Takeover Day: a chance for museums and other historic institutions to open their doors to young people and flip the normal order on its head. We grabbed the opportunity to invite pupils from Moreland Primary and Mayfield School to run the museum for a day.
So what happens when young people write the talks, give the tours, greet our visitors and run the craft activities? Might we see the swords, skeletons and stories that make up our museum in a new way? See for yourself!
More than 40 students aged between nine and seventeen were trained to hit the floor and work on a variety of museum tasks. Year 5 students (aged nine to ten) took over an object-handling table, explaining Roman artefacts and making sure they were treated with the proper care. They also talked with visitors, revealing stories hidden in the DNA of a Roman teenage girl, whose skeleton was found in Lant Street, Southwark.
Sixth formers aged 16 and older took charge of creative activities for younger children, decorating colourful masks and toys inspired by our Beasts of London experience, all in the spirit of sharing and learning together.
Given a platform to share their own values and interests, the year 7-9s (aged 11-14) rose to the occasion, researching and presenting their own talks on all manner of curiosities: from Georgian dresses and pistols, to lithograph artworks, the 1920s lift from Selfridge's and the Suffragette movement.
A pair of winkle picker shoes proved an emotive topic for one student. They chose to explore this object not through the lens of rock and roll culture but through the history (and present day reality) of animal cruelty hidden behind its crocodile leather construction. Just to warn you, you may find the content upsetting:
So what was the verdict from visitors, who weren't expecting to find kids running the museum? Well, they seemed to enjoy themselves:
- 'Awesome idea. Made all the better by the charming, intelligent young people from both schools.'
- 'Very informative students who gave lots of information and were very friendly.'
- 'It’s great to see young people inspired and involved in museums. Wow!'
- 'It was brilliant – we really enjoyed learning from the pupils. Great job!'
- 'A beautiful day at the museum.'
And the young people themselves? Here's a word cloud made from their thoughts. We were thrilled to see the phrases 'joyful' and 'so damn cool' – but also 'hard', just to make us day-jobbers feel a bit better about being outshone:
Needless to say, we at the Museum of London are incredibly proud of our young takeover team and everything they accomplished. In fact, given the resounding feeling from all involved that it was a uniquely fun and fulfilling experience, we're looking forward to opening our doors again to let the city's young people take over. If you weren't able to make it, make sure you don't miss out next time.
Sign up to our mailing list and keep your eyes peeled for information on our next Takeover Day.
