As we walked through the
relatively new and extremely inviting Yaku Museum of Water in Quito, Ecuador, we were struck by the lack of visitors, this late
winter morning in the middle of the week.
Where were all the school buses full of elementary age children with
their teachers, who would delight in the interactive water cycle display where
they become a particle of water and go through tubes and slides? This was a critical question since our group
was visiting a smaller city in the Andes to explore the establishment there of
an interactive science center for children [see previous post]. Obviously, we could not assume
that, if it were to be built, they would come; the issue is more complex than
just mandating fieldtrips to museums in the national curriculum. Who would provide transportation to museum
field trips in these Andean cities with a lack of public school buses? Who would pay their admission fees, an issue
that also comes up for disadvantaged kids in the United States? How does one influence educational culture to
change? Clearly our group, with U.S. and
Ecuadorian members, had a lot of work to do understanding the context. Perhaps we would begin as one member
suggested . . . by the creation and implementation of a moving museum, designed
to visit students in the classroom, or other local spots.
