Last week I had the chance to see the museum from a visitor’s perspective - something I don’t do very often as a staff member - when my siblings and two-year-old nephew visited me in Cooperstown. During the time we spent at The Farmers’ Museum, I was reminded that the simplest of activities can make the biggest difference.
My family and I spent several hours at the museum. My nephew, Jackson, took some time to warm up to the place. He was content to just watch the carousel but had no interest in riding it himself, he enjoyed the animals – especially the pigs - but wondered whether he’d see lions and tigers, and he mostly avoided eye contact or conversation with the interpreters.
Once we got in the Lippitt farmhouse, though, Jackson finally opened up when Pat showed him a pan full of beans and then offered him the chance to shell some himself. Jackson’s face lit up as he began shelling, and he even began to talk to Pat. He tightly clenched a fistful of beans for the rest of our visit and seemed less shy around the rest of the staff we encountered. My siblings and I enjoyed the entire museum, but because of my nephew's engagement in the farmhouse, that building (and the beans) became our favorite part of the trip as well.
What part of The Farmers’ Museum is your (and your children's) favorite?
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