In between BEA trips, the children and I managed a little bit of museum-going. The Museum of Science and Industry, and the old dependable, the Field. I let Katie wander around both by herself while Joseph aimlessly about, punching whatever buttons he could find.

Which brings me back to my annual screed against child-oriented science museums, with all of their flashy exhibits and demonstrations designed to purportedly teach children and young people science concepts in entertaining, engaging ways.

Hah.

I defy any one of you to walk around any one of this type of museums and find anyone between the ages of 5 and 18 doing anything but walking from exhibit to exhibit punching buttons to see lights flash. They don’t read the cards, they don’t study what they’re doing to try to understand the principle that’s being demonstrated. They just punch the buttons, watch the light flash or the crane move or hear the bird chirp and move on to the next station.

It’s such a huge educational boondoggle of the noisiest kind. I mean, there were parts of the Museum of Science and Industry that I found intriguing in the moments I had to stop with my restless tour guide – I always like to see 727’s suspended in buildings, and there was a neat chick hatchery, but on the whole, the staid, quiet stuffed animals of the Field came as quite a soothing relief, in contrast.

And….we did walk around Wright’s house and studio in Oak Park, although we were there long after closing time, drove by Hemingway’s birthplace…spent a little bit of time at the Gospel Music festival…that was our taste of Chicago this time. The Art Institute is doing a special exhibit on Seurat and the making of La Grande Jatte, which I would very much like to get to later in the summer, so we’ll see.