Eye Spy is designed to be enjoyed by children aged 6 and above. Younger visitors will also enjoy many aspects of the exhibition—even preschoolers will find interesting things to see and do. The hands-on activities revolve around fifty original works of art from the Museum's collection. Depending on your child's interest, a visit to Eye Spy can last anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. Activities have been designed to suit a variety of learning styles. Encourage children's creativity by having them try on Dutch costumes and pretend they are in a painting, or ask them to compose an animal folktale in the Elijah Pierce area. You can share in these activities as well—many of the Dutch costumes are big enough for adults!


Young children—and sometimes their parents—tire easily. Plan your visit when your child is fresh and rested. When your child begins to lose interest, conclude your visit on a positive note. Plan on an enthusiastic visit of 30 or 45 minutes followed by return visits. Take a break by visiting the garden or Derby Court where there are chairs, have a snack in the Palette Café, or rest on a bench in the galleries. Questions are the Answer Encourage your child to ask many questions about the works of art and try to answer them together. Use the information on the label cards to answer questions about media (the materials used to make the object) and to learn the title of the work. The title often holds clues about the object's meaning. Ask youngsters open-ended questions that encourage them to use their thinking skills, such as: Why do you think this tree is purple? How old do you think that boy is? What makes you think so? Why do you think there are no people in this painting? Works of art at Eye Spy are already presented with just these kinds of questions. Remember that many questions have no particular answer or many possible correct ones. Sometimes you might want to find the answer to a specific question by visiting the library or searching reference CD-ROMs or the Internet. Be sure to visit the Children's Museum Shop for a selection of books about art for children.


One question your child might consider: What are the important reasons we ask visitors not to touch the works of art? Explain that the oils in people's hands can alter the surface of a painting or sculpture. For a more illustrative explanation, visit the "To Touch or Not to Touch?" display in Eye Spy. In Eye Spy, there are lots of hands-on activities, but the works of art are definitely hands off!

In each area of Eye Spy, "Collection Connections" link the works of art in Eye Spy with those in other Museum galleries. Throughout the Museum, look for these related works of art that are indicated by special Eye Spy label cards.


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