We visited the Sensorium 360º exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum again this week, but this time, with the in-laws, who are visiting. (Our previous visit was together with our co-op.) Since it was no longer the school holidays, the museum was almost empty, and the boys had a really good time exploring with their gramps.
They especially loved jumping around in the noon-nom exhibit and spent most of their time there. Even baby loved it! And it was intriguing to explore the Cage again, since you'd keep expecting to feel something when you see those beams of laser. They would shriek every time the fog machine went off and blasted a cloud into the room, but would find it irresistible and run towards it afterward.
However, there were those exhibits that required reminders to be careful, like those involving scents in bottles. Those the kids weren't too interested in. It reminded me that to engage little children one must really rely on their senses, and they must have room to explore. While older kids may be able to stand back and admire a painting and have a discussion about it, younger kids (especially boys) need to move, and touch things, and learning is best done when they also have some space to explore, without having to be told "don't touch!" or "be careful!".
Also, I realized that the simplest things can be of interest to them, and can bring great delight. While lasers and fog intrigued them, the simple water cooler and the act of pressing a button to send an icy cold jet of water also fascinated the boys. I am glad we had the time, and could let the boys try the water cooler for awhile, without having to hurry them along to another exhibit. It made me think: how many of these simple experiences have we missed along the way, while chivvying our kids along to their next class or activity?
(Anyway, the Sensorium 360º exhibition would be ending on the 22nd of October, so do catch it soon if you can! Here's another mum's take on the exhibition.)
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