When I was young, I loved dinosaurs. I mean, hardcore. Unlike most kids, I did not grow out of the “dinosaur phase” until I entered high school. I was a big-time dino nerd, reading, watching, buying…heck, even eating… everything that I could find that included these prehistoric beasts. Need further evidence? Here is a photo of me – Jurassic Park shirt and all – meeting paleontologist Karen Chin:

Sidenote – my brother Steve, pictured on the left, actually became a paleontologist! But that is for a different article…

During my grade school years, I actually ran a “museum” in my bedroom, full of a hoarder’s miscellany of fossils, dinosaur toys, T. rex posters, and Jurassic Park merchandise. It was called “Dino Land,” and I was the self-declared “Curator of Paleontology.” PhD? No. Ambition and a bit of ego? Yes!

Humor aside, I thought that it might be fun to “review” my childhood museum Dino Land, looking for lessons that might actually help real interpretive sites today. Mostly, I discovered many lessons on what not to do!

• Less is more. Dino Land was a clashing collage of hundreds of “objects,” from toys to books to posters to actual fossils. There was no unifying message, no central theme. I simply displayed anything and everything that I could get my hands on, as long as it was even remotely connected to dinosaurs. Triceratops figure, check. Jurassic Park Crunch empty cereal box, check. Coherent, cohesive, or understandable message? Nada.

• Don’t become a curator’s “pet project.” Dino Land was simply what I liked, displayed how I liked it. Sadly, this type of thing happens in real museums too, when curators or exhibit designers create an exhibit based solely on their preferences, their knowledge levels, and their desires. What if everyone does not like what you like? What if someone has a different learning style? Successful exhibits must meet the needs and desires of visitors, not those of curators or content experts.

• Use a variety of display techniques, and include interactives! Dino Land had many objects and multiple “exhibits,” but they were all the same: a toy / fossil / poster with a long, boring caption explaining what it was. Sad! I can only imagine my brothers’ eyes glazing over whenever I showed them the “museum.” Unfortunately, real museums sometimes are just as boring. Exhibits should not be “books on walls,” having only large display panels with paragraphs and paragraphs of text. Rather, the best exhibits use a variety of display techniques – (short) text, dynamic photographs, custom illustrations, wall-sized murals, dioramas, scent stations, audio immersions, videos, and multiple types of hands-on interactives. It is much harder to get bored when the content is presented in a dynamic and varied manner, and when you have the hands-on chance to actually participate.

Simple lessons, but also important. Funny how I didn’t realize the errors that I was making, blinded as I was by the childlike passion I had to know and to collect everything. But looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Do you have any fun museum-related childhood stories that you’d like to share? Comment below