ABSTRACT
The story of museums is inextricably linked to the idea of collecting and the primacy of objects in the lives of people, a fact easily documented across time and culture. As fundamental beliefs about objects in more traditional museums evolved, the role of objects in children's museums also took on new meaning over time. The 1899 opening of the Brooklyn Children's Museum (BCM) offered child-friendly galleries where objects were carefully displayed for children to view. Traditional museums in the twenty-first century retain many features of collecting museums of the past while also adapting to new ways of thinking about objects and visitors. Traditional museums and children's museums share several beliefs and practices related to objects: objects are important in children's learning, objects offer opportunities to tell important stories, objects inspire, ignite curiosity, and evoke emotion and objects are important due to their tangible nature and offer unique opportunities for tactile, sensory exploration and meaning making.
