From a CANVAS Facebook post

*******************************************

[A Museum Just for Kids in Daikanyama]

On July 18, we held the "Museum Just for Kids" event in Daikanyama!

At the Children-Only Museum, we don’t tell the children, “Today we’re going to make this!” Instead,
the children freely choose from the many materials and tools available at the museum, and over the course of two hours, they engage in various activities and create the results of those activities.

In this museum session, we discussed with the elementary school class the question, “Which senses can we use to ‘observe’ things?” The children
then shared
various ways to observe, such as “touching with our hands,” “smelling with our noses,” and “looking with our eyes.”We decided to observe something
by touching it, and when someone suggested, “A clock would be great!” we all tried touching a clock together.
Then…
we made discoveries like, “This glass part is cold! The temperature varies depending on where you touch it!”
Sometimes, touching something reveals things you can’t tell just by
looking at it. Observing
materials and the process of making things might provide hints for new ideas.

Some children became fascinated with a single material and discovered various ways to use it.
They turned cellophane tape into a trampoline; decided, “I’m going to make this!” and focused intently on a single project; or, while combining materials, remarked, “Doesn’t this look like a pair of scissors?” as they imagined its movement or appearance… It was also striking to see them staring off into the
distance, lost in thought, only to suddenly look up with a “aha!” expression and go fetch the materials they needed.

The Kids-Only Museum is open every month as a place where children can come whenever they feel like creating something.
We look forward to seeing you there!
http://www.canvas.ws/kenkyujo/daikanyama_m/index.html