Author Archive
Worms and Systems
I keep worms in my basement. It’s a pretty silly exercise, really, as I have no yard and no garden. A few pots do OK outside of my kitchen (a concrete slab, 6’ x 13’) but the supply of worm castings far outstrips demand. My wife finds it remarkably creepy and won’t have much to [...]
Paying Attention
Domestic tasks are best when given the attention they deserve. Preparing a meal for a lover on a special occasion has its own gravity; nervousness, anticipation of pleasure, intimacy – it barely qualifies as a domestic task. The standing life-support activities like vacuuming and laundry have almost no weight. They float in and out of [...]
Treasure in Paris
I recently attended the conference for Hands On! Europe – the children’s museum association of Europe. This was the second of their conferences I have attended and it was wonderful and challenging. I am always humbled by meeting with a group of folks who have managed to learn multiple languages in their lives (among the [...]
So Much for Perceptions
I.
I’m walking down the street on a gray February afternoon and I’m in full urban protective gear. I’m referring to emotional gear in this case. A dozen or so yards ahead is a woman, maybe in her late 50s, although a hard life on the streets could put her in her 30s. She is walking [...]
Some Objects Speak Louder Than Others
I found a $20 bill on the street last weekend. Actually it was only a shred of a $20 bill.
Not enough to be worth $20, or any cash value in fact.
It is, however, an enormously compelling object to find on the street.
Actually, it was two objects – two parts to the same bill. I looked [...]
Speak Up!, CW Philly Appearance June 21, 2009
Not to toot our horn too much, but Tree Adventure at The Morris Arboretum is about to open (July 4, 2009). The Director of Public Programs, Bob Gutowski and I will appear on Speak Up, a local public affairs show on the CBS affiliate Philly 57. Sunday, June 21 at 8 am, tune in to hear [...]
Storytelling?
Those of us involved in museum exhibitions often use the word “storytelling” to describe a fundamental part of our task. I certainly am among those singing its utility. In the last few months it has occurred to me that it is rarely used with an explanation of what that means. It is such a simple [...]
Ignorance-based Education
A friend recently sent me an article by Martin A. Schwartz called, “The importance of stupidity in scientific research.” It is a thoughtful and provocative piece, advocating a place for rigorous dumbness in the enterprise of science. I won’t go into the specifics of his argument (it’s a short article – you’ll get it better [...]
Tree Adventure at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
We are completing a project for the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania called Tree Adventure. Four years in the making, the guiding principle of the project is; we need trees and the urban forest needs us.
That we need trees goes almost without saying (although, it turns out we need to say it over [...]
Play & Learning
Design starts with play
Play starts with doing what comes naturally
I’ve been looking at play in one way or another for over twenty years.
In the last year or so, I’ve been thinking about play at its most fundamental:
What we do at our most unguarded, with no, or nearly no, tools/equipment to augment the play. Here are [...]
