The Anti-Bullying and Teasing Program: The Museum Perspective—Part 2

• In Event: Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: Innovative Replicable Early Childhood Anti-Harassment, Intimidation, Bullying, and Teasing Programs: School and Museum Settings

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the design and construction the museum exhibits and their utilization by study participants. Additionally it describes the creation of a museum schedule, scripts in English and Spanish for each of the three exhibits, and the training of college student docents who conducted the preschool participants through the exhibits during the study.

Exhibits
1) In “The Welcome House” activity, students practice including everyone. With the help of a docent, they distribute keys to show that all are welcome to enter a painted fabric enclosure or “house.” Students enter with the docent, music plays and everyone dances. At intervals, the doorbell rings and students learn that a doll “friend” is at the door. Three doll friends are made welcome and students work cooperatively to help the dolls dance, have a snack and go to bed. Trained docents help facilitate these activities with the children and dolls.

2) In the “Telling Versus Tattling” activity, students practice deciding whether they should tell a teacher about a given problem (telling) or whether it is not necessary (tattling). The problems are presented through photos showing colorful dolls posed to show a sequence of events. These events include the dolls: taking an extra cookie, grabbing a toy from another doll, pushing other doll, knocking down a block tower that several dolls were working on together, and taking too many toys at once (against the rules). With the help of the trained docent, students discuss and decide -- with a thumb up, down or sideways (not sure) -- if this is a time to tell. Discussions follow each scenario.

3) In the “Alike and Different” activity, students choose pictures of their favorite things in the following categories: hats, colors, shoes, musical instruments and fruit. Students stick the images to a paper and then share with the group. The docent guides a discussion in which students observe that some of their choices are the same as their friends' and some are different. None are exactly alike, and that’s OK.

Schedule:
1) Children arrive, walking over a bridge fashioned out of wood (which symbolically represents coming to Kidsbridge).
2) Children gather at the rug, are greeted, the staff introduced, and a general presentation about the Museum is made.
3) Children are split into groups of 3-5 students, and rotate through three exhibits Content is presented so children interact and respond; they are active participants in each session, and are encouraged to express themselves.
4) After a bathroom break, children spend the next 45 minutes having a healthy snack and “having fun”. This can include: art projects, stories being read to them, singing songs, listening to music to encourage dancing and movement. The point here is to let the children unwind while reinforcing the topics covered in the first hour.
5) Summary and farewell. Children walk back across the bridge to their buses.

Author

• Rebecca Erickson, Kidsbridge Tolerance Museum