FOCUS ON YOUTH AND FAMILIES AT THE RINGLING

As part of its mission to be an accessible visitor-centered Museum, The Ringling is dedicated to providing educational experiences which are meaningful and provide inspiration for all. One primary audience for the Museum’s wide-ranging educational programs is children and their families, and over the last two years, the Museum has reinvigorated its youth and family offerings.

Numerous studies have outlined the benefits of early arts education on creative thinking and innovation across disciplines. The Ringling serves as a key adjunct to the efforts of parents, teachers, and schools—connecting the community to the extraordinary collections and exhibitions at The Ringling and building lifelong arts and culture enthusiasts in the process.

“We hope that families see The Ringling as a vital resource— a welcoming place to play, learn, and feel comfortable,” said Maureen Zaremba, Curator of Education. “As we know, exposure to the arts at a young age positively impacts future school performance, and through the tools and programs we now offer, the Museum plans to play a significant role in the education of area youth and families.”

“The goal of our youth and family programs is to facilitate truly intergenerational experiences,” said Leigh Dale, Youth and Family Program Coordinator. “By presenting parents with games, projects, and other ideas about how to engage their children with the arts, we seek to instill creativity and cultural literacy in our youngest visitors.”

One common thread throughout these youth and family programs is the practice of art making. Weekly Family Workshops feature self-guided art projects that are thematically related to that week’s Kids Quest, in which a Museum educator takes children on an adventure of discovery across The Ringling grounds.

ROAR! (Ringling Order of Art Readers) is The Ringling Art Library’s family storytime that bridges art with early literacy. The stories chosen link up with The Ringling collections and are accompanied by an art activity.

The importance of free play for children of all ages has been increasingly documented in educational literature. Last year, The Ringling inaugurated the David F. Bolger Playspace, an inventive new playground that includes a tower, fountain, and other creative equipment. The Playspace was designed with family visitors in mind and families are encouraged to roam The Ringling grounds freely without being charged an admissions fee.

The most recent addition to the Museum’s youth and family offerings are exhibition brochures intended for parents visiting with their children. These family gallery guides introduce the artists on view, present an activity, and encourage visitors to spend time together looking closely at the works on view.

EXPERIENCE THE RINGLING AS A FAMILY!

The key to a successful family visit to The Ringling is to relax and enjoy it together. Everything doesn’t have to be seen in one day—membership makes it easy to come back again and again. Allow your children to explore the Museum at their own pace, letting their interests be your guide.

Each time you visit, you could focus on a different theme, for example: shapes, colors, animals, or objects from home represented in the works of art. Other things to do at the Museum:

• Play games such as I-Spy or a memory game recounting the details of an object with your back to it.

• Make up a story about what might be going on in a particular painting.

• Don’t forget that the Museum is a great place to draw. There is inspiration all around you just remember to use a pencil!

Talk to your children about other Museum rules. Remind them that it is important to stay three steps away from the objects and that touching the works of art is not allowed. Encourage children to use “inside” voices. Always feel free to take a break outside to get the wiggles out!

Keep in mind that you don’t have to be an expert to chaperone children to a museum. As long as kids are having fun thinking and talking about works of art, they—and you—will be enriched by the experience.