a day at the met

A few weeks ago we went to New York City and spent a great Saturday at the Met. 
I've written about taking my kids to museums before and I am always looking for ways to make the experience accessible for them.  I love watching my little boy really focus on something instead of just shuffling past the exhibits.   
So sometimes we try to get in character.  Below, we try our hand at some abstract expressionism.  We'll see what he thinks of Lavender Mist at the National Gallery.  

And below, in proper form,  he visited the Natural History Museum on his second birthday.  He ran around roaring at the dinosaurs.  

The tourists loved the little dino and followed him around snapping pictures of him. 

We've also found some amazing books about visiting museums.  These books (all illustrations, no text) tell the story of a little girl's balloon that gets loose in NY (or DC) while the girl and her grandmother make their way through the Met (or the National Gallery).  There is a parallel narrative to the two storylines and it really animates the dozen or so featured works.  My four year old loves these books and he now gets that there is a story behind each work of art.  (Here is the one about the Met.  The National Gallery one is out of print but you can order it here.)

These books are written and illustrated by two sisters.  Look at this dedication to their mother:

Here we are in front of the Met.

The little boy toted around his book and even took it out for reference a few times. 

Here we are in front of the Egyptian temple.  (He liked examining the temple but found the penny-wishing pool surrounding it, and people throwing coins in, even more interesting.) 

And here he is with the Degas dancers.

We had a snack at the Met Cafe - a cupcake and a lavender mint latte. 

less is more

With kids, I generally think less is more when it comes to museums.  But if you've all had a rest and a bite to eat and have the energy to happily wander, then do it.

It wasn't on our itinerary but as we were making our way to the restrooms, we found ourselves in the room with the knights!  That's one of the things I really love about the Met -- it is so perfectly designed to let you wander and run into amazing things you weren't planning to see.

bringing your kids to the met?

The Met has family guides.  There are also suggested itineraries, such as a treasure hunt in ancient Greece for preschoolers and the ancient Egypt tour for those a bit older. 
And of course, the boy and I will most definitely read this before our next visit to the Met. 

Here is a great article about visiting the Met with kids and another one with recommendations about where to eat after the museum.  Enjoy!