Hands On! | International Children in Museums conference

Join over 300 museum professionals from across the globe in Amsterdam for the tenth Hands On! Conference, 13-16 October 2015. Be inspired by the latest developments in children’s education in museums. The 2015 theme is ‘Touch and Learn’. How can museums in the 21st century touch the hearts and minds of children? How can hands-on, sensory experiences enhance children’s education in museums? Together, we’ll explore the ways in which museums can encourage imagination, creativity and lifelong learning in children. The four-day conference programme includes 3 keynote speeches, 20 lectures, 30 workshops and visits to 30 of the best (children’s) museums and science centres in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Social events include dinners, parties, a canal boat trip and the Children in Museums Award ceremony. Speakers confirmed so far include Gail Lord, Co-president of Lord Cultural Resources; Nina Lim-Yuson, President of Museo Pambata in the Philippines; Dr. Yong Zhao, University of Oregon; Leslie Swartz, Senior Vice President of Research and Programme Planning at Boston Children’s Museum; Marianne Grymer Bargeman, Head of the Children and Youth Department at the National Gallery of Denmark; Wim Pijbes, director of the Rijksmuseum; Joël Cahen, director of the Jewish Historical Museum; and Jet van Overeem, Head of Education at Gemeentemuseum The Hague. The main organisers of the 10th International Hands On! Conference are the Rijksmuseum and the Jewish Historical Museum, in cooperation with the National Maritime Museum, Science Center NEMO and the Dutch Museums Association. Over 30 Dutch museums are united in an advisory board. Registration is open for Hands On! 2015 Hands On! is an international network of museum professionals. Our aim is to make all museums and science centres meaningful places for children, to professionalize the (children’s) museum field and to share our expertise.