Museum visits that actually teach rather than just entertain?

Pre-visit preparation is everything. Twenty minutes the evening before: three things to look for, three questions to answer.

Sketchbook rule: every museum, every child draws three objects in detail. The act of drawing forces sustained attention.

Debrief dinner. That evening we each say one thing that surprised us. The conversation reveals what actually landed.

Focus on fewer things. One room, not all of them. One artefact in genuine depth is worth more than twenty in passing.