Museum of the American Indian

[Anonymous]

My 5yo dd is obsessed with all things Native American, thanks to Tiger Lilly and Pocahontas. Should we take her to the Museum of the American Indian? has anyone been there with young kids?

tia!

[Anonymous]

Good food, but not as neat as the other museums. Start there, then wander over to Air and Space.

[Anonymous]

Sure, we've enjoyed it in the past with kids. Some of the exhibits are a bit too much for this age (a wall of weapons, for example), but some are great. We've especially liked it when there are special hands-on activities, so check the schedule.

[Anonymous]

Check out their events-- sometimes they have neat stuff going on.

Also on the top floor they have little booths where you can listen/watch to some traditional folk tales, and then walk around and see some artifacts.

[Anonymous]

Agree about the food! Their cafeteria is absolutely my favorite among all the Smithsonians.

[Anonymous]

Great place for a 5 year old. Very open and airy-feels like there is enough space for everyone. Apparently the food is good, but we are a picnic family. In nice weather you can sit outside the museum and have a little lunch.

[Anonymous]

the exhibits aren't exactly "artifacty" ... in fact, i'd say they're a lot more political and identity-geared than anything else. so the museum as a whole probably wouldn't be all that interesting to a kid. i've taken my 6 yo who was more interested in running through than actually stopping to look at anything or read about anything.

[Anonymous]

It is nice and airey. the exhibits are a little politically correct for my taste, but fine for a child.

[Anonymous]

I find the set-up of the exhibits a little off-putting. Many of the items require you to read a little plaque next to them to understand why you're looking at, which can be difficult to do when it's crowded. But it's easy enough to walk through, see if your kid is bored and then move on to Air & Space or even Natural History. The Insect Zoo over there is fun.

[Anonymous]

I thought the exhibits were sorta dry. Some things caught DD's eye, but mostly were just strolled through the different floors and were in&out in an hour. Sort a waste of space too. The building is so huge and the displays seem to take up only 10% of the space.

[Anonymous]

My kids (4 and 7) love it. The nice thing about living so close is that you don't need to see everything on your first trip. Just wander around and stop at only things that catch your eye. You may be surprised what interests her.

I also recommend the book "Native Americans" in the DK series. It is very informative about the various tribes in the US.

[Anonymous]

You also do not need to take her to a museum to learn about Native Americans. Take her to a Pow Wow. There are a couple that pop up in the area (I am usually told because I have a good friend who is NA and she usually tells me when one is going on in Rockville or Silver Spring or something local - I've also gone to some in southern VA). The pow wows are advertised in the local gazettes. I don't know when the next one is, but you could keep your eye out.

[Anonymous]

We have loved that museum. Ask for the family activity book which will send you looking for various artifacts. She'll think of it as one big treasure hunt.