On a recent sunny, 82-degree July afternoon, voices bounced through a darkened gallery on the third floor of the Indiana State Museum. Kids whispered, giggled and asked questions in high-pitched tones. Parents spoke encouragingly in English and Spanish, and exhibit staff mimicked animal sounds.
The sounds were all part of the Indiana State Museum’s new, homegrown exhibit, Good Night Forest. Designed to nurture young visitors’ science skills and bravery, it runs through Oct. 31.
“‘Good Night Forest’ is a place in Indiana where it’s always dusk or dawn,” said Brian Mancuso, the museum’s chief officer of engagement. “It’s always a little bit dark.”
Nature is fun. It also packs big learning moments.
“We’ve been here since 11:30,” said Anne Klem, an Indianapolis mom. She was visiting Good Night Forest with her daughters, Olivia, 5, and Emma, 2, and the time was 3:45 p.m. Early childhood experts would predict that kids their ages would have attention spans of 4 to 15 minutes, max.
Klem heard about the exhibit on Facebook, and this was her family’s first visit to the Indiana State Museum.
Inside the large gallery space, “Good Night Forest” evokes a range of outdoor experiences:
- A hand-painted moon waxes and wanes from full to new every 20 minutes.
- A campfire invites storytelling and pretend marshmallow roasting.
- Tents welcome people to explore shadow puppets.
- A special area for toddlers offers calm sensory activities and soft, padded surfaces.
- A caretaker’s hut showcases what careers in science and nature are like, including the words one learns in those jobs and tasks that come with it, like notetaking.
“We can see these animals and study them,” Olivia Klem said, while standing right outside the hut and pointing at a bobcat specimen. “We can use our eyes and the flashlights to learn about them.”
Her goal after leaving the exhibit is to go camping, since “I know how to do that now.”
Getting brave with flashlights in hand
Light and dark are key elements of “Good Night Forest.” In the entry, the lighting feels like the first part of dusk. In boxes next to guides, knapsacks and magnifying glasses, visitors can grab a flashlight.
The space gets much darker as visitors walk to the “firefly meadow,” a light-up, step- and wheelchair-activated floor that prompts little lights to glow.
Past the caretaker’s hut, visitors can see just how close nighttime nature is to our homes in a display with trees, a house and glowing eyes. A raccoon peeks out of a trash can, and bunnies scurry as visitors walk through the nocturnal space.
Why did the museum choose a dark experience for an audience most likely to be scared of low-light situations?
Mancuso said the museum asks its staff to submit ideas for experiences, and a couple of years ago, someone submitted an idea for nocturnal Indiana or nocturnal animals.
“The people who submitted it were our early childhood educators,” Mancuso said. “That intersection of natural history and nighttime and young children is sort of spooky, so visitors can explore bravery, social-emotional learning and science.”
Maps, compasses and staff all work to support that bravery. But one of the most important tools — and, let’s be real, the most fun for a little one — is the flashlight.
As kids throughout the gallery on that July afternoon “cooked” pretend food, lit up a field of fireflies with their movements, played a gallery-based game of Marco Polo driven by animal sounds, and popped in and out of tents, flashlights seemed to be a big hit.
Anne Klem shared that her daughters “loved carrying the flashlights around and being adventurous.”
From storybooks to safe learning spaces
“Good Night Forest” used Indiana artists to create an experience that is full of local fauna, flora and talent. Museum staff designed wayfinding signs inspired by National Forest signage. Volunteer illustrator Dan Glossenger created scientific illustrations.
And throughout the gallery, Indy-based artist Penelope Dullaghan drew illustrations that contrast and complement real-life specimens of native animals.
The exhibit feels a bit like a children’s book come to life, likely because Dullaghan illustrated several kid lit books.
“The museum has been working with a lot of local illustrators, like Candice Hartsough who did all the Christmas stuff and then Jingo de la Rosa did the Halloween stuff,” said Dullaghan. “I thought they did a fantastic job.”
The animals and insects drawn by Dullaghan started from a long list shared by the museum’s team. She researched raccoons, cicadas, foxes, beavers and more, then completed pencil sketches, which she sent to the museum’s exhibit designer Jordan Staats for approval. From there, the visual creation became more complex.
“Usually my process is ridiculously complicated,” said Dullaghan. “I use cut paper a lot, so I would paint these sheets of flat colors with textures on them, use cut paper, and then I also do regular painting. Then, I piece it all together, scanning and collaging it all together in Photoshop.”
“Good Night Forest” will travel to Minnetrista Museum & Gardens in Muncie after its initial run in Indianapolis.
You can make museums and nature a family habit
If you want to make exploration, forests and creativity a normal part of your family’s life, Dullaghan and Mancuso shared their own thoughts on achieving that goal.
Visiting museums:
- “Bringing kids early and often helps them like museums,” Mancuso said. “When they’re done, they’re done. Maybe leave on a high note or just visit one space.”
- Free days, memberships and the Access Pass program can make it easy to revisit a favorite museum frequently or try them out without making a big financial investment.
- Dullaghan suggested families try a sketch crawl. Bring a pencil and sketchbook, pick a few areas to visit, and sketch throughout the experience.
Getting outside:
- According to Dullaghan, comfort with nature, especially the dark, may be a matter of exposure therapy. “Go outside and experience everything through all five senses. Just sit anywhere you are and then just think about, like the sense of sight, what can you see right now, what can you smell, how does the air feel on your skin, what do you hear?”
- Taking a notebook out into the wild, something that is modeled in the caretaker’s hut at the exhibit, can offer kids the chance to take their observations and creativity seriously. Encourage them to draw and write about what they see.
- Simply taking the time to be outside, observe and explore together can build science skills. “It’s the best time of year to be out at dusk sitting on your porch or in your yard looking at fireflies, looking at all the animals that creep out of the bushes,” Mancuso said.
Kirsten Eamon-Shine is a writer and strategist raised and living in Indianapolis. She’s worked with nonprofits, independent music labels, culinary outlets and political causes, all with the goal of making this world more vibrant and equitable. When she’s not reading, cooking or listening to music, you can find her walking and adventuring with her husband, son and two petite kitties.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
