Looking for an idea for a lesson or program?  Not sure where to start?  Here are some of the questions I ask myself when I’m putting together a brainstorming list.

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Calendar

What season of the year is it?

What famous person/people have birthdays at this time of year?  Why are they famous?

What holidays, traditions, or natural occurrences happen at this time of year?

Is it National _______ Month for something interesting or relevant to my museum’s mission or specialties?  Even tangentially?

Object-centric

What kind of an object do I have?  What was its original use?  How might it be used now?

How was it made?  By whom?  Do we have something else that does its job now?

What does it tell us about the people who used it?

Person-centric

Is there someone in the community who might have an interesting profession connected to my museum’s specialties?  Tangentially?

Supply-centric

I have 35 shoeboxes [or insert other reusable object here].  What do I do with them?

What can I build?  How can I use this object in a new or different way?  Does it move?

Do its component pieces do something cool?

What else does it remind me of?  What if it were a different size?  Color?