New Mexico · Family field notes
Santa Fe with Kids: A New Mexico Folk-Art Story Card
Look at a few details at the Museum of International Folk Art, then make your own clearly invented story card from shapes you remember.
Begin by noticing before inventing
Ask each person to choose one visible detail they want to describe: a repeated shape, a color combination or the relationship between small objects. Take turns stating what you can observe before offering a story about what it means.
Read the museum’s label or educational information when it is available. A maker’s work and a community’s traditions deserve their actual context. Avoid using a child’s imaginative guess as a factual explanation of another person’s culture.
Make two sides of a story card
On one side, write ‘what the museum tells us’ and record a small fact accurately in your own words. On the other, write ‘our invented story’ and let a child create a character or situation inspired by a shape they noticed. Keeping the sides separate lets both learning and imagination have a place.
Use only permitted drawing materials and stopping places. Do not touch or rearrange anything for the activity. A family card can be enjoyable even if no photography is allowed in the part of the museum you visit.
Plan the visit around a few details
Choose a manageable amount of looking from the current exhibition information, then let the family’s interest guide the pace. Check access arrangements, opening information and any scheduled activity directly before you travel. Do not assume a resource listed online is an in-person workshop that day.
Have the glasses wearer try their usual pair with the clothes they will wear. Keep a protective case separate from loose pencils and other items that might press against the frame. Follow the supplied lens-care instructions rather than improvising with a sleeve.
Create a new scene from scrap paper
At home, build an original little scene from folded paper. Explain that it belongs to your family’s imagination and is not a reproduction or representation of a museum tradition. Give each person one detail to add and one question to ask.
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