In addition to the outing, the program stimulates the creativity and curiosity inherent in childhood.
Traveling with children in tow can be challenging when activities aren’t designed to include little ones. Long walks, visits to places not designed for them, and hours spent at uninviting attractions can cause children to lose interest in the trip, turning what should be fun into a real ordeal. On the other hand, discovering places that welcome and stimulate the creativity and curiosity inherent in childhood can transform an ordinary day into an extraordinary experience.
It is essential to offer children, from a very young age, opportunities to broaden their cultural repertoire and learn new things. In this context, selecting and visiting museums during family vacations can be very interesting, provided that the collection or space is attractive to young children. For Rafael Pawlina, Art Advisor at Aprende Brasil Educação, this is a way to stimulate new perspectives on the world. “Taking young children to museums is much more than a cultural outing; it’s an experience of discovery. When they observe a painting, a sculpture, or an installation, they are learning to look with curiosity and to ask questions about the world,” he explains.
The idea is not necessarily for the child to grasp the essence of the exhibitions, but to have contact with references different from those to which they are accustomed. “Even without understanding everything they see, children develop sensitivity, aesthetic sense, and, above all, the ability to express themselves. Early contact with museums broadens their emotional repertoire and helps to form more creative and empathetic citizens,” she adds.
These are some of the most interesting museums to visit with young children in different regions of Brazil.
Museum of the Amazon (Musa) – Manaus (AM)
Located within a 100-hectare area of the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, belonging to the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), the Amazon Museum (MUSA) is a space dedicated to taking its visitors – adults and children – into the heart of the Amazon rainforest. For children, the visit is unforgettable because, in addition to the exhibitions, there are also nurseries with plants such as orchids and bromeliads, arums, palm trees, and ferns. Among the animals, snakes, spiders, scorpions, butterflies, cicadas, mushrooms, and fungi are some of the most popular attractions. A 42-meter-high tower offers a breathtaking view of the forest treetops. The complex also includes a sensory garden, aquariums, the Victoria amazonica lake, and seven trails that wind through the forest.
Musa is open every day except Wednesday, from 8:30 am to 5 pm, but the last entry time is 4 pm. Tickets cost R$ 40. Children up to five years old are free, and there is a half-price policy for some groups. It is important to note that visits are only allowed with closed shoes and that visits to the butterfly garden are prohibited for those who have used insect repellent. More information is available on the Musa website .
Brinquedim Museum – Pindoretama (CE)
Open since 2002, the Brinquedim Museum in Pindoretama, Ceará, is an invitation to return to childhood. Its collection includes more than 500 works by the visual artist Dim Brinquedim, including paintings, sculptures, and toys, the result of over 40 years of work. Characterized by vibrant colors and cheerful figures, Dim’s work is even present in the playful shapes he chose for each of the toys that make up the children’s playground, located in the museum’s outdoor area. “Play has always been my inspiration, because I’ve never actually stopped playing. The most serious thing in life for me is playing; taking life seriously means seriously considering that the greatest goal in life is happiness,” says the artist. In addition to the museum itself and the works of art there, the surrounding area features a series of native plants that constitute, in themselves, an exhibition of the flora of Northeast Brazil.
The Brinquedim Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 am to 4 pm. Tickets cost R$ 30, and there is a half-price policy for some groups. More information is available on the museum’s website .
Ricardo Brennand Institute – Recife (PE)
Although not specifically geared towards children, they will find plenty to see at the Ricardo Brennand Institute in Recife, Pernambuco. The museum’s grounds, formerly the São João sugar mill, cover more than 77,000 m² and are surrounded by a preserved Atlantic Forest reserve. Its collection includes numerous works from the private collection of Ricardo Coimbra de Almeida Brennand, a famous industrialist from Pernambuco. There are five buildings – a weapons museum, an art gallery, a gallery, a library, and a chapel – but the highlight is the São João Castle Museum, which houses an impressive collection of edged weapons from different eras and geographical origins. In addition, children can also enjoy the vast sculpture garden area.
The Ricardo Brennand Institute is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 1 PM to 5 PM, with last entry at 4:30 PM. Tickets cost R$ 50. Children up to five years old are free, and there is a half-price policy for some groups. More information is available on the institute’s website .
Catavento Museum – São Paulo (SP)
The building that houses the Catavento Museum in São Paulo, Brazil, alone would be worth a visit. The Palace of Industries, inaugurated in 1924, was built specifically to house exhibitions, although it has served other purposes over the years. Since 2009, however, its charm has lent to the Museum of Science and Technology of the Secretariat of Culture, Economy and Creative Industries of the State of São Paulo. The space’s mission is to “bring children, young people and adults closer to the scientific world, awaken curiosity and transmit basic knowledge and social values through interactive and attractive exhibitions, with simple and accessible language.” There are 250 installations in 12,000 m², divided into four sections: Universe , Life , Engineering , and Society . There, you’ll find a reproduction of the lunar surface with Neil Armstrong’s footprint, a journey back to the time of Brazilian dinosaurs, and the opportunity to see firsthand how physics concepts work.
The Catavento Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 am to 5 pm. Tickets cost R$ 18. Children up to seven years and 11 months old enter free, and there is a half-price policy for some groups. More information is available on the Catavento Museum website .
Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) – Curitiba (PR)
Originally designed to be a school in 1967, the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) building in Curitiba, Paraná, only found its educational purpose many decades later, in 2002. Considered the largest art museum in Latin America, the MON – or Museum of the Eye, as it became nicknamed due to the eye-like structure that is part of the complex – has, in addition to its collection, a curated selection of temporary exhibitions that appeal to both adults and children. Some of these exhibitions include areas designed for children, such as tables for drawing or toys to assemble. Outside, they can run freely on the lawn or observe curious sculptures in the reflecting pool.
The Oscar Niemeyer Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm, with the last entry at 5:30 pm. Tickets cost R$ 36. Children up to 12 years old enter free, and there is a half-price policy for some groups. More information is available on the MON website .
Fiocruz Museum of Life – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Located on the Fiocruz Manguinhos campus, the Fiocruz Museum of Life has many trees and is frequently visited by birds of all kinds. In the Science Park, which covers 2,400 m², children can, for example, climb a giant cell while learning about the three themes addressed there: Energy, Communication, and Organization of Life. Meanwhile, in the old Stables building, the exhibition “Life and Health: (In)visible Relationships” has many interactive sections, aiming to discuss “the concept of health at its different scales, from microbiology to health as a social phenomenon.” The iconic Moorish castle of Fiocruz is also part of the itinerary, hosting several exhibitions. To complete the tour, there’s an open-air park, a theater tent, laboratories, and historical-ecological trails.
The Fiocruz Museum of Life is open Tuesday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Admission is free. More information is available on the museum’s website .
Source: https://www.centralpress.com.br/
