"As long as I can remember"
Children understand the power of objects instinctively.
They know the
pleasure of collecting and sorting bottle caps, baseball cards, key chains and rocks. They
can feel the comfort and sense of being connected that comes from a favorite toy
"I've had as long as I can remember."
Kids use objects to take them back in
time to things they've done and to imagine adventures they might someday have. They
know how to tell a story with an object.
The museum's collections of childhood artifacts tell countless
stories. What stories can you find about how child's play has changed over time?
Think about what boys and girls are expected to play with, about the messages of how dolls
look, about the things that children did in 1900 that they still do today. Trucks and
miniature cooking tools are no longer considered appropriate for only one sex, but the
notion of "boys' toys" and "girls' toys" persists.
Click on the windows in our story book (or on the names of
the objects below) to see
many of these much-loved childhood artifacts. Each artifact is presented
in a pop-up window* with a close-up view of the artifact and information
about it.
LEFT PAGE:
[Video Game]
[Sled]
[Locomotive]
[Horse and Carriage]
[Tool Chest]
[Biplane]
[Doll Dresser]
[Dog]
[Doll]
[Toy Stove]
[Steam Shovel]
RIGHT PAGE:
[Phonograph]
[Toy Truck]
[Mother Goose Book]
[Tractor and Trailer]
[Rocking Horse]
[Quilt]
[Roller Skates and Bear on Skates]
[Tea Set]
(*Enable your browser's JavaScript function
to view artifacts.)
| 
