Children’s Museum Big Hit in Classroom

“Oohs” and “Ahs” resounded from the classroom full of wide-eyed, squirming third- and fourth-graders.

Nine-year-old Brea Lowary was more succinct. “It’s neat,” said the aspiring race horse rider, who resembled a miniature Madonna with her auburn hair tied in a purple lace bow and white plastic earrings dangling from her ears.

The “neat” thing for Brea and the 31 other children at Cubberley Elementary School in Serra Mesa was that the San Diego Children’s Museum, which is in La Jolla, brought an exhibit on photography to their classroom Friday.

This was the first outing for the mobile museum, which will eventually visit many of San Diego County’s elementary schools with exhibits on subjects like birth, death, money and aerospace. The museum’s van and supplies for the first exhibit were funded by an $85,000 grant from Target Stores.

“We want to take everyday things in their lives and help them see it as art,” said the museum’s executive director, Carole Yardley, who spearheaded the effort to create a mobile museum.

“I feel like I was pregnant and that I’ve just given birth,” Yardley said as she watched Carol Hobson of the museum teach children how photographs are printed.

On Friday, the children were encouraged to touch the exhibition of old Polaroid and Brownie cameras and to make “photograms” by placing macaroni, paper clips and sponge animals on light-sensitive paper and placing the paper in the sun.

“That’s mine,” Brea said, pointing to the grass where 10 of the photograms were being “exposed” in the morning sunlight. “This is very interesting.”

Annette Housouer, a teacher at Cubberley and a veteran of more than 30 years in elementary schools, had nothing but praise for the museum’s program.

“The kids love it,” she said. “I think it is a wonderful program.”