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Night at the Museum II: Escape from the Smithsonian
May 23, 2008
A scene from the upcoming film Night at the Museum II: Escape from the Smithsonian? No, it's from our own Meet Me At Midnight.
You heard it here first at Eye Level. The sequel to the wildly successful Ben Stiller movie is being filmed in Washington D.C., even as we speak (somebody twitter Ben Stiller!) This time, the Smithsonian takes center stage. We got close to some of the action on Saturday when the outside of our museum was being filmed. We got as near as we could, waving our Smithsonian badges. Unfortunately on this particular day, the film crew was only shooting the outside of the building, so my big hope of rubbing elbows and being discovered was once again postponed.
Seriously. Ever since I started blogging for SAAM I've been encouraging you to explore the museum, and now I'm writing about escaping from it. How did this happen? Since the movie won't come out until 2009 you really should do some exploring now so when you see the movie you'll feel like an insider.
With that in mind, if you're into museums and nighttime (two of my favorite things) you should check out our kids' interactive, Meet Me At Midnight. It's a clever look at our museum after hours and what happens when the lights go out and the objects are pretty much on their own (with the guards, of course!)
Posted by Howard on May 23, 2008 in American Art Here
Comments
I am a docent at SAAM and gave a tour to a group of home schooled children with the theme Meet Me at Midnight! It was a lot of fun when the children got to see the real Root Monster! Contact the education department if you would like this tour for ages 8-10.
Posted by: Toni Alaimo | May 24, 2008
I loved the Night at the Museum! I'm so glad they're making a sequel.
Posted by: Jon | May 25, 2008
Thanks for the information about the tour, Toni. Great idea.
Posted by: Howard | May 27, 2008
I think "Night at the Museum II: Escape from the Smithsonian" is a fun, interactive way to teach/review some elements of art. After reading some comments regarding the wording, I believe, "You won't find me here at midnight." is more appropriate. It took me several slides to realize I should wait for "Replay" as my cue to move to the next slide. I missed some important info on those first few slides. Eight- to ten-year-olds would probably know to wait. Again, a fun way to review!
Posted by: Barbara Oberst | Jun 2, 2008
Barbara, thanks for the comment. As for seeing the Replay button, kids have a leg up on us adults. We tested the site and they seem to know exactly what they're doing! ;-)
BTW, the name of the site is Meet Me at Midnight. Not to be confused with the title of this blog post!
Posted by: Jeff | Jun 2, 2008
Jeff, thanks for the heads-up about the name of the site. I just copied and pasted. Again, the kids would know the difference. They're usually eons ahead of me as far as technology is concerned. (Too bad they often don't know the difference between an adjective and an adverb.) Anyway, I enjoyed playing and hope to incorporate it in my classes next year.
Posted by: Barbara Oberst | Jun 2, 2008
This reminds me of Space Camp Night. Students would explore science in a nighttime setting, after hours, in a StarLab set up in the gym. I must admit though, this sounds way more incredible! What an incredible opportunity for the students. Bravo!
Posted by: Kimberly Flair | Jun 4, 2008
I loved the artwork "Meet me at Midnight." I think that it would be a great piece to have students write their own stories about after visiting the museum and seeing for themselves all the neat artifacts.
Posted by: Tiffany Moye | Jun 5, 2008
Night and museum? Sounds like a great combination. After the first movie came out, the New York museum actually held some "kid nights" where the children got to share the same experiences as they had seen in the movie. I was jealous of the kids! I will get to explore when I am in DC in June for the Cisco Summer Institute. I can't wait to take your advice and explore the museum so I will feel like an "insider" when the movie comes out in 2009. I love a good adventure and this sounds like a fun one!
Posted by: Jennifer Morgan | Jun 6, 2008
I think Night at the Museum II: Escape to the Smithsonian is a great way to get kids excited about touring the museum. It gives students the opportunity to explore the museum and select artwork that they like. It is a great interactive, independent activity/project.
Posted by: Nykela Jackson | Jun 6, 2008
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