"Mom, mom, I found it" my 8-year-old exclaimed as she proudly pointed to an orange-tinged crab fossil under glass.
My daughter wasn't just jazzed up about the cool paleontological find, she was on a mission. Actually, it was a "field mission" to be exact, as part of a new program the Burke Museum is test-driving to try to lure kids awash in online media away from their computers (at least temporarily) and into museums.
The Burke has teamed up with Discoverykids.com and Rocketfuel Games to be a field mission site for "Seek Your Own Proof," a web history and science game where kids get to be secret agents and unravel interactive puzzles. At the Burke, kids can pick up a free field mission sheet and hunt for clues throughout the museum. Once they find their answer, they unlock a clue that can be used online to play other related puzzles and games. The field missions at the Burke should change periodically, says MaryAnn Barron Wagner, its communications director, so a kid can visit the museum more than once to play.
"It presents an opportunity to reach out to children who enjoy online games – and perhaps bring in families who might not typically visit museums," she says.
Kids can register for a free agent account that offers a limited number of puzzles and missions (www.seekyourownproof.com). But you need to pay for full access to the site; membership options start at $4.95.
When we finished our field mission, we headed back online to play. (For the time being, the Burke is giving out free cards to access to the online game's "Mission 1: Codes of the Keymaker.") My kids were definitely sucked in by the comic book-like scenes and got into the idea of being secret agents. Being a web game Luddite myself, I had a hard time navigating the site. The games themselves – involving codes, ciphers and cryptography (think Navajo code talkers, Rosetta Stone, etc.) – were too tough for my 5- and 8-year-old crew, but would probably be fun for older kids.
Tip: If you need refueling after your mission is complete, the Burke's cozy 18th century French pine-paneled café has simple lunch fare, snacks and treats on offer.
IF YOU GO
Where: The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, on the University of Washington campus at 17th Avenue N.E. and N.E. 45th Street.
When: Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open first Thursday of the month until 8 p.m.
Cost: Adults $9.50, children 5 and older $6, children 4 and under free. Free for UW staff/faculty/students. Admission is free on the first Thursday of the month.
Contact: 206-543-5590; http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/.
Lynn Schnaiberg is a Seattle writer and the mother of two little seekers.
