(mini) Burlington Museum of Natural History

The (mini) Burlington Museum of Natural History began as a teenage prank. One 16 year old, maybe thinking his Mom a fossil, listed the house here on Google maps as “The Burlington Museum of Natural History” when the first phone call came in asking if we were open it was decided that an actual museum needed to be built. So, out of the basement came the skeleton of a little free library in the making - abandoned at the thought of an accumulation of soggy books - and transformed into a miniature museum to hold rotating exhibits on the Natural history of This Place. The process of building the museum and beginning to conceive what would be housed here started a journey that has brought us to meet new neighbors, learn more details about our town, map the elevations of our favorite locations, and notice, notice, notice. The mission of this museum is to invite you too to stop and notice and learn new ways of seeing a place through what grows and lives here - human, animal, plant.

One thing of note EVERY person I spoke to with a foot in the world of Natural Sciences - the bird people, rock people, fern people, natural history people, tree people, etc. All of them were so enthusiastic, joyful, supportive and eager when I mentioned this project. Is it because they work in that place between what we are forced to call ‘nature’ and the ‘human world?’ Is it because they like what they do and are willing to share in it? No matter but thank you.

The philosopher and educator John Dewey, also from Burlington, wrote about experiential learning that human beings learn by getting their hands into their studies. Do, reflect, implement (do again.) Children do this, teachers use this, artists experience this and I think natural scientists may be all of the above.

Please interact with the museum and its contents. Borrow something and return it. Make suggestions. For example, how can this museum be translated into other languages? How can it be better?

You are invited also to conceive your own (mini) Burlington Museum of Natural History at your favorite place or home. In no particular order here is a resource listing of things discovered in advance of the opening day July 27th, 2019.