The death of the guidebook
Like many families,the summer was packed full of outings to various museums, historic sites and places that we do not generally call home.
Often with children everything is done at breakneck speed, especially if you are operating amongst a gaggle of children, each one wanting to be the first to press the next button, or to be at the front while a guide starts to give their talk.
Keeping an eye on your throng sometimes means that your attention is not always focused on what is in front of you, or being presented to you.
Racing round a castle can be absolutely wonderful fun, for children and adults, producing your own mock re-enactments can give a tiny insight into the purpose of these great sites, and what it may have been like in the times of their intended use.
But the history, and the formal workings of such places, can be completely missed.
The dawn of the internet, and the advances of its availability across homes, schools and while we are on the move, means that we often know a lot more about a place before we even arrive.
Sites have moved on from being a simple price and location guide, and can often include a lot of information about the site you intend to visit, with song-and-verse about the history, line-of-ownership or purpose of the place.
However this means that armed with a lot of this information for ‘free’ on a computer screen, the good old reliable guidebook has taken a bit of a battering.
One of the rainy day activities we did this summer was to Electric Mountain, essential a hydro-generating power station that is actually housed deep within a mountain, amongst the beautiful glut of them within Snowdonia National Park.
A great way to entertain children of all ages, those that will be interested in the workings of the power station, and those just happy to explore the inside of a mountain.
Sadly this is a place that seems resigned to the power of the internet, when we asked about purchasing a guidebook, we were told they had not ordered any from their printers, and that, instead, all their information was available on their website.
We hope this is not a permanent solution, and perhaps they are devising a much better book that can compete with the supposed merits of the internet.
There are others that have done exactly that.
The National History Museum produces a wonderful ‘KIDS ONLY’ guide, it is packed full of information, suggestions, maps, quizzes and puzzles.
It helps engage, and obvious guide, as you move around the museum from section-to-section. And for the parent who ‘may’ have forgotten exactly how an earthquake works, or what type of dinosaur that is, it offers a quick and easily readable reference for you to pass on.
These strongly bound books can be passed around in a car, on a bus or in a carriage on your journey home. Children taking turns in recollecting their day, or asking questions.
Children can take them to show friends, further promoting the subject, and however good the internet is, it will find it very difficult to rival the sharing of a book.
A guidebook is also a permanent point of reference and souvenir of a great trip all in one.
We hope many of them take a place proudly upon your children’s bookcases.
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