Heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to this thread--and with surprising unanimity. It would be nice to see an article on this in a popular scientific magazine like Discover (any takers?). My impression is that kids get the most out of museums when they are supervised, by teachers, parents, or docents, or even by older kids. Raising kids is a labor-intensive job, and I don't see any easy way around that. It's good to hear that new naturalists are being raised out there in Conchland, all over the world, in places as far apart as Austria and Australia. Question: How closely related are shell-show exhibits and museum exhibits? Does a show exhibit ever end up as a museum exhibit? Are they ever interactive? Well, if you'll all excuse me, I'm heading back to the field to do some more geologic mapping. Wish me good weather. Andrew K. Rindsberg Geological Survey of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA