McRainey, D. Lynn. “A Sense of the Past.” (2010)

The chapter explores the usefulness of using the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) in creating history exhibitions for children. Using the five senses provides children with a unique way of interpreting and understanding the past. Although museums have usually been accustomed to the non-tactile experience or seeing with one’s eyes, using all fives senses in a museum exhibition are useful tools for children to discover unknown places, events and times. Using all of our senses sparks our curiosity about the past and enables a child to expand their curiosity about the past. McRainey continues the chapter by explaining how we can make sense of our senses and how they can be applied to learning and understanding in history museums. The author then discuses how historians perceive how the senses can be used in historical analysis. Then the author concludes with some examples of museum exhibitions that use the senses to invoke historical understandings in visitors. The final example is of the “Sensing Chicago” exhibition at the Chicago History Museum that invites visitors to use all five senses through out the exhibition to glean a better understanding of Chicago’s past. McRainey concludes by stating that history becomes accessible and stimulates emotions and memories when the five senses are employed.