The Estonian Open Air Museum is seeking a curator of rural life. Visitors are accustomed to seeing some farm animals, potato fields and grain threshing demonstrations at the museum. Researchers often reenact episodes from rural traditions and history. While this may seem entertaining, researchers are sometimes surprised by how disconnected urban residents are from rural life.

"For example, if you have a goat labeled as such but it's actually a sheep, to a child, it's still a goat. They don't distinguish between a goat and a sheep, let alone different birds. Here we have ducks, geese, turkeys and chickens, but for many people, a duck and a goose are just the same," explained Dagmar Ingi, director of rural architecture and cultural heritage at the Open Air Museum.

Farm animals were once an integral part of rural life, but today they serve another purpose: teaching urban dwellers how to interact with animals.

"People don't understand that bringing their dog to sniff around the sheep enclosure might not be appropriate. Animals also need their space to see and interact with each other," Ingi said, providing an example.

Attracting children to the Open Air Museum is relatively easy, as activities are available year-round. However, other museums are also increasingly introducing exhibits and programs tailored to children. At the Orlov Palace of the Estonian History Museum, for instance, there is a "Children's Republic," where kids can explore what was taught in schools and what left a lasting impression, all through play.

"They don't know much about the Riigikogu or ministries, but they are quite familiar with the presidents. If you show them pictures and ask who it is, they'll often recognize them," said Helery Piir, head of the History Museum's educational center.

Piir's academic background is in agricultural policy during the German occupation of Estonia. Now, she teaches children about the republic.

"At university, the focus is heavily academic. You learn to research and write, but there's little training in speaking or conveying your knowledge to others," Piir explained.

A museum is, above all, a scientific institution. How do scientific work, reenactments, and simple play come together? If play helps children distinguish between a goose and a duck or remember a president, it seems they align quite well.

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