It’s reassuring to know that there exists an area of research dedicated to understanding what sparks interest and motivation for learning. Successful use of this research has been made at exhibits at museums. The Making Colored Lights exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis serves as a prime example, with a colorful light display to establish curiosity, easy to understand text that instills confidence, and fun activities such as challenging the visitor combine and create new colors. This method of sparking and maintaining interest allows visitors to spend a prolonged amount of time with the exhibit, and allows them to learn while simultaneously being entertained. This contrasts sharply from the traditional “read, memorize, and apply” style of learning. Visitors interacting with this exhibit feel a sense of purpose in what they’re doing, and this is the root of the retention of their interest outside the museum. It would be wise for schools to apply the findings of this research as well in order to make learning for students more stimulating.

Until chapter 8, Surrounded by Science has discussed the effective methods of lifedeep learning. Chapter 8 begins to discuss lifelong and lifewide learning. Interesting insights have been made regarding learning across the lifespan. Especially interesting are the insights to where different age groups receive their information from, and why our access to information changes as we age. The chapter talks about how we form the basis for science learning in early childhood, and that we are most open to all the sciences in our childhoods. Our focus narrows to a few particular sciences as we reach adulthood and older age. This is why so many museums cater to young visitors, who can appreciate a broad array of information, as opposed to older adults, who might only be interested in specific topics. It’s important to dissolve the notion that the elderly population has finished its lifetime learning, and that they don’t make up the majority of learners. Instead, Surrounded by Science reveals that an interest and and ability to learn exists across all age groups, but the method for obtaining knowledge might differ. That’s why it’s important to have citizen science projects such as Road Watch in place.

The chapter wisely avoids a pitfall in its generalization about age groups, in realizing how the trend observed for learning among the age groups might only be in place because of cohorts and not because this is how these age groups have always accessed informal science institutions in this way. When today’s young adults become seniors, they might have a different approach to learning than the seniors of today. This realization is important for preventing error when designing future informal science projects.