Every time I travel abroad, I make it a point to visit an art museum and more often than not these are happy, busy places, full of action, voices, people. The same cannot be said of our museums, which seem to be a taboo place for most Maltese. Notwithstanding Heritage Malta's great efforts, for most of the year, more often than not, some museums tend to be the sole territory of museum attendants and tourists.

The same applies to the National Museum of Fine Arts. The museum is already handicapped by its location, tucked way out of sight at the bottom of South Street. There is nothing to attract people down that road and I could bet my little finger that if one had to stop passers-by along Republic Street and ask what important building stood at the bottom of South Street, they would mention the GWU building for one and completely ignore the existence of anything else worth mentioning. However the museum was recently livened up by groups of schoolgirls thanks to an initiative of St Joan Antide School, Gudja, which came up with a brilliant idea of creating a treasure hunt around the museum.

One of the teachers involved explained: "We approached the museum curator Sandro Debono, with our idea last autumn and after logistical discussions with Heritage Malta's education division, it was accepted, albeit with a pinch of doubt. To be quite honest, in early January soon after Christmas, as we walked down South Street with our first group - two classes - of Year 1 girls, I started doubting the wisdom of it all myself. It was a complete leap in the dark!"

"We needn't have worried, because the experience was a resounding success. The girls were impressed - it was their first-time first-hand experience of the regal building housing the Museum of Fine Arts. They were super-excited - they play-acted at being princesses! Our very interactive and unusual treasure hunt encouraged them to search, observe, discuss and draw throughout the morning, against a backdrop of poetry and story-telling."

After the initial 10-minute walk-through, the pupils had the run of the place - under the constant supervision of their teachers and museum attendants. They could scrutinise paintings, mull over sculptures, ask questions, and completely relate to the place.

Following the successful visit by this first group, a second and a third group followed. The older Year 6 group experienced a totally different emotion from the exercise. While the younger girls noticed colours and shapes, the older ones delved deeper and could feel strong emotions and sensations through art. And after seeing their daughters' evident enthusiasm, now even the parents are hankering for guided visits of the museum!

Shortly, other schools will get to experience the museum. The St Joan Antide organising team definitely recommend it: "The museums are all fantastic places - there is just a need for less red tape and more dynamic interaction to turn them into locations of lively attraction to a broader range of people. Some imagination certainly helps."

Such activities can also be enjoyed by families visiting the museum on weekends. If you visit the Arts Museum, ask at reception for a free copy of the treasure hunt, and enjoy!