In this study, we employ a sociocultural approach to examine two aspects of children's intellectual socialization: How do children acquire common attitudes and beliefs about science, and how are children socialized into scientific ways of understanding the world? We are recording and analyzing conversations between parents and young children visiting a natural history museum. Museums are ideal settings to study children's socialization into science. Images of museums as hushed, dusty collections of arcane artifacts are yielding to the view that museums should be lively, fun settings that encourage social interaction and provide varied opportunities for learning. Information in museums is carefully presented in ways that both respect scientific rigor and engage visitors' curiosity and interest. And, although little is known about processes of learning in museums, museum professionals and others concerned with informal learning are increasingly recognizing the importance of social aspects of visitors' experience. We are especially interested in the process of "framing" how information is attended to, interpreted, related to personal histories and interests, and conveyed in social interactions.