A dozen heirloom gardens add another dimension to your museum experience.

19th-Century Games, Grades 3-12
Fall and Spring
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies; Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences

Fun and leisure were important parts of children's lives in the 19th century, just as they are today. However, the toys and games were often made at home and operated under child power instead of batteries. A session of structured kinesthetic play-and-learn invites students to try skittles, stilts, graces, rolling a hoop, cup-and-ball, the whimmy-diddle, buzz saw and much more. More advanced students can be challenged to identify the strategies involved in each game and the physics principles that underlie each toy. The program also provides topics for discussing and/or writing about resource use, the purpose of play and the comparison of how a young person's time was—and is—split among work, school and play.

Art of the American Southwest, Grades 3-12
Fall and Spring
Relevant to learning standards in Art; English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

Art Smarts—An Introduction, Grades 3-12
Fall and Spring
Relevant to learning standards in Art; English Language Arts

This museum educator-led tour helps students learn the basics of creating and appreciating art through the courtesy of one of their favorite subjects—animals. From domesticated trotting horses and hunting dogs to lions, bears and gazelles in the wild, the animals depicted in the art gallery's collections provide students plenty of opportunities to develop their skills of observation and to understand the principles of balance, movement, contrast, pattern and proportion. This tour provides excellent opportunities for post-visit reflection and journaling.

ArtVentures, Grades 4-8
Fall and Spring
Relevant to learning standards in Art

ArtVentures is a modular program designed to integrate classroom learning with an enriching museum field experience. It can be customized to suit your students’ particular needs and interests. A museum educator will come to your classroom to introduce the basics of creating and appreciating art with a focus on wildlife. Then bring your class for a gallery visit where the learning continues as students examine and analyze the works of some of the world’s finest wildlife artists. Add a trek at the nature center with time allotted for students to undertake quiet observation to create their own wildlife sketchbooks. You may then choose to have students create more elaborate works of wildlife art once they have returned to your classroom.

NEW! Cooking Up Math, Grades 3-8
Beginning Spring 2006
Relevant to learning standards in Math, Science and Technology

Through this educator-led tour of our exhibit, Sweet! Desserts in America, students compare and contrast the basics of 19th-century and present-day measuring techniques. Math skills in English and metric measuring are reinforced with demonstrations and problem-solving exercises. Through observation and deductive reasoning, students discover how and why 19th-century measuring practices and devices linked to an agricultural society became more precise and standardized as America evolved into a modern, industrial nation.

History Mysteries, Grades 3-12
Fall and Spring
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology and Social Studies

Do your students know the difference between a betty and a crusie … how to use a boot jack … or what's inside a tinderbox? In this program facilitated by a museum educator, they'll examine unusual and everyday objects from the 19th century to discover how people devised technological solutions to meet their needs. Students will have the opportunity to handle period objects and make comparisons to the tools and constructs of today. The program is also an excellent starting point for further research, writing and reporting in the classroom.

NEW! Long May It Wave, Grades 3-8
Fall and Spring
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts

In this educator-led tour of our exhibit, Long May It Wave: The Story of Our Star-Spangled Banner, students learn about the history and surprising global connections of the ultimate symbol of American pride—our country’s flag. After viewing the exhibit, students create a timeline using images of historic flags, and then, responding to the minimal guidelines provided by Congress in 1777, they design and produce their own banners. Additional grade level-appropriate activities may be arranged upon request.

NEW! We Are What We Eat, Grades 3-8
Beginning Spring 2006
Relevant to learning standards in Health, Physical Education and Family Consumer Sciences

In this educator-led tour of our exhibit Sweet! Desserts in America, students explore diet and health issues of the 19th century and relate them to modern-day concerns. Topics include the history of alcohol use and misuse and the various ways 19th-century society coped with subsequent social and health problems. Students will also discover the often conflicting cross-cultural 19th-century views about diet and nutrition, particularly concerning caffeine, fat, animal protein, vegetarianism, whole grains and sugar.

NEW! The Write Word, Grades 3-8
Beginning Spring 2006
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts

Great food has always inspired great writing! This enrichment option emphasizes the importance of the written word and the many historical and cultural connections between language and food. During an educator-led tour of our exhibit, Sweet! Desserts in America, students use primary resources within the exhibit to compare and contrast different modes of expression. They read excerpts from journals, novels, receipt books, menus, poetry and advertising samples. They also write and test directions for favorite recipes and create advertising strategies, including writing copy and jingles for innovative 19th-century foods, such as corn flakes, milk chocolate and gelatin desserts.