At 12:04 AM 7/4/03 -0400, you wrote:
>Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 12:29:10 -0700
>From: Lori Tomlinson <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: history programs for pre-schoolers
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0-2011840904-1057260550=:86352"
>
>Hi Listers!
>
>Has anyone had great success with historical museum programs for
>pre-schoolers? We're discovering an increasing demand for pre-school age
>programs in our community. Traditionally, our childrens' programs have
>started at age 6. Any suggestions on programming or resource materials
>for younger children?
>
>With thanks,
>
>Lori Tomlinson
>Division Manager
>Charlotte County Historical Center
>Charlotte Harbor, Fla. USA
>[log in to unmask]
After one of our long-time interpreters left due to illness, I inherited
doing the auditorium show and tour for the pre-school groups. The
pre-school groups usually come in having done a unit on castles and
knights, and keeping in mind that they really can't conceptualize
historical periods very well, I take a very simple and basic approach
reinforcing stuff that they are learning in preschool within the context of
our collection/objects.
This may be more detail than you want to know, but it's to give you an idea
of how we do it at our museum.
In our auditorium talk -- which I keep to 30 minutes max, and with some
groups 20 minutes is the most they can take -- I start off by reading the
National Geographic Big Book "Animal Armor" -- which shows 4 types of
animal armor. And then I talk about the 4 types that we show there. I like
to have them do comparison and contrast -- for example tell me the
differences between 2 shields that I show them (and I relate those
differences to how they were used). I goof up on purpose -- tell them the
helmet protects the knee and then stick it on my knee -- and we get to the
reason why you protect your head ("brains good!"). And then I do the sword
and mail demo with an adult (or an older sibling) -- they hold a square of
mail on their hands while I draw a hand-and-a-half sword across it. This
unnerves *many* kids, so I really do not ham it up with this (as I would
with older kids) but rather emphasize how safe it is (this is exactly what
mail is designed to protect against). Then, with a small group (20 or
fewer), I pull out 3 helmets, the cotton gloves, some squares of mail, etc.
and give them all a chance to come up and feel some stuff.
Then, up to the Great Hall for a quick -- again 30 minute tour. We can talk
a little bit about how the Great Hall was used, the feasts, trestle tables,
setting the table, but kids can really lose interest in that part quickly
-- I think primarily because that talk is done sans props. I show them a
limited number of objects: the children's armor (it's for dress-up), the
joust mock-up: there I have them tell me the colors and patterns on the
horses' trappings/caparisons and tell them that's heraldry; the carousel
lance and relate that to the fair ride; armorer's workshop to see some
tools; the 1200s knight (crusader) -- where I get them to master the
technical terms of the "barrel helm" and the "lance" (as opposed to
"jousting stick thingie"), over to the Gothic armors and get them to make
Gothic and Romanesque arches with their hands up over their heads (and tell
them they'll impress their parents), and then to the Bunny pants -- a pair
of Persian mail and plate leggings with rabbits and cats etched on them
("why does this brave, fierce, courageous Persian warrior have bunnies on
his legs? Are bunnies brave, fierce, and courageous?") -- then on to the
last 2 stops, an "exploded" armor where I name the parts of the armor and
they name the parts of the body (again I goof up on purpose, I also do that
with my colors) -- and then Helmutt, a Wishbone-look-a-like dog who has
some ceremonial armor on him.
Then, after that -- and that can be a lot for some groups, so I will skip
objects depending on their antsiness -- down to the hands-on room. And that
is where many groups spend a long period of time. Anywhere from 30 minutes
to an hour. In that room they can try on helmets, and costumes, and play
with blocks, look at some books, and just run around.
If you can work in reinforcing the usual preschool curriculum of body
parts, days of the weeks, months of the year, seasons, letters, numbers,
animals, colors, shapes, and doing comparison/contrast stuff, you'd
probably have good hooks to hang your material on. You want to keep the
structured time short. Hands-on is best.
Very rarely do they ask to do one of our craft workshops -- making pennants
or shields. And that would require a good bit of help from the adults since
it's a lot of tracing and cutting. In fact, I don't remember ever having a
group do that.
Time for potty breaks is good: since our usual time periods for groups are
45-minute blocks, there's a 15-minute time in there somewhere where a potty
break can be made.
We have a classroom where they can eat a snack or lunch if they've brought
it (and told us in advance). One of my last pre-K groups in June had their
graduation ceremony after their show, tour, and lunch. It was incredibly cute.
--- Amy West
Museum Educator
Higgins Armory Museum
100 Barber Ave.
Worcester, MA 01606
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