I'm a former educator, specializing in curriculum design. Anything you can
do to create hands-on learning is fabulous. Understanding how kids are being
taught today can help too. The current buzz is teamwork and cooperative
learning groups, so you can easily create small group activities. Just a
simple brain-storming session on importance of water would create enough
"buy-in" to carry the event. Use poster sized sticky pads, one sheet per
group and have the small groups list what the early settlers would have
needed water for. Then they can go back and put them in order of necessity.
A spin-off might be to have them come up with ways to find water...although
this is the tougher question. (The first is simply recall of facts, the
second requires synthesis of concepts...tougher mentally.) Once the
brain-storming is complete, have a "gallery walk" - invite the kids to walk
around the room and read the posters from the other groups. This way you
don't have to read them aloud, and the kids get to move.

From there you can certainly expect them to sit still and actively listen to
a mini-lecture on the settlement of the west. 

Archaeology - I'm fond of the "salted dig" activity. I use a small plot of
our land to create a "dig" site to interpret the Susquehanna & Tidewater
Canal. I salt the site with "artifacts" that the kids can dig up. These
artifacts should be "clues" to the site. On our site, I include lumps of
coal, pottery shards, chicken bones, coins, mule shoe, leather bits, and
iron tools for the kids to dig up. The kids get a brief introduction to
excavation technique, and then we turn them loose with trowels, brushes,
etc. As each "artifact" is uncovered it provides a natural opening for
information related to that artifact. Example: the lump of coal - we talk
about where anthracite coal is found...there just happens to be a map
nearby, and how it got to the lock house grounds. Hmmm...the canal boats
carried cargo from central Pennsylvania. (I also have copies of pages from
the canal ledger that show the large number of coal shipments.) 

Depending on your site you can do this same activity in a small sand-box, or
a small child's wading pool. 

The preparation is:
1. Gather a kit to take to the "dig" containing supporting documents,
images, etc. to help interpret the artifacts. (I try to never BE the
authority, rather to let the primary documents speak to the kids.) Gathering
this kit should be a one-time task...you can use it over and over.
2. Gather the "artifacts". Again, this is a one time only task. The
artifacts that I use are in fact real, but they don't have to be. (Do you
have any idea how much garbage/trash people threw in the canals? We have
excavated all that stuff!)
3. Salt the dig. Before each group you have to re-bury the artifacts. I
don't go down more than a few inches.
4. Clean-up - if you're outside digging in real dirt, make sure you bring
baby-wipes for hand cleaning. We're fortunate to have a public restroom
building available. (The teachers will love you for helping to de-grubbify
the kiddies before sending them back onto the school bus...or heaven
forbid...back into the museum!

Becky Fitzgerald

P.S. John, I'm a Gemini too...appreciated the horoscope! :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of John Martinson
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 10:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Marketing 4th-5th Grade outreach programs (and my horoscope)

I am working on an outreach program for local 4th & 5th grade students
in the public school.  

With 4th - 5th Grade students, should we keep the programs simple (with
little lecture/presentation)
or more hands-on or all hands-on and no lecture?  The programs are on
settlement of the west, importance of water, archaeology, etc.  

We want to keep it interesting, and do not want to put the students
(and teachers) to sleep.  So, looking 
at different approaches of hands-on learning exercises to keep their
attention.  What does your museum and organization do to keep the
students listening and active (and awake)?

John
Boise, ID

p.s.  Oh! my horoscope today reads:

   Gemini - "Daily extended petty squabbles can get out of hand if you
lose sight of what's really important. It's paramount during moments
like these to keep a cool head even if others around you are intent on
losing theirs -- heck, they might be so intent it seems like they're
giving those heads away gratis. If you feel your own mental space
getting crowded or clouded, give yourself a time out and tackle this
problem when you're feeling calmer." 

Good advice to all, hmm?

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