This is in regards to a request for information about other outreach
programs in a "box."

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has a large Outreach
Section within its Education Division.  We have traditional outreach
programs that visit schools which are presented by museum docents using a
museum box of artifacts or specimens (The Moveable Museum).  This is a free
service we provide to our local schools and the topics, such as colonial
history, dinosaurs, and southern California Indians, are based on museum
exhibit halls.

We also have a large educational lending program that allows museum members
to check out specimens from our educational collections.  Part of this
program also includes large teacher kits geared towards specific topics and
include specimens,curriculum, and other resources.  A similar program for
schools is the Classroom Collections program which lends out, for a fee,
collections of over 700+ items to schools.

Other outreach programs are designed for immobile audiences that can't
visit the museum, such as special education students and senior citizens in
long-term care facilities.  These programs are not as "box-oriented"
because the items are housed in vans that transport the programs and
docents.  In order to insure full inclusion and participation these
programs involve multiple docents for one presentation and is also free.

We also have less traditional outreach programs that visits elementary and
middle schools.  The museum operates two large 18-wheel trucks that
recreate different environments for the students.  The Earthmobile
recreates a mountain canyon in which elementary students become
archeologists and excavate a Chumash village which "existed" there 300
years in the past.  The Seamobile recreates a deep sea submarine which
allows middle schools students to become visiting researchers on board a
dive to solve an marine environmental mystery.  Both of these programs are
supported by a private grant and are free to schools.

Please contact me if you have any questions.  I would love to hear what
other people are doing.

-Kim Milliken
Outreach Coordinator
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
[log in to unmask]
213.744-3344