Educational programs and services are designed to engage students to think critically, to link the past to the present and to connect local history to the current global issues of today.
What's New?
In the past year, education staff have worked with regional educators to develop programs and tours that encourage students to develop historical thinking skills and to link the past to the present. We invite educators, schools and community groups to explore this rich history together with new and improved educational programs and services for 2008 - 09. Come join us!
Walking tours may now include viewing a model of the original four squares of Fairfield in the museum lobby or an interactive map in the South Gallery that traces the major developments in the greater Fairfield area. Students in first grade can learn about museum artifacts and the stories they can tell. Teachers will enjoy expanded colonial programs for their students, combining Ogden House or Walking Tours with gallery tours and hands-on colonial crafts, including bookmaking, quill pen and ink, candle-dipping, Sailor's Valentines and making corn husk dolls. Gallery tours focus on the American Revolution for 8th grade students and offer a glimpse into the major developments of this region. Middle school students learn new skills while discovering history in the Old Burying Ground, following compass points and pacing with an orienteering challenge. Primary source workshops in the special collections library enable high school students to experience history through a new lens, making connections to the past by learning how to handle and analyze manuscripts, letters and maps. The skills of a historian are increasingly important in a digital age where critical thinking, thoughtful research and information literacy are 21st century skills.
