There’s A Pilgrim In My Classroom

March is in a couple days and it will soon be time for you all to book your Field Trip Enhancements. Here’s a description from our part of the site:

Bringing your school or youth group to Plimoth Plantation?

In our Wampanoag field trip enhancement, Wampanoag museum educators discuss their relationship to the land and their seasonal ways of life. Participants get a hands-on lesson in working with natural materials, play a Wampanoag game, and handle artifacts and furs.
Our Colonial field trip enhancements take place on our new Colonial Education Site, which includes two fully furnished reproduction 17th century houses. Over the course of the program, each participant gets a chance to play Colonial games and take part in one of the many chores that occupied a 17th century child’s day, such as grinding corn or “laying the board.”

These are really fun activities for the whole family and everyone gets a chance to contribute and join in the fun.

For more information click HERE

Although winter is winding down I wanted to post this so that area schools can plan for next year. Most of you know that museum teachers travel to schools and deliver colonial and native programs. Most of you have had us at your schools. But in my travels I have come to realize that not everyone knows that we have winter workshops that coincide with our classroom visits.  I’ll put a link at the end of this post so that you can read more information about these programs. Just click HERE.

Buddy

Another source that we offer (and hope to expand on in the future) is our Online Learning Center. This is an interactive website for children of all ages in which you get to explore the lives of 17th century Wampanoag and English children. It is specifically designed to teach about the feast that the two cultures shared that has become the basis of our Thanksgiving holiday.

Interestingly enough, the entire breadth of our knowlege, from the English point of view, of this feast comes from one small paragraph written by Edward Winslow in a book now called Mourt’s Relation. He writes:

“Our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours ; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others. And although it be not always so plentifull, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plentie.”

So, please be our guests and become history detectives. Delve into the lives of Ahsaupwis, a Wampanoag boy, and Remember Allerton, an English girl as they show you aspects of their lives at the Online Learning Center. Just click here.

Buddy