Educational Programs

 

Museum trained docents deliver to your classroom a variety of hands-on activities. With Travelling Trunk Exhibits you can explore Biological Anthropology, Southwest Archaeology, Native American, Hispanic and World Cultures.
TRAVELLING TRUNK EXHIBITS
 

EXPLORE BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Learn how scientists explore the issues surrounding our human distinctiveness by analyzing skeletal differences.

Introduction to Skeletal Biology
Recommended Ages: 5th grade and up
As novice biologists, your group will use calipers to measure and compare morphological features of skull casts. You will use this information to make interpretations about gender and lifestyle. Content Standards: Science 2,5,6

EXPLORE SOUTHWEST ARCHAEOLOGY
Practice using artifacts and ecofacts to investigate Southwestern cultures dating from Paleo-Indian through early Pueblo periods. Your choices include:

Ancient Tools and Technologies
Recommended Ages: 1st - 5th grade
Learn about early technologies of the Southwest by using "ancient" tools from our collection. Your group will process yucca, make rope, set traps, "make fire" and use pump drills. Content Standards: Social Studies 1,2,4

Archaeology Detectives: Introduction to Site Interpretation
Recommended Ages: 6th grade and up
As amateur archaeologists, you will gather and analyze "clues" from a generic early Puebloan "site". You will use the data to explore fundamental questions about this culture: When they lived; what they ate; what their communities looked like. Content Standards: Social Studies 1,2; Science 5

EXPLORE HISPANIC CULTURE
Study the Hispanic culture of New Mexico: Learn about the early colonists and how their struggle to survive influenced their cultural traditions.

Hearth and Home
Recommended Ages: all ages
Study the arrival of the Spaniards in New Mexico. Learn about the lifestyle of the early colonists: what their homes, food and clothing were like and how they used their environment to survive. Choose an activity that reflects their domestic traditions:

1. Ramillettes: Cut "little paper bouquets" out of scrap paper. (This easy activity is good for all ages.)
2. Tinwork: (Add $10.00 per group for materials) Make a small frame from light gauge aluminum. (Difficult for young hands.)

Content Standards: Social Studies 1,2; Art 6

 

EXPLORE NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE
Encounter the Native American cultures of the Southwest through the study of their artistic traditions. Your choices include:

Weaving in the Southwest
Recommended Ages: all ages
Discover how the people of the Southwest used their environment to produce a variety of baskets and textiles. Participate in one of the following activities and experience the complexity and skill involved in the weaving process:

1. Storytelling: The Goat in the Rug (Recommended for pre-school through Kindergarten.)
2. Paper Weaving: Use paper strips to make mats or baskets. (Baskets are challenging for young hands.)
3. Loom Kit: (Add $10.00 per group for materials) Includes one cardboard loom per individual plus enough yarn to complete a small rug. (Recommended for 4th grade and up.)

Content Standards: Art 6, Social Studies 1

Pueblo Pottery
Recommended Ages: all ages
Compare and contrast the many types of Pueblo pottery. Identify the different Pueblo groups. Learn about the materials and techniques used to make a pot by participating in one of the following activities:

1. Storytelling: Maria Making Pottery
(Recommended for pre-school through kindergarten.)
2. Yucca Paintbrush: Use stone scrapers to make paintbrushes from yucca leaves. (This is an easy activity for all ages.)
3. Clay Pot: (Add $10.00 per group for materials.) Includes enough clay for each person to make a pot based on the traditional coil technique. (Recommended for 3rd grade and up.)

Content Standards: Art 6; Social Studies 1, 4

Images Along the Rio Grande
Recommended Ages: 4th grade and up
Study the cultural significance of the "rock art" found in the Petroglyph National Monument. Discuss the importance of preservation. Practice making your own images by participating in one of the following activities:

1. Painting Pictographs: Your group will collect their own rocks to paint images using yucca paintbrushes. (This is an easy activity for all ages.)
2. Magnets: (Add $10.00 per group for all ages) Paint or scrape your own images on plaster magnets using twig brushes. (Recommended for 4th grade and up.)

Content Standards: Social Studies 1, 4

EXPLORE WORLD CULTURE
Gain appreciation for other cultures by exploring their artistic traditions. Your choices include Music, Hispanic culture and Native American Culture.

Instruments From Around the World
Recommended Ages: all ages
Explore the richness of world cultures by experiencing folk music: Shake, rattle and blow our collection of musical instruments. Sing, dance and hear music from around the world.

Content Standards: Social Studies 1,2; Art 6

 

For more information on Educational programs call 277-2924.