Joliet Historical Museum

Education Programs Offered for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts
The Museum offers a variety of education programs that help scouts to fulfill badge requirements. The programs are offered on school holidays/ breaks and on the weekends. Dens can also purchase a Joliet Area Historical Museum patch for an additional $1 per scout. To schedule a program, call (815) 723-5201, ext. 235. Time slots fill quickly so schedule your program early to ensure the date and time you want!

I. General Museum Education Programs
The following programs can be utilized to fulfill a general “Visit A Museum” requirement.

Prairie Pioneers
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $5/Scout
What? No “X box!” No cars? No grocery stores?!? This program gives students a glimpse of life on the prairie in 1832, the year Charles Reed built his cabin on the land that would become Joliet . Students learn about housing, transportation, clothing and chores of yesteryear through hands-on activities and games. Students make and taste homemade butter—a favorite of scouts and leaders alike. This program also includes an abbreviated tour of the Museum’s main gallery. Recommended for all Cub Scout levels.

Toys and Games of Times Past
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $5/Scout
Are kids today like kids of yesterday? This program utilizes toys and games to illustrate how Native American and pioneer children lived over two-hundred years ago. Scouts play with old-fashioned toys and discover that kids today are very much like those of yesteryear. Scouts will make a ball and cup toy to take home. This program also includes an abbreviated tour of the Museum’s main gallery. Recommended for Cub Scouts in the 2nd grade and older.

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II. Level Specific Programs

Tiger Scouts

Prairie Pioneers
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $5/Scout
What? No “X box!” No cars? No grocery stores?!? This program gives students a glimpse of life on the prairie in 1832, the year Charles Reed built his cabin on the land that would become Joliet . Students learn about housing, transportation, clothing, chores and games of yesteryear through hands-on activities and games. Students make and taste homemade butter—a favorite of scouts and leaders alike. This program also includes an abbreviated tour of the Museum’s main gallery. This program fulfills Achievement #1: Making My Family Special; Requirement 1G. Go See It! This program also gives Tiger Scouts the opportunity to work on displaying respect.

Wolf Scouts

American Indian Lore-Elective 10
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours per session
Cost: $5/Scout (Register for both sessions and the cost is $9/Scout)
Register your scouts for both sessions of the American Indian Lore-Elective 10 class to totally complete the work required for this elective or register for just one of the sessions to get you started. If you want to register for both sessions, it is recommended that you schedule them for different dates.

Session #1-Communication and Ceremony in the Potawatomi Culture
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $5/Scout
Generations of Native Americans from the Hopewell to the Pottawatomie have called Joliet and the surrounding area home. In this first of two sessions, scouts will engage in a variety of activities to learn about the culture of the Potawatomi. Scouts will: use a map to learn about the different Native American tribes that lived in the Joliet area; analyze drawings of a Potawatomi village to learn how the Native Americans lived; read a traditional Native American folk tale; make a turtle rattle like those used in ceremonies and dance a circle dance; and then write a story using Native American symbols. This session fulfills requirements a, b, and f of Elective 10.

Session #2-The Potawatomi Way of Life
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $5/Scout
Generations of Native Americans from the Hopewell to the Pottawatomie have called Joliet and the surrounding area home. In this second of two sessions, scouts will engage in a variety of activities to learn about the Potawatomi way of life. Scouts will: use a map to learn about the different Native American tribes that lived in the Joliet area; analyze drawings of a Potawatomi village to learn how the Native Americans lived; learn about traditional clothing and make a silver brooch out of foil and a pouch; make a rip art wig wam; and play with traditional Native American toys, time permitting. This session fulfills requirements c, d, and e of Elective 10.

Bear Scouts

Choose any of the general programs on page 1 to fulfill the following achievements:

Achievement 3: What Makes America Special?; Requirement 3d~Find out where places of historical interest are located in or near your town or city. Go to visit one of them with your family or den.
Achievement 8: The Past Is Exciting and Important; Requirement 8e~Find out some history about your community.

The Joliet Loop : Architecture and Monument Walk through Downtown Joliet
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $5/Student
Maximum: 30 students
How much do you really know about downtown Joliet ? We’ll start at the Museum and take an architecture walk through the downtown “loop” where we’ll learn about the history of Joliet through the buildings of past and present Joliet . We’ll find the outline of the third Will County Courthouse and look at the monuments on the Courthouse Square . Scouts will complete an architecture/history hunt during the walk. This session is only available April 1-October 31 st, weather permitting. A waiver signed by parents is required for this program and will be sent to leaders along with confirmation information. This session fulfills Achievement 3: What Makes America Special?; Requirement 3d-Find out where places o f historical interest are located in or near your town or city. Go to visit one of them with your family or den.

American Indian Life-Elective 24
Suggested Program Length: 1 ½ hours
Cost: $5/Scout
Two hundred years ago this region was home to the Potawatomi Indians. What did it look like? How did the Native Americans live? How did they play? We’ll learn the answer to these questions and more during this program. We’ll start by analyzing illustrations of how the Pottawatomie lived and then make a wig wam. The scouts will then play Native American games.

Boy Scouts

Indian Lore Merit Badge
Suggested Program Length: 2 ½ hours
Cost: $6/Scout
This lesson is designed to help Boy Scouts earn their Indian Lore Merit Badge. Scouts will engage in a variety of activities to learn about the Pottawatomie and their way of life. By the end of the program, the scouts will be able to describe how the Pottawatomie lived in the early 1800s and where they live today. Scouts will also make a wig wam and a beaded bracelet, play traditional Native American games, and learn at least 25 signs from Native American sign language.

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Special Events at the Museum

Haunted Museum
Friday, October 23, 6:00-10:00 p.m.
Tour the Museum’s “haunted galleries” to meet some famous and not-so-famous people that once called Joliet prisons home. Enjoy refreshments and activities for kids in the Museum’s auditorium. Come in costume and be entered into a drawing for a prize. Call the Education Department at 815-723-5201, ext. 235 for more information on this program.

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What do I need to know before scheduling a program at the Museum?

Schedule Early
Program dates fill quickly, especially Saturdays, so register early to reserve your program date and time. Please consult your school calendar when scheduling programs so that you are aware of holiday weekends, etc.

Program Fees
Please check the descriptions for program fees and length. Separate payment/deposit requirements are listed for special event programs.

Adult and Sibling Fees
For Tiger Level Scouts, one adult per scout is admitted free of charge. If two adults accompany the scout, the second will be charged our regular admission fee of $6. For all remaining levels, two adults per den are admitted free of charge. Siblings age 3 and older can participate in the program and will be charged the scout fee.

Minimums
A minimum of 8 participants is required for participation in our programs. If you do not have 8 scouts in your den, consider pairing with a fellow den or inviting siblings to participate. If you do not have 8 participants, you can still schedule a program, you will simply be charged for the minimum number of scouts required for programming.

Parking
Parking is available in the Museum parking lot at the corner of Ottawa and Webster Streets.

Gift Shop
Many inexpensive items can be purchased in the Museum’s Gift Shop, including resources for Leaders

Patches
A Museum patch can be purchased for $1 per scout/leader. Please arrange this when you schedule your program.

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How do I schedule an education program at the Museum?
Education Director - Kim Shehorn
(815) 723-5201, ext. 235
k.shehorn@jolietmuseum.org

You will receive a confirmation notice in the mail. Please read the notice and call us immediately if there are any errors. Upon receipt of the confirmation notice, please mail your $10 deposit to the following address: Joliet Area Historical Museum, Education Department, 204 N. Ottawa St., Joliet , IL 60432

We look forward to working with you and your Scouts!!!

Click here for information on driving directions and parking.