The following education programs will be available during the Fall 2007/Spring 2008 school year. Please check the Museum’s website, www.jolietmuseum.org, throughout the year as new programs are added periodically.

Tour Plus an Activity
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $4/Student
Travel through times past as we journey through the Museum’s main gallery to discover what life was like long ago. We’ll take a virtual ride on our trolley, watch silent movies, and Boogie to the music of World War II. Participate in ONE activity of the teacher’s choice: learn the Native American legend of maple syrup and taste real maple syrup or make and taste butter like the pioneers of yesteryear made. If we are given advance notice, we can develop an activity to accompany the unit you are studying.

Prairie Pioneers
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $4/Student
What? No “X box!” No cars? No grocery stores?!? This program gives students a glimpse at 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. Students make and taste homemade butter—a favorite of students and teachers alike. This program also includes an abbreviated tour of the Museum’s main gallery. Recommended for students in Pre-K-4 th grade.

History Hunt
Suggested Program Length: 1 ½-2 hours
Cost: $3/Student
In this program, students participate in a history hunt to learn about the artifacts in the Museum’s main gallery. Discover what these artifacts tell us about what life was like in Joliet and the surrounding area in times past. This program is especially good for larger groups of students.

Toys and Games of Times Past
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $4/Student
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. Students will engage in hands-on game and toy playing and discover, in the process, that kids today are very much like those of yesteryear. At the conclusion of the program, students will make a toy to take home. This program also includes an abbreviated tour of the Museum’s main gallery. A favorite of teachers and students alike!

Founding Families
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $4/Student
Founding Families is a program developed specifically for third grade students. In this two-part program, students first become actors in a play that recreates the founding of the Joliet area. The play is set at the old Will County courthouse in 1852. Historic figures such as George H. Woodruff, Cornelius Van Horne, and Martin Demmond have gathered for the rechartering of Joliet . As they gather, they discuss important figures in early Will County history and describe what the land was like during the time of Louis Jolliet and the Potawatomi Indians. Students then participate in a History Hunt in the Museum’s main gallery to help them further understand the historical events that shaped Joliet and the surrounding communities. Teachers will receive a pre-visit packet which includes a copy of the play and an activity guide which can be copied for use with students. Winner, 2004 Illinois Association of Museums Award of Excellence .

Native American Culture in Will County
From the Hopewell to the Potawatomi, Will County is rich in Native American history. The following series of lessons has been designed to introduce students at all grade levels to the culture of the Potawatomi, the last group of Native Americans to live in what would eventually become Will County

The Native American Circle of Life
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $4/Student
Recommended for Students Kindergarten-4 th grade
In this lesson, students will participate in fun, hands-on activities to investigate significant aspects of Potawatomi life, including the role animals played in the Native American circle of life. Students will listen to a Native American folk tale to learn the role oral tradition played in passing down Native American history and how stories, especially those featuring animals, were used by Native Americans to explain the world around them. They will also learn how the Potawatomi, like other Native American tribes, lived off of the land and respected the animals that both taught them lessons and provided them with so much. They will then play Native American games of awareness to learn how Native American children were taught to become skilled hunters. Finally, they will do a Circle Dance, a dance that many Native American tribes did to honor the animals that had provided them with food, clothing, and so much more.

Native American Life: Trade and Communication
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $4/Student
Recommended for Students 3 rd grade and older
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 communicate with each other? Students will learn the answer to these questions and more during this program. After analyzing drawings of a Potawatomi village to determine if their lives were like ours today, students will engage in a variety of fun, hands-on activities to learn more about Native American life. They will barter to learn how the Potawatomi traded with other tribes and eventually with the European explorers and settlers to get what they needed to survive. The kids will also play a game to learn a few symbols from Native American sign language. Finally, they will write a story using pictographs.

Life in a Native American Village : 1830
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $4/Student
Recommended for Students in 5 th grade and older
In this lesson, students become anthropologists who journey down the Des Plaines River and uncover a Potawatomi village. They’ll document their observations and pose questions in their journal. Students will also participate in a mapping activity and one Native American activity of the teacher’s choice to learn more about the Native American cultures that once dominated this geographical area. Activity choices include making a beaded necklace or writing a story using Native American pictographs.

The Joliet Loop : Architecture and Monument Walk through Downtown Joliet
Suggested Program Length: 2 hours
Cost: $4/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 by looking at the types of businesses once located in Joliet , the styles of architecture and the materials used in the buildings. We’ll also learn about our county’s previous courthouses and examine the monuments on the courthouse square to learn what these structures tell us about local history. Students 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 teachers along with confirmation information.

COMING SOON!

The Route 66 Experience
We are currently working on lessons to coordinate with our newest permanent exhibit, The Route 66 Experience. Call regarding availability of these programs.

Around the World in Joliet
You’ve heard of “Around the World in 80 Days.” In this program we’ll take your students around the world in less than two hours as we learn about the diverse cultures that make up the melting pot that is Joliet ! Call regarding availability of these programs.

II. Special Exhibition Gallery
In most cases, students will visit the Special Exhibition Gallery in conjunction with their visit to the Museum. If you would like your students to spend an extended amount of time in the gallery, please notify us when scheduling your school program.

Asian Games: The Art of Contest
September 1- October 7, 2007

Communicating Connections: Canals in Great Britain and the United States
November 10, 2007-January 6, 2008

III. Can I visit the Museum prior to my field trip so that I can prepare my students for their visit?
Yes, we encourage teachers to visit the Museum prior to their field trip! All teachers are admitted free with proper school identification. Please note that if there are additional patrons visiting the Museum with you, they will be charged an admission fee.

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

Schedule Early
Program dates fill quickly, especially in the spring! Register early to reserve your date and time.

Program Fees
Please check the program descriptions for information on program fees and length. Unless otherwise noted, each program can be adapted so that it is grade-appropriate.

Museum Closing
If the museum must close on the day of your visit because of inclement weather, it will be rescheduled for the next mutually available date.

Chaperones
We require one (1) chaperone per every ten (10) students. Please use your judgment and bring additional chaperones if you deem them necessary. Chaperones are expected to assist with the program and with movement of the class from one gallery to the next. They are also responsible for assisting with discipline, if necessary. Please inform chaperones that talking on cell phones is not permitted in the Museum.

Special Needs
The Museum is handicap accessible. When scheduling a program, please let us know if you have any patrons with special needs so that appropriate accommodations can be arranged.

Arrivals/Departures
School programs and tours are often scheduled back to back. Regardless of your arrival time, your program will end at the scheduled time, out of respect for the next scheduled program. If you are running more than 15 minutes late, please notify us by calling the Museum’s Gift Shop at 815-723-5201, ext. 226.

For safety reasons, we request that your bus driver drop students off in our loading zone on Cass Street (Route 30) where they will be greeted by a Museum staff member or volunteer and brought into the building. If your bus pulls in front of the Museum, your driver will be directed to the loading zone which will cut into the time of your program.

Students/teachers who need a handicapped accessible entrance should be dropped off in the circle drive in front of the Museum on Ottawa Street ~this drive is accessible only by mini buses and vans.

Directions to the Museum are available on our website, www.jolietmuseum.org, or ask when scheduling your program.

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

Buses: Buses may remain in the Museum’s loading zone, unless another bus is scheduled to arrive during the course of your education program. If you have more than one bus, they may park in the Museum’s parking lot at the corner of Ottawa and Webster Streets, if parking is available.

Gift Shop
Many inexpensive items can be purchased in the Museum’s Gift Shop. If you would like your students to visit the Gift Shop, please make these arrangements when scheduling your program.

V. How do I schedule an education program at the Museum?

Call or e-mail the Education Department
Educator - Kim Shehorn -Martin
(815) 723-5201, ext. 235
k.shehorn@jolietmuseum.org

Please have the following information ready:

• School/organization name, address, and phone number
• Contact person’s name and name of other teachers
• Program that you would like to schedule
• Date and time requested for program
• Age/grade of students, number of children, if you have special needs patrons that will need accommodations, and if any of the classes are special education classes
• If you will be having lunch on-site
• Whether or not you would like to schedule a gift shop visit

A confirmation notice will be sent either via e-mail or in the mail. Please read it carefully and call us immediately if there are errors. Please mail your 25% 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 students!!!