History Rocks!

Programs

Dear Heritage Museum,

Thank you for the archaeology home school day you provided on Tuesday, June 2. My 2 boys had a great time and learned a lot. I was able to be there in the morning and I would like to comment on the gentleman who taught. He was awesome, very knowledgeable, yet he spoke on a level the kids could understand. And he allowed them to ask lots of questions! My boys loved the hands on archaeology dig. My 11 year old said that “he should be working at the Smithsonian Insitute.” We are glad he’s in Valparaiso. Lastly, as a parent, I appreciate the great value in price! We got much more than $5 worth per person. Thanks for keeping the cost down too!

Appreciating you,

The Baughman Family

Tours

Education is central to the HMNF’s mission. Curriculum-based school tours and related hands-on activities offer students an opportunity to learn local and state history. Programs offered to educators are designed to meet Florida’s Sunshine State Standards. Programs are available to home schoolers as well as public and private institutions. Please contact us at (850) 678-2615 to request a tour.

On-site Tours:

• Florida’s Earliest NativesThis tour focuses on lives and culture of Native Americans of the local region from 12,000 years ago to first contact. This includes traditional folk lore and the opportunity to see artifacts and eco-facts up close.
• Panhandle Pioneers Compare your home to our mid 19^th century pioneer cabin. Learn what daily life was like for a pioneering family settling in the Florida wilderness. See 19^th century artifacts and household tools.

• The Humble MulletTour the exhibit on fishing and boat building industries with many unique artifacts. Learn the impact of the industry on Northwest Florida and listen to stories told by local fishermen.

Hands-on activities include:

• Native American Pottery Participants are given instruction and materials to fashion their own piece of pottery, ready to take home the same day.
• Dig It! An Archaeological Excavation Hands-on digging to find artifacts.  Participants work together to dig, investigate, observe, collect and record data.  Learn about some of the technology used in Florida.
• Butter Churning Learn the process of making butter by hand like early Florida settlers. Lesson includes proper vocabulary, churning technique and tastes test of their final creation.
• Old Fashioned Games and Toys Learn some of the games that pioneer settler children played over a hundred years ago.

Guided group tours with trained Museum Educators are $7 per child which includes one hands-on activity. There is no charge for up to 10 teachers and/or chaperones. Additional guests, including parents and siblings 4 and older are $2.
Fees may be paid the day of the tour with MC/Visa or a check made payable to: HMNF.”

Teacher Resource & Field Trip Guide

The newly published Teacher Resource & Field Trip Guide is a 40-page, full-color book geared toward 3rd and 4th grade educators teaching history using HMNF collections. The guide offers tips on museum etiquette, pre-trip activities including practice for perceptual skills and post-trip lessons. Written by the HMNF staff and fourth grade educators with suggestions from students, the Guide is a valuable tool for maximizing the educational value of museum visits. The resource, distributed to educators in Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa Counties free of charge in winter 2009, was sponsored by sponsored by American ERA Realty, CHELCO, Eglin Federal Credit Union and CCP Bayou Printing.

SCOUTING WORKSHOPS AVAILABLE

Boy Scouts

Boy Scouts: Know Your Community

Learn about the Northwest Florida community, past and present. Explore local government and meet professionals from the community. Tiger, Wolf, and Bear Cub Scouts complete requirements for achievements and electives.

Age: Tiger, Wolf, and Bear Cub Scouts

Scouts may register individually, but must be accompanied by an adult. Call (850) 678-2615 to register. Full payment is required upon registration. Confirmation packet will be mailed upon registration.

Archaeology: Dig into the Past

Learn what archaeology is and how it differs from anthropology, geology, and paleontology. Explore its mysteries through a mock archaeological dig. Learn how historians and scientists put together puzzles to learn about how, when, and where people of the past lived. Boy Scouts will complete requirement for the Archaeology merit badge.

Cost: $10 per Scout, one adult per 6 Scouts free, $6 per additional adult

Scouts may register individually, but must be accompanied by an adult. Call (850) 678-2615 to register. Full payment is required upon registration. Confirmation packet will be mailed upon registration.

Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts: Toy Maker

Take a journey to Toy Land! Explore vintage toys from the Heritage Museum collections and make your own toys. Junior Scouts complete requirements to earn the Toy Maker badge. Brownies complete requirements to earn Colors and Shape Try It.

Age: Brownie and Junior Girl Scouts

Women in History: Celebrating Women’s History Month

Discover the heritage of Northwest Florida women on a tour of the museum, hear about frontier life from an early settler, and then make your own butter and quilt squares! Learn about women pioneers in aviation, anthropology, and politics, and find out what life was like for women in the 20th Century. Become a historian and investigate! Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts will complete Women through Time Interest Project requirements.

Age: Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts

Cost: $10 per Scout, one adult per 6 Scouts free, $6 per additional adult

Girls may register individually, but must be accompanied by an adult. Call (850) 678-2615 to register. Full payment is required upon registration. Confirmation packet will be mailed upon registration.

Top 10 FL Books for Elementary Children

1. The Early People of Florida by Eva Deutsch Costabel
2. Panther: Shadow of the Swamp by Jonathan London
3. Florida A to Z by Susan Jane Ryan
4. Everglades by Jean Craighead George
5. Florida by Sandra Friend
6. Florida Panthers: Struggle for Survival by William Caper
7. Seminole Children and Elders Talk Together by E. Barrie Kavasch
8. Florida Manatees: Warm Water Miracles by Meisch Goldish
9. Journey with Florida’s Indians by Kelly G. Weitzel
10. African Americans in Florida by Maxine D. Jones and Kevin M. McCarthy

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