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Programs
School ProgramsPaid programs at the Michigan Historical Center
The Museum encourages teachers to participate in docent-led programs which use visual and tactile stimulation to inspire cognitive learning in all ages and provide a fun and immersive experience that brings the Real Stories of Michigan to life. These GLCEs aligned thematic tours explore specific eras of Michigan history with groups of 30 students and run between 1.5 to 2 hours in length.
An Extended Tour
Work with a museum docent to create a tour that fits your curriculum plan. Possibilities include themes as well as time periods ranging from prehistoric Michigan to 1975.
Growing Up in Michigan
Students clean a rug and haul water as they discover what it was like to grow up on a farm in rural Michigan. Students compare their lives to the lives of late-19th-century children. (GLCEs: 1-H2.0.5, 1-H2.0.6, S.DS.02.01)
Michigan: Arsenal of Democracy
Thousands of Michigan citizens worked at home and abroad to help win World War II. Learn what they did and why Michigan was called “The Arsenal of Democracy.” (GLCEs: 4-H3.0.4, 4-H3.0.5, 4-C5.0.2, 4-C5.0.4)
Michigan in the Civil War
More than 90,000 men from Michigan served in the Civil War, while their families and people at home supported them. Find out how, and why Michigan’s citizens contributed to the war effort. (GLCEs: 3-H1.0.1, 3-H3.0.3, 3-C5.0.1, 3-P3.1.3)
Immigration
Why do people leave their homes to move to a new place? What do they bring with them and what do they leave behind? Learn about immigrants who have come to Michigan through stories, role-playing and artifacts. (GLCEs: 4-H3.0.2, 4-G4.0.1, 4-G4.0.2, 4-C5.0.1)
Tall Pines and Shanty Boys
Explore life in a lumber camp as you learn how “green gold” changed Michigan’s economy. Learn “logger’s lingo” and find products made from trees! (GLCEs: 4-H3.0.3, 4-H3.0.4, 4-H3.0.8, 4-G5.0.1, 4-E1.0.5, N.FL.04.36, M.PS.04.02)
The Voyageur’s Canoe
Learn about the life of a French voyageur and the Great Lakes fur trade as you help pack a canoe. Find out what goods were traded, how they were packed, how many men traveled in a canoe and how much weight the canoe could carry. (GLCEs: 3-H3.0.6, 3-E1.0.1, 3-E1.0.3, N.MR.03.10, P.FM.03.38)
Story Circle ProgramsRecommended for ages 2 to 5, 45-minute sessions
This literacy based program to engage our youngest visitors and their families in historic objects and museum settings. During each program, museum staff will read a story to children, teach a hands-on craft or other activity and then give a guided tour of a museum gallery. Each hour session costs $5.00 per participant, chaperones and teachers are free.
Choose from the following thematic story times:
- Investigate transportation and Michigan made automobiles with Cool Cars by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker.
- Learn about artifacts and the importance of personal stories with Baby Bear’s Chairs by Jane Yolen.
- Discover different jobs through time with Homeplace by Anne Shelby.
- Learn about overcoming fear with Thundercake by Patricia Polacco.
- Investigate environmental sustainability and Michigan’s natural resources with The Day the Great Lakes Drained Away by Charles Ferguson Barker.
- Learn about building a community with Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel by Leslie Connor.
For more information or to schedule a program, please contact Christiana Hanson at 517-241-6852 or HansonC[at]michigan.gov.
