Old Independence Regional Museum will continue its Mondays at the Museum programs through July. “We still have several seats available for each of the Mondays in July,” says Amanda Nikkel, Humanities Educator. “We have had a great time at the Museum during the Mondays in June, meeting new friends and learning about the history of our region through fun hands-on activities, games, and crafts,” continued Nikkel.
The Mondays in July (beginning with July 6th) will be for rising 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. These will be full-day programs beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. The students should bring a lunch, and the museum will supply two snacks each day. The cost for the full-day program is $25 per student per Monday or $95 if the child is registered for all four Mondays. Each Monday is limited to 15 participants. The themes for the Mondays in July are:
July 6 – Westward Expansion
July 13 – Civil War
July 20 – Archaeology
July 27 – Creating a Living History Character
The first Monday in July will focus on the Westward Exploration and Expansion. Students will become familiar with the Lewis and Clark expedition and the lesser known Dunbar and Hunter expedition, which was part of the same exploration commissioned by President Jefferson. During this study students will construct a wooden keel boat similar to the ones Lewis and Clark and Dunbar and Hunter traveled on. Students will also learn about the later movement of wagon trains west in the 1840s and 50s and play a game that will help them understand the challenges of life on the trail.
The Civil War continues to be an intriguing topic for many. On July 13th, students will examine what was going on in the Independence County region during the Civil War. Through living history presentations, hands-on activities and games they will also learn about what life was like in camp, on the battle field, and on the home front. Students will sample recipes from this time period.
On July 20th the 4th-6th graders will focus on Archaeology. They will learn about pre-historic and historical archaeology. Students will learn about the tools needed to be an archeologist. They will learn the importance of trash and what it tells us about the people who created it and how to put together a story based on their findings. Finally, the students will participate in a small “dig” on the museum grounds.
On July 27th, students will have the opportunity to create a Living History Character. The day will begin with students choosing a historic character from Independence County. They will then learn how to use the museum’s resources to research the life of their chosen person. Then the students will write a short, compelling monologue based on the person’s life. They will then choose costuming for his or her character. In the end, they will perform as the character.
Old Independence serves a 12-county area: Baxter, Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Marion, Poinsett, Sharp, Stone, White, and Woodruff. Parts of these present-day counties comprised the original Independence County in 1820s Arkansas territory.
The museum is located at 380 South 9th street, between Boswell and Vine Streets in Batesville
