IN-MUSEUM PROGRAMS
For Reservations:
By phone: (563) 324-1054 ext. 502 or (800) 435-3701 ext. 502
By fax: Download the Field Trip Request Form and fax request to (563) 324-6638
By email: Download the Field Trip Request Form and send to myatt@putnam.org
Click here for a Field Trip Request Form!
NATURAL SCIENCE
HABITATS:Animals Among Us
Grade: K-4 Maximum: one class
An opportunity for a close look at LIVE animals! Students identify the requirements of habitat found in the forest, prairies, and wetlands of our region. They discover the connection between wildlife and habitat as they actively participate in the study of turtles, snakes, frogs and salamanders.
Duration: 35 minutes
Fee: $35
Exhibit Connection: Black Earth|Big River
NATURE DETECTIVE SERIES
The Case of the Talking Skulls
Wednesday-Friday, on-going
Grade: 3 & Up Maximum: one class
Animal Skulls are great tools for teaching students about the diversity of wildlife and the special role each animal plays in its natural habitat. YOur students will learn to "read" the clues that skulls provide by participating in this lively hands-on lesson: predator or prey? herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore? nocturnal or diurnal? Live animals will reinforce the connection between skull form (evidence) and animal behavior.
Duration: 35 minutes
Fee: $35
Exhibit Connection: Black Earth|Big River
IMAX FILM & PROGRAMS
Every Drop Counts
Wednesday-Friday, begins March 26
Grade: 3 & Up Maximum: one class
This "wet" program will explore river systems, our water needs and efforts to keep river systems healthy. Hands-on activities increase awareness of our connection to rivers and water supply. Live plants and animals provide examples of water-conserving adaptations.
Duration: 35 minutes
Fee: $35
Scott County Regional Authority, Grand Canyon film sponsor, has provided funds to subsidize the cost of this program!
Film Connection: Grand Canyon: River at Risk 3D
IMAX Films for School Groups
To book an IMAX film showing for your students at discounted school group rates, please call (563) 324-1054 Ext. 502, or toll-free (800) 435-3701. School groups may schedule special showings in addition to those on the public show schedule.
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D
Set against the immense backdrop of the majestic Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon Adventure takes you on an exhilarating river-rafting adventure down the Colorado River. As Earth’s population expands, our planet’s finite fresh water supply grows more and more scarce. Every drop of river water is allocated to agriculture and populations along the way. No water remains for the river’s end, the Colorado Delta, once a thriving estuary that supported the most diverse biosphere in North America.
Scientists say a crisis is looming. What can be done? How do we provide enough fresh water for everyone who needs it, not only along the Colorado River, but everywhere on our planet? As the expedition journeys down river, audiences will learn about the challenges we face and the many opportunities that exist for conserving and restoring our watersheds. There is much to be done if we are to become true stewards of the water planet we all share. For more information visit, www.grandcanyonadventurefilm.com
Duration: 40 minutes
For more information visit, www.grandcanyonadventurefilm.com
Educational Program: Every Drop Counts
Scott County Regional Authority, film and educational programming sponsor, has generously provided funding to offset the cost of your field trip! Call (563) 324-1054 ext 210 or (800) 435-3701 for more information.
In addition to the films above, which are currently showing or coming soon, we also have a selection of past IMAX favorites in our film library available by special request. Please make your selection from the list below: (Click on the film to visit their website.)
Coral Reef Adventure
Dinosaurs Alive! 3D
Everest
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D
Please note that film availability is subject to change without advance notice.To book an IMAX film showing for your students at discounted school group rates, please call(563) 324-1054 Ext. 502, or toll-free (800) 435-3701.
Over 25,000 students and teachers enjoy the Putnam Museum’s onsite Museum programs and IMAX Theatre presentations each year. Over 15,000 additional students and teachers participate in the Museum’s educational outreach programs presented in school classrooms. Reservations are required for all of these programs, and they fill quickly. Call today to enrich your classroom studies with the special kinds of experiences that only museums can provide!
To add even more to your Exhibit Hall experience, schedule one our edutaining presentations.
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Add focus and structure to your Exhibit Hall visit
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Engage your students in hands-on activities or theatrical performances
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Program objectives, educational standards, and a pre-visit activity are sent with your confirmation notice
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Program fee covers instruction and/or supplies and is charged in addition to Exhibit Hall admission
The Spring 2008 Educator Resource Guide is now available!
Click on the image to see our current programs.
OUTREACH PROGRAMS
Museum teachers bring artifacts and enthusiasm to your classroom! Each presentation will engage your students as they learn from lively presentations of information and artifacts. In order to provide the best opportunity for hands-on learning and student/teacher interaction, these programs are scheduled for single classrooms.
To schedule the School Outreach Presentations described above,call the Education Department:
(563) 324-1054, or (800) 435-3701
ext.207 (K-2)
ext.209 (Grades 3+)
ext.206 (Riding the Rails)
Cost:
Half-day (up to 3 programs in 3 hours): $100
Full-day (4-5 programs, or more than 3 hours):
$150 same museum teacher
Plus travel fee:
$.59 per mile (minimum travel fee is $5)
Reservations may be made
throughout the school year.
PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
And The Beat Goes On
Grade: Kindergarten
Take your students on a trip around the world they'll never forget. Your students will learn that settlers to this area came from distant countries all over the world. Your students will experience the diversity of our musical heritage as they sing, dance, and play ethnic musical instruments. Most of all, students come away with the concept that children in other lands are not so different from themselves. Music is universal.
Dinosaurs!
Grades: 1-2
Prehistorically inclined? This program is for you! Your Mesozoic tour guide combines the most up-to-date facts with some humorous paleontologist discoveries. This program will keep your students on their toes through hands-on artifacts and fun-to-say science words. Dinosaurs may be extinct but our knowledge of them is still growing.
Insects: What's The Buzz?
**NOW OFFERED FOR THIRD GRADE!**
Grades: 1-3
What is an insect? Is a spider or a scorpion an insect? Your student entomologist will figure out what makes an insect an insect. Models and specimens will aid the students in understanding insects' adaptions to their habitat. The students are exposed to the beneficial role that insects play in the lives of all other living things through visual aids. A live insect puts an exclamation point on this program.
Art: It's A Natural
Grade: 3 & Up
Students discover the elements of art as never before in slides of the region's natural scenery. Science is integrated into the lesson as each student creates an Origami frog. A multi-media presentation that will have your students hopping!
Progress On The Prairie
Grade: 4
Students will find that farming is NOT boring! A journey through the ages of corn's progression from cobs 1-1/2 inches long to ears of today, which contain 1,000 kernels, will amaze them. You will hear the groans as they experience primitive tools and the sighs at the sight of today's convenience.
Our Region And The Civil War
Grades: 5 & Up
Your students will be thinking like a southerner, feeling like a soldier, and yearning to know more by the time our costumed presenter leaves your classroom! Authentic artifacts and photographs of the era bring the Civil War to life for your students.
River Through Time
Grades: 6 & Up
Explore the river from pre-glacial time to the present. Learn from fossil evidence about the plants and animals that inhabited our area hundreds of millions of years ago and their connections to our present time.
Pyramids Along The Mississippi (NEW!)
Grades: 6 & Up
Is the Mississippi River the Nile of the West? Students will travel through time from hunter gatherers to the Mound Builders to discover our region's prehistoric secrets. An atlatl, copper celt, photographs of the excavation of Albany mounds over 100 years ago, and much more will inspire your budding archaeologist.
Riding the Rails (NEW!)
Grades: 4-8
Students track the role railroads played in our region's history: 1854-1915. The journey includes the development of communities, the Civil War, the Orphan Train Movement and Westward Expansion. Watch our region grow as we travel with the railroad through time!
*This program was developed through funds received from the Iowa Community Cultural Grant programand the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend.
After School and Intersession Outreach Programs
Activity-based programs for after school, early release day or intersession. A variety of science and history topics are available, including Dinosaurs, the Solar System, Insects, Mammals, Ocean Life, Ancient Egypt, Native Americans and Pioneers.
Each program features hands-on activities and
take-home projects. Programs generally last between 30-45 minutes and can be adjusted to fit your needs. We can also help with family nights or your fairs and festivals. We customize our programs to work with your event.
Fees vary according to time frame, number of participants and traveling distance. Call 563-324-1054, ext. 206 for information.
Exhibit Hall Exploration
Prior to entering the Exhibit Halls, all groups will receive a ten-minute orientation to prepare them for what they are about to see and do. Following the orientation, teachers are encouraged to assign smaller groups of students to each adult chaperone for exploring the halls at a self-directed pace. Teachers report a more focused learning experience when they bring copies of the Treasure Hunt and pencils for student use.
Asian|Egyptian Gallery
Encounter ancient civilizations and 3,500-year-old mummy of temple chantress, Isis Neferit!
Educational Program: Isis Neferit
Guided Tour: Mummies & More
Grades: 3 & Up Maximum: one class
See Isis Neferit, a 3,500-year old mummy who was unwrapped by curators before being placed on display at the Museum in the mid 1960s. A Museum Educator will share fascinating facts about Ancient Egypt as well as the story of how we obtained some of the artifacts.
Duration: 35 minutes
Fee: $35
Click here to download the Mummies & More
Treasure Hunt
Click here to download the Mummies & More
Treasure Hunt Key!
Black Earth|Big River
Explore a huge oak tree, walk through a cave, and see live Mississippi River fish as well as local ecosystems.
Educational Program: Natural Science
Guided Tour: Take a Hike/Nature Hike
Grades: K-8 Maximum: one class
Take a nature hike with our Naturalist and explore our region’s three habitats: wetlands, woodlands and prairie, along with numerous animal specimens, some living! Teachers may request a topic to be emphasized during the program.
Duration: 35 minutes
Fee: $35
Click here to download the Black Earth | Big River
Treasure Hunt for K-3!
River, Prairie & People
Walk through time to explore our region’s history from prehistoric through today!
Educational Program: Stranger in a Strange Land
Guided Tour: Travel through Time
Grades: 3 & Up Maximum: one class
See and touch artifacts that tell the stories of the Native Americans, early pioneers, the Civil War, immigration and more!
Duration: 35 minutes
Fee: $35
Hall of Mammals
Discover African and Arctic animals up close and personal in this interactive exhibit.
Educational Program: Case of the Talking Skulls
Call (563) 324-1054 ext. 502 or (800) 435-3701
for reservations!
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
FOR HOME SCHOOLS
Check Back for Upcoming Events!
The following educational programs are reserved for home schooling families and IMAX/Exhibit Hall tickets are offered at the same fee rate as large school groups. Reservation and pre-payment in advance is required. $1 processing fee will be added to phone sales. Call (563) 324-1054 extension 206 to make a reservation. Mention "Home School" and program name/date and give the number of child and adults tickets needed.
The Putnam Museum brings live theatre into the galleries to enhance your visit!
Heritage Theatre® is our own theatrical ensemble dedicated to enhancing the mission and educational goals of the Putnam Museum and IMAX® Theatre. Through varied forms of theatre and interpretation, they assist visitors in their understanding and enthusiasm for history and natural science.
Why a theatrical presentation? They're interactive and fun ways to learn about history, bringing the subject to life in a non-traditional way. Presentations address varied learning styles, are standards-based, and pre- and post-visit activities are provided.
THEATRICAL IN-MUSEUM PROGRAMS
Civil War: Aiding and Abetting
Grades: 5 & Up Maximum: 60 students
A two-part program. First, hear the Civil War stories of real people from our region’s past. Two women, portrayed by an educator in period costume, reflect on their roles in helping the boys at war. Kate Perry Mosher, a Southern sympathizer living in Rock Island in the 1860’s, assisted the Confederate prisoners of war. “Mother” Bickerdyke was a volunteer Union nurse, giving aid to the soldiers on the front line. Their stories, lifted from primary source documents, come to life in this theatrical program for your students. Next, a Museum Educator will take your class to the Civil War exhibit to introduce the major themes and highlight unique objects.
Fee: $70
Program Duration: 60 minutes
Exhibit Connection: Bloodlines: Our Ties to the Civil War
Ancient Egypt: Isis Neferit
Grades: 5 & Up Maximum: 60 students
A two-part program. First, a costumed interpreter makes a dramatic presentation on the life of this temple chantress and dancer. This peak at life in Ancient Egypt also includes a “demonstration” of the mummification process! Then, a Museum Educator will lead you to the Egyptian Gallery to give detail on some of the most asked about artifacts and be available to answer student questions. An exhibit related treasure hunt is available on our website to reproduce for your visit.
Fee: $70
Program Duration: 60 minutes
Exhibit Connection: Egyptian Gallery
Immigration: Stranger in a Strange Land
Grades: 4 & Up Maximum: 60 students
A total immersion experience transports your students to Ellis Island in the early 1900’s. Students will be engaged in a role-play interrogation as they attempt to gain entry to the United States. Includes actual stories of immigrants to this region.
Fee: $70
Program Duration: 60 minutes
Exhibit Connection:River, Prairie & People
THEATRICAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS
A Light in the Darkness:
The Story of Anne Frank
Grades: 5 & Up Maximum: one class
Learn about Anne Frank's life through the words of her diary. A costumed interpreter brings the unforgettable story of this young woman to life: a story of courage and hope against all odds. Anne's message is still important today as we continue to struggle with prejudice and discrimination in the world.
Fees: $100 half day (up to 3 programs in 3 hours), $150 full day (4-5 programs, or more than 3 hours) plus travel fee of $.59 per mile
U4H20
Grades: 4 & Up Maximum: 250
Water, water everywhere? What effect will our water usage today have on future generations? Join our "water waster" as they encounter Agent Oh-twoh, sent from the future, to teach us about the power of one and the need for water conservation.
Fees: $125 plus $.59 per mile travel fee
To learn more about possible presentations or to book a program, call (563) 324-1054, ext.207.
TEACHER WORKSHOPS
This teacher workshop is conducted by the Putnam Museum and open to both Illinois and Iowa teachers.
Diggin' the Past: Prehistoric People
June 24-26, 2008, 8:30am-4pm
For teachers of archaeology/Prehistoric American Indian curiculum, grades 4-7.
Dig into the past to learn what happened in the Quad Cities region 465 generations ago.The secrets of prehistoric people of our area are unlocked through experts in the field. Local prehistoric sites provide a physical connection to the past and the opportunity to photograph ancient mounds. Authentic, 10,000 year old, prehistoric Native American artifacts, from the museum collection, make history come alive. Learn how an archaeological excavation is conducted and take part in a mock dig. Planning time during the workshop provides networking with peers to create classroom lessons.
Presenter: PUtnam Museum Curator of History/Anthropology
Cost: 1 hr. Relicensure credit $70, Audit $50
Register at: www.solutionwhere.com/imbaea
Contact: Paula Carter at (800) 947-2329 or (563) 344-6481 ext. 6481
For class content information contact Christina Kastell
at (800) 435-3701 ext. 227 or email kastell@putnam.org
