The first step in taking care of our environment is to understand it. With the help of a groundwater model and other hands-on activities, students will learn about the porosity and permeability of soil, how contaminants move in groundwater, and how humans’ everyday actions affect the groundwater beneath them.
Students will interact with an Enviroscape model and each other to learn how the choices humans make in yards, rural fields, and urban developments have a direct impact on rivers and lakes after a rainstorm. Students will gather ideas they can help implement to take care of the planet’s precious water resources.
From tall ships of wood to modern freighters of steel, we’ll learn about the many methods of Great Lakes shipbuilding using a variety of museum exhibits, shipbuilding tools and other hands-on materials. We’ll also design and sail our own cargo vessels fully loaded in our Children’s Waterways Room.
Wisconsin residents can be proud of the 28 submarines built in Manitowoc during World War II, the courage of the submariners, and the willingness of people to support the war in their everyday lives. We’ll view a video and, using artifacts and props, will explore the sacrifices made on the home front.
Post-visit activity: http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/civic_responsibility/index.html This lesson plan, found on the Smithsonian Educators website, is an excellent follow-up to the ideas discussed in our museum program.
This team game is great for mixed ages or single grades. Using a variety of maritime topics, students work in teams to answer questions at varying degrees of difficulty to obtain their score. Images, artifacts, and maps are put to use in this fast-paced activity.