Can you help me brainstorm some elementary aged activities?

[saraha]

I am working on a proposal for a family day at my new job. We are planning a “birthday celebration “ of giving tours for our site to close out the season. The site opened 75 years ago and the other activities proposed so far include mostly talks about the property and the processes that brought the site to where it is today. I suggested we add some kid friendly activities (there usually aren’t anything specifically for kids at the open house events) so am looking for some ideas. I want to focus on maybe three activities all related to what happens at the restoration of an historic building. Excavations, rebuilds, tear outs, blueprints, maps of the farm etc are all themes that would work

The activities would take place outside the visitors center on our covered deck

Ideas I have so far:

Wading pool full of sand with strings stretched across the top to look like an archeological dig. An accompanying grid chart with pictures of things buried so that when one is dug up, it’s picture can be put in the corresponding grid box.

A section with blocks and some laminated simple floor plans so kids can choose a floor plan and build the foundation from blocks

please feel free to critique these ideas, offer better suggestions, tell me why something wouldn’t work, suggest other ideas

Thanks!

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by saraha

[saraha]

Maybe some sensory peeling things? Like linoleum was peeled up and wallpaper peeled off?

some kind time line activity?

I want to have several ideas so when the proposal is reviewed if the board has opinions there’s several things to choose from

Edited July 3, 2023 by saraha

[SKL]

A room done up the way it would have looked back in the time the building was originally placed in service?  With explanations of how old machines / equipment were used, the types of jobs done by men / women, etc.

When we were rehabbing / repurposing an old bank building, my kids and I happened to be reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, which happened to be set in an old bank building that had been repurposed into a futuristic library.  The book has the characters solving a series of games / contests to progress toward escaping the library.  It might be fun to borrow some of the ideas to make an escape room given your theme.

Finally, whenever I used to organize anything for kids of employees, I would try to include some sort of service project that kids could do.  It might be as simple as making greeting cards for wounded veterans or anything else that might have some historic touch to it.

Edited July 3, 2023 by SKL

[heartlikealion]

Maybe a blueprint map with something placed on it that's not normally there for the kids to find (the kid needs to find an emergency exit. For this day the blueprint has a cow image and when they locate it, they see a print out or stuffed animal of a cow signaling they found it). I'm not sure if that type of thing would help, but during the tour I'd be more excited to spot random things than look at a plain building. 

[Drama Llama]

You're the one who works at the Underground Railroad site right?

Could you have a story time with the Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt book and have colored shapes for kids to do quilt style collages?

I love your ideas as well.

 

ETA:  I think  The Patchwork Path. is a better choice.

Edited July 3, 2023 by BandH

[saraha]

Yes, I work at an Underground Railroad site. We have been open for tours for 75 years and there have been three major builds/renovation/restoration over the years and we are going to focus on that more than the family story as we do that everyday. We have a lot of people that come up and say they haven’t been here since 4th grade and how different it looks so we thought we would do presentations about the archeological surveys, restorations etc 

[HomeAgain]

One thing ds loved in DC was the house in time exhibit.  It showed what it would look like at different periods and different people living there.  It was huge, because, well, it's DC, but could be scaled down to dollhouse size.

I like your blocks and blueprint idea.  I would stay away from sand entirely unless you want to clean up handfuls of it after it is thrown.  Perhaps a matching game of some sort would work, where pictures of old objects found are matched with their purpose.  One of our beginner archeology tasks is looking at odd, common objects and trying to determine everything we can about them before knowing their true purpose.

[pinball]

How about a table with items that kids can choose to put into categories that “might” have been found from the “past” …whatever year you choose…vs items that definitely are more modern.

like…a silver fork “might” be from the 1800s vs a plastic fork definitely modern

Editing to add/amend:

This would probably be easier to do with pictures. You could print a variety of pictures, slip them into paper protectors and tape one side down on a table. Then underneath each picture, you could put the “answer” yes, it might be an item found from your target year or no. So the participants would look under each picture to see the answer.

Edited July 3, 2023 by pinball

[MercyA]

I like the blocks and floor plan idea.

The kids would have fun digging in the sand, but I think the grids would be too complicated for younger children. Maybe just bury "old" objects and then have the kids dust them off and guess at their use?

Here's an activity creating "blueprints" with paint and Duplo sized blocks: https://innovationkidslab.com/lego-printmaking-steam-activity-kids/

Could they use the map of the farm to build a similar miniature farm using plastic animals, buildings, etc.? Perhaps toy railroad size buildings?

Edited July 3, 2023 by MercyA

[Cecropia]

I know the Underground Railroad wasn't an actual railroad, but how about using trains/track symbolically somehow?  Laying track along a timeline and the trains labeled or covered with pictures, to be your building or some other representation?  Maybe a lift-the-flap with info underneath at each stop.  This could also be used to show the steps in restoration, or the route your building is on with other landmarks, etc.  If you have the budget for it, kids love the wooden trains/track.

[saraha]

You guys are so creative!!!