Minnewaska 6th Graders on museum tour.
The Minnewaska Area 6th graders came for a tour today. It is such fun to host our local students. Besides giving them a tour of the museum and buildings, we “pull their files” and show them what we have collected about them and their families. This year, each student filled out a biography sheet to add to their files and Mary Smith showed them how to start ancestral charts, which they took home to work on with their parents. They are encouraged to return them to the museum to add to their personal family files. For many students, this is their favorite part of the tour.
Learning about recording family history.
We also added a slightly more interactive part of the museum tour. David Lent provided a demonstration of the model steam traction engine. He used compressed air to show the students how steam power works. This led to discussions about changes in farming technology, the steam fire engine, the heat system at the High School and how electricity is produced. We hope to add more interactive exhibits and demonstrations in the future.
Thanks to Minnewaska Area teachers Gloria Nichtern and Brian Gruber for bringing in such well prepared and engaging students!
