Hands-on history at SRAC - News - Daily Review

Yesterday was another one of those days at SRAC where you walk away inspired.

It was the second year in a row that we have held our 4th grade field trip for Waverly's Lincoln Street 4th grade, and I have to tell you that it was a memory maker for all 47 kids and all of us too...

We had three groups made of the students in order to rotate through our three stations every 25 - 30 minutes and then we ended with a question and answer period back out in the lecture hall.

SRAC's Ted Keir, Dick Cowles and Jack Andrus as usual do tremendous jobs getting the kids involved in their topics and have tons of hands on learning tools to assist them.

Special thanks to Lincoln St. teachers Robin Baluvelt and Cathy Hand - - we have a few more things we will be doing with this class in the next few weeks as can be seen in the article by the Daily Review below:

I want to thank D.R. reporter Brian Bishop for making it to SRAC during a hectic election day!

WAVERLY, N.Y. - Fourth-grade students from Waverly's Lincoln Street Elementary School had a chance Tuesday to get up close and personal with their history lessons.

The students took a field trip to the Susquehanna River Archaeology Center (SRAC) Museum in Waverly, the second time the school's fourth graders have visited the museum in as many years. The students heard from Dick Cowles on early European contact with Native Americans in the region; from Ted Keir on hunting the Woolly Mammoth 12-15 thousand years ago; and Jack Andrus told the students some Native American children's stories.

Robin Blauvelt, a fourth grade teacher at Lincoln Street, said the SRAC's exhibits go really well with the New York State fourth grade curriculum. It helps the students to grasp the material when they can have hands-on experience with Native American artifacts, she said, instead of just reading from a textbook. The SRAC has on exhibit many artifacts which were found locally, she said, which helps the students connect what they learn in school to their own area.

Deb Twigg, executive director of SRAC, said that after the students leave the museum, they will complete a special project on Native Americans, such as building a model longhouse. The projects the students complete will then be put on display at SRAC, with SRAC visitors voting on their favorites. The top five selected from that voting will be put on exhibit in the museum for a year, she said.

Brian Bishop can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or e-mail: bbishop@thedailyreview.com.

To read the article on the Daily Review site click here:
Hands-on history at SRAC - News - Daily Review