2007-2008 Hudson Museum Offerings for Schools

Please invite the Hudson Museum to come to your school. Programs can be tailored to meet the needs of one classroom or several and can be adapted for grades K-12. All programs support Maine Learning Results and the Maine Native Americans program supports LD 291, the teaching of Maine Indian history and culture.

The Hudson Museum’s Education Coordinator, Monica Squires and community volunteers will come to your school with hands-on objects, material from the Museum’s collection, powerpoint presentations, videos, traditional games, and arts and crafts activities. Each program lasts a minimum of 1 hour. The fee is $3.00 per student, in addition to mileage reimbursement for travel from the University of Maine’s campus in Orono to your school. We must be able to reach your school in 90 minutes or less by vehicle.

For accommodation of persons with disabilities, please call the Museum’s office at 581-1901. To arrange for a program at your school, please call Monica Squires at 581-1906 or email at monica.squires@umit.maine.edu

Native American Program

This program focuses on the Native Peoples of Maine, the Southwest, the Northwest Coast and the Arctic. Learn about the environments in which they live, their ways of life through the objects that they make, and traditional artforms and activities.

Maine Indians Program

Learn about the material culture of Maine’s four tribes, focusing on birchbark work, basketry, and carving traditions. Listen to a traditional Penobscot tale, play waltes, a Northeastern bowl and dice game, and make a bookmark or traditional container.

Mesoamerican Civilizations

Learn about the civilizations–Olmec to Aztec–of Mesoamerica through artifacts from the Hudson Museum’s collection. This program is geared to Middle School students.

Meet Monica Squires, the Museum’s new Education Program Coordinator

Monica Squires is a first year Graduate Student pursuing her Masters in Education in Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction at the University of Maine. She completed Bachelor’s Degrees in May of 2007 in Secondary Education (Social Studies) and History at the same institution and graduated Summa Cum Laude. She also completed the University’s Honors program which included writing an Honors Thesis. She wrote on the use of Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences in the classroom and the importance of innovative and creative teaching and achieved Highest Honors. She was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Delta Pi, and Phi Alpha Theta Honor Societies. She also completed a minor in French and spent a semester studying abroad in Paris, France.

Monica intends to continue studying Educational Psychology in preparation to enter the teaching world upon completion of her Master’s in Education. She intends to complete her course work to achieve certification to teach French in addition to Social Studies. She hopes to further study the impact of creative teaching strategies to better her skills as a teacher.

Monica is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the Hudson Museum while pursuing her Master’s Degree. Previously, she has worked for three consecutive summers at Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. As a National Park Ranger, she has presented the story of the Industrial Revolution to people from all walks of life. She provides guided tours as well as informal interpretation of the historical sites.

Gallery Programs Updated July 9, 2007

Cedar and Sea: Peoples of the Northwest Coast

This program introduces students to the Native peoples of the Northwest Coast of the United States and Canada, focusing on the impact of the environment on the cultures of this region. Tour options for this program include an arts and crafts activity, such a mask making, bent-corner box making or crest art. See our Curriculum Connection article about using this gallery to help meet Maine State Learning Results.

Inuit Toys and Games

Examines the traditional lifeways of the Arctic through three voyages of discovery. Students may watch videos that show how an igloo is made and how the people of this region live and hunt; paddle a kayak; handle education program artifacts (tools and clothing); and play Inuit games.

Rainforest Art

Learn more about the rainforest through the arts of Panama’s Kuna people. A hands-on mola activity is also available for students. Grades 3 and up.

The Penobscot

Learn about the material culture of Maine’s Penobscot people, focusing on birchbark work, basketry, wood carving and beadwork. This tour includes lots of hands-on materials and students have an opportunity to play a Northeastern bowl and dice game and to hear the Penobscot language. See our Curriculum index for online resources for teaching Maine Native American history and culture in the classroom.