The Education Department offers a series of 1-hour Mini-Programs that feature making a craft item in an educational framework, with an emphasis on FUN. These can be brought to you off-site at your location, or schedule one at the Museum and combine it with free access to our core and special exhibits that day.
We can also create 1-hour programs that are Custom-Made to suit the special interests or requirements of your group. Call the Education Department at 978-441-0400 ext. 250, or email reservations@athm.org to schedule, or to discuss options with an education specialist. Offsite programs cost $75 (local), $100 (beyond Greater Lowell area). Programs at the Museum cost $5/participant, with a minimum group size of 10 (smaller groups pay minimum group size cost).
Any of these programs can be included as part of your ATHM Birthday Party plans.
Program Descriptions:
(Most include make-and-take components)
- Beading – Learn to make a beaded bracelet (or anklet, or necklace) on a bead loom. We make it easy for you.
- Construction Set Challenge with K’nex – Learn about the inventive process, then try to improve on an invention made from K’nex building toys. Work on your own or with a team.
- Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House – Read a short version of Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House, then make self-portraits with fabric paint and materials.
- Dream Wolf – Read Dream Wolf, then make Native American wolf hats out of Polartec.
- Embroider a Flower Mug Rug – Learn a few embroidery stitches, then decorate a cloth mug rug with a flower that you design.
- Flax Dolls – Clean your own handful of flax, then make a doll out of it just like colonial kids did.
- Felting – Using raw white and colored wools, create a flat felted scene of your own design. Learn how to card the wool you use to make it easy to work with.
- Felted Jewelry – Learn how to “card” wool, then make some felted jewelry.
- Goat in the Rug – Hear Geraldine the Goat’s story about Navajo rug weaving, then weave a paper placemat yourself. Decorate your weaving with special secret symbols.
- In the Heart – Read In the Heart, then make heart greeting cards with glitter glue and fabrics.
- Loomless Weaving – Learn 3 different ways to weave without a loom – weave raffia bowls, do “straw” weaving, and do kumihimu weaving to make roping.
- Macrame & Finger Weaving – Learn these techniques to make bracelets with bead decorations.
- Native American Crafts – Using our large wooden floor map and miniature pieces, learn about Native Americans from the local Lowell area, then make a Native craft (varied: clay fetish, wolf hats, canoes, weetus, etc.)
- Paper Doll Fashions – Learn about what girls wore since colonial times, then design your own fashions for your paper doll.
- Play Colonial Games – Have fun like kids used to by playing games and with toys from our Colonial Era time period.
- Pot Holder Looms – Learn the technique, and weave pot holders to keep
- Red Berry Wool – Read Red Berry Wool, then make and decorate sheep pins to wear.
- Sarah Morton’s Day – Read Sarah Morton’s Day, then make an old-fashioned doll with raffia.
- Snow Day – Read Snow Day, then use raw wool to felt some snowballs
- The Hollyhock Wall – Read The Hollyhock Wall, then make 3-D yarn flowers.
- Threaded Together – Learn about traditional costumes from other countries, then dress a cardboard figure in the traditional costume of your choice and design from cloth and sundries.
- Weave a Pocket Purse – Learn a unique technique to make a seamless purse on a cardboard loom to keep.
- Weave a Rainbow – Read Weave a Rainbow, then weave rag baskets and put treats in them.
- Weave It – Learn to weave a project on a cardboard loom to keep (cell phone case, mug rug, wall hanging, folded purse, etc.)
