Anyone who has ever been to a museum understands the attraction of artifacts.
Flintlock rifles reveal one step in the development of weapons; antique cars show the evolution of transportation; and even the small, everyday pieces from a local historical society, like a flour sifter or rolling pin, can trigger memories of happy holiday meals.
University of Illinois Extension offices across the state are offering the loan of educational materials for a new, object-based program called “An Artifact Speaks.” The program examines a variety of ancient cultures through artifacts, games, folktales and hands-on activities. These materials will be available to teachers, librarians, scout leaders, home-school instructors and others.
Many Extension offices and school districts will offer the free three-hour workshop to introduce the program and give participants the chance to engage in a selection of program activities.
The workshop for Cass, Morgan, Scott, Calhoun and Greene counties will be at the Jacksonville School District 117 office at 516 Jordan St. from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 8.
“The educator leading the workshop will demonstrate several activities that teachers can take back to their classrooms,” said Duane Friend, a University of Illinois Extension educator who works in Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Morgan and Scott counties. “‘Essentially, what we are trying to do is to show other parts of the university how we can help the university in its outreach efforts.”
“An Artifact Speaks” began as a collaboration between the Spurlock Museum, the world cultures museum at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and Zachary Cain, a sixth-grade teacher at Edison Middle School in Champaign.
The statewide expansion of this program is made possible through the support of a two-year, University of Illinois Extension and Outreach Initiative Grant. The grant funds a partnership between Extension and the museum. Kim Sheahan, the Spurlock Museum’s assistant director of education, will lead the three-hour workshops.
Contact Sarah Raynor at 217-243-9411 or sraynor@jsd117.org to register for the Jacksonville program.
