EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Education Contact: (M-F, 9 am–1 pm)
Diane Schupbach, Education Coordinator
319-273-3276 or diane.schupbach@uni.edu
Elementary programs
In order by beginning educational level
Featured exhibits
Don't miss out on our always changing featured exhibits! These exhibits provide opportunities for fresh and exciting programs. Contact Diane Schupbach at 319-273-3276 or diane.schupbach@uni.edu to arrange one!
Math and More
Grades PreK-1, 45 minutes
HELD AT THE MARSHALL CENTER SCHOOL
Learn about history in a fun way. Travel back in time using slates and slate chalk to do addition problems. Hear stories about what school was like in a one-room schoolhouse in the 1920s.
Bird Ballet
Grades K-1, 45 minutes
Discover why birds behave as they do. Get a close-up view of a woodpecker's beak or a bittern's foot. Learn more about grackles and hawks. We conclude with students creating their own dance to mimic these beautiful birds.
Dino Stomp
Grades K-1, 45 minutes
Find out about some of your favorite dinosaurs -- Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, Apatosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus rex. Discover how big they were, what they ate, and how they got around. Then take a little time to make up a foot-stomping, rip-roaring dinosaur dance.
Ugly Bug Ball
Grades K-1, 45 minutes
Learn what makes a bug a bug, take a look at some cool creepy crawlies, and find out about the life cycle of your favorite insects. We'll wrap up the show with students jitterbugging at the Ugly Bug Ball.
Animals, Animals, Animals
Grades 1-2, 1 hour
Meet the animals in our collection. Find out where they come from and how they were preserved. Discover how the groups are classified. Learn how to tell the bugs from the birds or the bears.
Nature Detectives
Grades 1-3, 1 hour
Come and solve a nature mystery by looking closely at animal tracks, fur, and trash. Learn to read the stories the clues tell. A guidebook of tracks made by the students is a great souvenir.
The Ashanti Art of Adinkra
Grades 1-6, 1 hour
Learn about the Ashanti culture in Ghana and their beautiful fabric stamping technique called Adinkra. Learn what the symbols mean and make a sample to take home that represents you and your life. Find out how Anansi the Spider ties to the culture.
Cultures of the World
Grades 1-6, 1 hour
Programs about a number of countries represented by our Traveling Trunks can be created to supplement your social studies curriculum. Learn about culture, history, and folk tales; try on clothing and shoes; and touch objects from daily life. Learn more about our Traveling Trunks
Dinosaur Clues
Grades 2-3, 1 hour 15 minutes
How big were dinosaurs? We'll see how they measure up and learn to tell the meat eaters from the plant eaters by looking at their skulls. Other activities explore extinction, the uses of body parts, and reconstruction of skeletons.
Math & McGuffey's
Grades 2-4, 1 hour
HELD AT THE MARSHALL CENTER SCHOOL
Students will experience real lessons from the past. They can read from the famous McGuffey's Reader, practice penmanship on slates, and compete in an old-fashioned spelldown or cipher down.
The Giving Tree
Grades 2-6, 1 hour 15 minutes
Hear the story of a tree and all the things it gave to a person. Brainstorm other products we get from trees, examine seeds and leaves, learn abut the life cycle of a tree, and count the rings in a "tree cookie."
Immigration to Iowa
Grades 3-6, 1 hour 15 minutes
The population of Iowa increased by 489,500 people between 1836 and 1855. Immigration was the cause. People came, and are still coming, in search of refuge, with hope for a better future. Learn about the immigration process from long ago and from today, and find out about the people who have made Iowa such a colorful place.
Rock Identification Tests
Grades 3-6, 1 hour 15 minutes
Learn how to identify igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks with touch, sound, visual, and density tests. Students will complete each test and use their skills to identify some common rocks. Using a black light to make minerals glow is a popular part of this program.
The Stories Maps Tell
Grades 3-6, 1 hour 15 minutes
When you know how to read and use maps it's as if they have stories to tell. We'll explore a variety of maps and use them to play Geography Jeopardy.
Clue in to Culture, Expand Your Mind
Grades 4-6, 1 hour 15 minutes
Imagine finding yourself in a culture that is unfamiliar to you. How would you react? How would you deal with different manners, food, or language? Learn what the aspects of "culture" are and how "culture" is different from "country." Find out about perspective and communication. Expand your mind.
Ocean Invertebrates
Grades 4-6, 1 hour 15 minutes
Discover the tremendous variety of invertebrates as you squeeze sponges, feel the spines of a starfish, and listen to the ocean in a giant conch. Students will sort invertebrates to see the similarities and differences within and between families. Students will also use a guide to identify shells.
Maps, Mental Math & McGuffey's
Grades 4-8, 1 hour 15 minutes
HELD AT THE MARSHALL CENTER SCHOOL
Find the original location of our schoolhouse in Pocahontas County with the state, county, and township maps commonly used in one-room schools. Other activities include solving farm-related problems in your head and discovering how McGuffey's books were used to teach more than just reading.
