Education Programs

Each program is about 60-75 minutes in length. Any program may be booked for a visit that includes just 1 program.

MUSEUM GALLERY PROGRAMS

Scholarly Scavenger Hunt

This is an interactive program through our museum. The children would break into pairs or small groups and find the answers to questions about each gallery. An educator will be there chatting about the questions, giving historical facts and helping guide through the experience. At the end we will have a question-and-answer time to elaborate on the things they found interesting.  The program ends with a topic relevant read-a-loud or free explore time at the discretion of the leader.  Appropriate for all ages.

100 Years Ago Gallery Tour Program

Discover what it was like to live and work in Manchester 100 years ago! This interactive program allows students to work together as they explore the museum. Students will work in small teams to answer a series of questions, as they become experts on one gallery. The teams will then present their findings to their classmates as the tour guide leads them through the museum, providing additional information. Topics covered in this program are waterpower and the building of mills, textiles, child labor, housing, inventions, and immigration. Most appropriate for grades 5-12.

Millyard Discovery: Exploring a New Hampshire Industrial City

Walk with a guide through the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company Millyard and along the Merrimack River to find out what made this planned industrial city tick. Survey the area’s unique architectural and structural heritage. The construction of mills, canals, dams, and railroads supported the growth of industry along the river, making the Amoskeag Millyard one of the largest textile mill complexes in the world. Also, see where mill employees lived and worked. Appropriate for grades 2 and up.

MUSEUM CLASSROOM PROGRAMS

 A Child’s Life in Industrial New Hampshire

Learn about children growing up in 19th and early 20th century New Hampshire. Try typical activities a child might do related to work, chores, school, and leisure. Students work in small groups as they complete tasks at different stations using artifacts and primary resources. Concepts explored include child labor, labor struggles, cotton production, immigration, home life, and urban development. This program can be adapted for grades 1-8.

The Lego Millyard Project: Exploring the Millyard through Legos

A hands-on program that focuses on various aspects of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company and the industrialization through the use of LEGO Bricks. Students assemble a “blind build” element from SEE Science Center’s Famous Lego Millyard Project, and then discuss and explore what they just created. This program can accommodate 30 students, any larger groups will be split up into 2 sessions. Appropriate for grades 3 and up.

Women at Work: Mill Girls and Amoskeag

Learn about the importance of women in the Industrial Revolution. Explore hands on centers based around the topics such as weaving, suffrage and labor reform, etiquette and clothing standards, female ingenuity and Victorian Handicrafts. Suitable programing for all. This program can be adapted for grades 1-8.

Manchester before Amoskeag

Learn about the area we call Manchester before the rise of the Industrial Revolution. This program centers around the time period between first contact and Colonial America. Explore hands on topics such as the Abenaki, Scots Irish settlement, pre-industrial waterpower, weaving and archaeology. This program can be adapted for grades 1 and up. 

Inventors and Innovations

Manchester has been a boom town for ingenuity and innovation since the beginning. Explore innovators and inventors from Manchester distant and not so distant past. Explore STEAM based hands on learning stations with topics such as robotics and Dean Kamen, Margaret Knight: Girl genius, Ralph Baer and the video game, the amazing world of Velcro and entrepreneurs of our Queen City. This program can be adapted for grades 3 and up.

Abenaki and the Merrimack

Learn about the nation that first called this area home and explore various parts of the Abenaki’s world. Topics include storytelling, Native Dress, tools and daily chores, traditions and beliefs, and genealogy and language. This program can be adapted for grades 1-5.

Children of the Mills

Children as young as 9 worked in the Millyard. Explore the daily life and tasks of these tiny laborers. Centers include activities related to the jobs these young workers performed, working conditions they faced, education, labor reform, and daily life. This program can be adapted for grades 1-8.