School Creates Hands On Museum
Article Submitted By Jeremy Baker, Indian River Charter High School
Have you ever wanted to un-earth an ancient fossil? Have you wondered what it would be like to stand in the center of a sundial, take part in the original Olympic games or mummify a pumpkin? If so, then you should have attended the Ancient World Hands On Museum at the Indian River Charter High School in November of 2009.
The event was the brainchild of IRCHS chemistry teacher Rose Gaines and was made possible by a grant from the Toyota Corporation. Gaines’ goal was to create a hands-on natural history museum with exhibits researched and crafted by Charter High School Students for use by local elementary schools. Gaines also envisioned that the interactive exhibits would encompass the ancient civilizations from Greece, Rome, Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. "I wanted the elementary school students to experience how ancient civilizations created all the foundational things we take for granted; food, clothing, shelter." says Gaines who has organized a myriad of teachers and students to create the museum's varied exhibits.
Fine Arts students recreated giant scale models of the planets in our solar system. Chemistry students created presentations on natural pigments, mummification and bread making, and Gaines' own Earth and Space class recreated ancient clocks and calendars. Even the school's media & computer design classes got involved, creating solar system stickers and "passports" that the elementary students were able to get stamped as they moved from exhibit to exhibit.
