Teachers and Parents: Educational Resources

A group of children learns about Washington County's past (Photo by Deb Chial)

One of the Washington County Historical Society's major activities is providing educational programs to schools, youth groups, and parents. This section of the Web site contains information on some of those programs.

St. Croix Valley History Curriculum Units for Teachers

WCHS and the Arcola Mills Foundation have created two unit curriculum units for elementary school teachers. They are free to download and use. We would appreciate an e-mail to [email protected] if you're using them in classroom teaching or another setting.

For the Interactive Biography Profiles unit, a trunk containing the featured objects is available on loan for classroom use.

The curriculum units are offered in the PDF format. You will need the free Adobe Reader software to view them.

(Note: These are very large files and may take a long time to download. If you would like printed copies or files on a CD-ROM, please contact us.)

Museum Class and Group Visits

One of our most popular offerings is the Turn-of-the-Century School experience at Hay Lake School Museum in Scandia. In our century-old brick schoolhouse, elementary school children will:

• Read and recite from 100-year-old primers
• Work arithmetic on slate boards
• Study geography on 19th-century maps
• Compete in a spelling bee
• Eat a "home-made" lunch
• Play Victorian games at recess
• Learn a song children sang long ago
• Learn to write with a "quill" pen
• Take a unique tour of a pioneer log home

Children in grades one through six are invited to spend a day in the Hay Lake Museum's authentic one-room schoolhouse. This full-day experience is offered Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is just $1 per child (with a minimum of 10 and maximum of 40 children).

The students are encouraged to wear "Little House on the Prairie" costumes, although this is not required. The students should bring lunches in metal cans or bags.

For information and reservations, please call the museum at 651-433-4014 or e-mail [email protected].

Group tours are also available at the Warden's House Museum in Stillwater. Call 651-439-5956 for details.