RAM Talks Art: Teacher Open House Sept. 10

By Stacey Sauer, Education Coordinator, Rockford Art Museum

The school year has arrived. Many teachers have spent their summer planning for the upcoming year, generating lesson ideas and embellishing their classrooms with decorations that are staples of any schoolroom (apples and pencils, anyone?).

However, for many teachers and home school parents, finding the right activity to supplement their lessons can be difficult. Have you stopped to consider how local cultural organizations can help? Local museums and cultural organizations are a fun and easy way to supplement your curriculum, whether through performances, field trips or outreach opportunities.

But with so many different organizations in town, how are you supposed to find what type of activity you are interested in? Well, look no further. Wednesday, Sept. 10, stop down at Riverfront Museum Park for the Arts & Sciences to visit the Teacher Open House and see what some of these groups have to offer.

An annual event, this year's Teacher Open House will have representatives from 11 local museums and cultural organizations. This is a one-stop opportunity to explore all of the educational offerings they provide. With so many choices, you will be sure to find something to supplement your lesson plans.

Participating organizations include Burpee Museum of Natural History, Discovery Center Museum, Ethnic Heritage Museum, Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden, Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center, Midway Village Museum, Rockford Area Arts Council, Rockford Art Museum (RAM), Rockford Dance Company, Rockford Symphony Orchestra and Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum.

Are you a teacher who is looking to increase the presence of art in your classroom? Stop by RAM's table and pick up some information about Art Reach. This outreach program (which began as the Junior League's Picture Lady project) contains 90 art portfolios in more than 30 different themes. You can check out up to three portfolios at a time, for up to three months each. Why not utilize this completely free resource to create a mini art gallery in your room?

Would you like your students to learn more about archaeology or natural science? Check out Burpee's table and learn about their fossil or archaeology tours and workshops. Ask them about their museum boxes as well (if you can't go to the museum, bring the museum to you!).

See what opportunities you have to bring history alive for your students at Midway Village and Tinker Swiss Cottage, whose representatives will both be present at Teacher Open House. Midway Village offers living history field trips designed to engage your class, including Civil War Days, Little House on the Prairie and Victorian Days. Tours of Tinker Swiss Cottage allow students to visit one of Rockford's treasures. The cottage is one of the only Swiss-style homes remaining in the U.S. from the 1800s.

Many teachers are limited to a handful of field trips each year. If you are looking to get more for your money, stop in and learn about collaborative field trip opportunities such as Terrific Tuesday and Fabulous Fine Arts Friday.

On a Terrific Tuesday field trip, your students will participate in themed classes presented by Discovery Center, RAM and Rockford Dance Company (RDC). This immersive and diverse educational experience will expressively engage students' bodies and minds in science and art.

On a Fabulous Fine Arts Friday field trip, your students will work with RAM, RDC and Rockford Symphony Orchestra to explore how these three disciplines are interrelated. This year's Fabulous Fine Arts Friday theme is MAD Math, and will explore how fractions, scale, symmetry, and expression relate with the arts.

The 2008 Teacher Open House is Wednesday, Sept. 10, 3-7 p.m., inside Riverfront Museum Park (RMP), 711 N. Main St., Rockford. Admission is free, and all educators will be able to visit the museums located within RMP.

Be sure to pick up a passport at the door, and get it stamped at every stop. At the end of the evening, there will be a drawing for prizes from all participating organizations. Stop in for a moment, or stay the whole time!

For more information about the groups you'll see at Teacher Open House, visit their Web sites:

Burpee Museum of Natural History— http://www.burpee.org

Discovery Center Museum— http://www.discoverycentermuseum.org

Ethnic Heritage Museum— http://www.ethnicheritagemuseum.org

Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden— http://www.klehm.org

Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center— http://www.mendelssohnpac.org

Midway Village Museum— http://www.midwayvillage.com

Rockford Area Arts Council— http://www.artsforeveryone.com

Rockford Art Museum— http://www.rockfordartmuseum.org

Rockford Dance Company— http://www.rockforddancecompany.com

Rockford Symphony Orchestra— http://www.rockfordsymphony.com

Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum— http://www.tinkercottage.com

Contact Rockford Art Museum Education Coordinator Stacey Sauer at ssauer@rockfordartmuseum.org.

from the Sept. 3-9, 2008, issue

 

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