Educator Materials
Hmong at Heart Teacher Resources
Madison Children’s Museum (MCM) celebrates the return of the award-winning exhibit, Hmong at Heart. The exhibit, developed by MCM, recently wrapped up a national tour as part of the Freeman Foundation and Association of Children’s Museum Asian Exhibits Initiative, visiting ten cities from coast to coast.
Hmong at Heart brings to light five thousand years of the remarkable history and durable traditions of the Hmong. Kids can explore several interactive environments including a mountain-top Hmong village in Laos, a Thai refugee camp, and a Hmong American home.
Hmong at Heart will be open for field trip visits from February 18 through August 31, 2008. Guided focus tours of the exhibit are available by request and are recommended for students in grades 3-7. Informal, self-guided visits are recommended for preschool through grade 2.
Teachers’ Institute: Hmong in the Heart of Madison
Wednesday, June 18, 8:30 am-4:30 pm
Spend a day getting to know your local Hmong community during a Hmong Cultural Tour for K-12 educators. The day will include a bus tour and visits to Hmong homes, with sessions including shamanism and traditional ceremonies; music, dance, and games; gardening and foodways; and interviews with elders and young people.
Fee: $15 per person (includes lunch). Continuing education credit available for an additional fee (details coming soon). Program expenses are supported by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council.
Instructors:
Mark Wagler, UW Academic Co-Lab and former MMSD teacher
Ruth Olson, UW Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures
Paul Ly, Bayview Foundation
To register: contact Adam Erdmann, Registration Coordinator at 608.256.6445, ext. 18 or aerdmann@madisonchildrensmuseum.org.
The following resource guides may be used as pre-visit materials to enhance a field trip to the Hmong at Heart exhibit, or may be used independently in the classroom:
MCM worked with Dr. Hardin Coleman & Dr. Michael Karcher to develop a Developmental Profile for Cultural Learning (97.5KB) that details how children learn about culture at different developmental stages and suggests ways in which museum designers and educators can best respond to these stages in their exhibit designs and programs.
Local Culture Teachers Guide (.5MB)
Local Culture Kids’ Guide (25MB)
In conjunction with Hmong at Heart, the museum will present two panel sessions at the upcoming SWEIO teachers’ convention on February 22. Visit http://www.sweio.net/ for more information.
Don’t neglect to check out this remarkable website, created by 4th and 5th grade students as part of the exhibit development process. http://csumc.wisc.edu/cmct/HmongTour/
