More than a field trip... our educational programs meet local cirriculum and state standards
For the next year, we offer our support to K-1 through 3rd grade students. A series of coloring pages and read-aloud stores has been developed for kindergarteners and first graders and a mini-book series, "Miss Harvey Remembers" has been prepared for 2nd - 4th graders.
This material will introduce the House before the visit and integrate the House into the Class curriculum, providing a more meaningful visit. The narratives are intended for kindergarteners and first-graders and are accompanied by coloring pages. One of these coloring pages, for the narrative "A Terrible Sight met Our Eyes" is shown to the right; the page was sketched by Ms. Bridgett Spicer, and the narrative was written by Ms. Judy Dreuding. It was derived from original documents, the memoirs and short stories of Josephine Harvey Swinnereton (Eleanor Josephine Harvey, Memories of Spanish Ranch, 1853. UCB Bancroft BMSS 73/122 c:124) and from real life experiences growing up at Spanish Ranch. The narrative and coloring page are available for purchase at the House with proceeds returning to the education program to offset costs associated with printing and with the educational program.
The first chapter of "Miss Harvey Remembers" is complete, written by Judy Dreuding and illustrated by Bridgett Spicer, and is available for purchase or is free for students who visit the House. In this mini-book series teacher Josephine Harvey recalls events in the history of Salinas, and does so by utilizing the artifacts on display at the House. As with the short narratives and coloring pages, the lesson does not end with reading the book in class but, extends to the House where original artifacts and activities will engage the student and give the program a deeper meaning.
CSUMB Service Learning Partnership
The First Mayor's House offers students from California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) the unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience. Many are students studying Museum Science fulfilling their community service hours. Much of the collection has not been catalogued completely. Now through the service-learning approach students learn standard museum practices, conservation application, exhibit content, design, and interpretation. This has been a win-win situation.
Volunteer Collection Care Manager, Neddra Shutts, oversees the CSUMB program. In 2011, 6 students as part of CSUMB community program (40 hours total each semester) but also as students in the Museum Studies Program came to the House and worked with Neddra. Students learned basic skills from cleaning, entering artifacts into the database, researching significance and building exhibits. The payoff was immediate. Salinas had volunteers and students and the community had new exhibit.
However, the real cost should not be underestimated. While expensive in terms of volunteer time, this program paid dividends not only to the CSUMB students but to the House, the community, developing exhibits for fund raisers and to the teachers providing the raw material to make their lesson plans more interesting to their students.
