Simple Activities to go with a tour

Started by Capt M. Sherrod, June 14, 2007, 04:41:12 PM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Capt M. Sherrod

I have been reviewing the various Aerospace Dimensions Modules, and the Journey of Flight text, and I was wondering if anyone on this board had some ideas for activities to coincide with a museum tour.  I have arranged for the cadets / officers / families in the area to get a tour of the Collings Foundation Museum in Stow, MA and was looking to have some hands-on type things for after the tour.  I am still waiting for my AEX materials to arrive from National and so, I don't have that resource available to me.  It does not even have to be for afterwards, it could be something that the cadets work on as they go through the museum.  I am hitting a mental block right now.  Thank you for the help.
Michael Sherrod, Capt, CAP
Professional Development Officer
Hanscom Composite Squadron, NER-MA-043

IceNine

In the past I have run a competition of information about the museums, questions about certain aircraft, or other things in the museum.  If you have the space somewhere there is a paperairplane activity, very easy (which planes go farther, faster etc.)
"All of the true things that I am about to tell you are shameless lies"

Book of Bokonon
Chapter 4

Briski

We put together a killer scavenger hunt for a museum once. It was a good time. I went up the weekend before with the 1st Sgt (I was C/CC at the time) and we looked at all of the displays and came up with I think 25 questions that would require a lot of effort to find (like the titles of the three books in the gift shop that were cowritten by our Sq CC).

We focused the questions on things that had to do with CAP. We found all the displays available for aerospace leaders with CP achievements named after them (Arnold, Mitchell, Spaatz, etc.) to gear it towards our specific educational purposes.

And fun was had by all.
JACKIE M. BRISKI, Capt, CAP
VAWG Cadet Programs Team

...not all those who wander are lost...

CAP428

Quote from: J.Hendricks on June 14, 2007, 04:49:00 PM
If you have the space somewhere there is a paperairplane activity, very easy (which planes go farther, faster etc.)

While I understand it is often difficult to find new, innovative, and entertaining AE activities, please, for the sake of those poor cadets' sanity, do not do this activity.

I'm sorry, but a paper airplane activity is humiliatingly and degradingly childish;  it is much more appropriate for the 5-9 age group (and no, I'm not being smart aleck).

Quote from: Briski on June 14, 2007, 11:08:33 PM
We put together a killer scavenger hunt for a museum once. It was a good time. I went up the weekend before with the 1st Sgt (I was C/CC at the time) and we looked at all of the displays and came up with I think 25 questions that would require a lot of effort to find (like the titles of the three books in the gift shop that were cowritten by our Sq CC).

Scavenger hunts can work well, but I will advise that you use them with caution.  I have been on many field trip type things where we had to do a scavenger hunt, and there were so many questions we had to spend the entire time only looking for the answers and therefore missed what we went there for:  seeing the exhibits and learning.

Personally, I would do a scavenger hunt only as a supplement to seeing the museum, with perhaps no more than 5 or 10 questions.  Any more than that, and they will spend the whole time searching for those answers and won't get to actually learn anything that they wanted to see.

Or make it optional but include a prize for the winner to help encourage them to do it anyway instead of just blowing it off.
I know I'm being annoying by pointing out why I don't think an activity would be a good idea without providing a solution or alternative, but I don't have an idea right now.  I will, however, think about it and come back when  I think of something.

Oh yeah, I forgot.  You said for "after the tour."  I don't know exactly what you mean by "tour" but if you mean it in the literal sense, as in there will be a person taking you around and showing you things, then I think the best after-tour activity would be to let the cadets look at things on their own.

I work as a tour guide, and so I know that while I can impart a lot of knowledge about the museum and site to visitors, often times what I am talking about is really what somebody is interested in, while it is not interesting at all to somebody else.  One of the best things you can do at a museum is to let peope see things they want to see, and let them explore and learn on their own...they will appreciate it, and will learn a lot more, since, I'll admit, listening to a tour guide isn't always all that exciting....

Briski

CAP428 brings up some excellent points about my previous suggestion. In our case, it was the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, which happens to be 30-45 minutes from the majority of unit members. A few years ago, it was the largest military museum in the world an second largest museum of any type in the world - and then they added another hangar. The squadron normally visits 2-3 times a year, it's a staple in the OHWG Encampment curriculum, and the cadets go on their own regularly. It wasn't exactly like it was any of their first, second or even third time going to this museum. They wanted to go, but they wanted something a little bit different, too.

That said, CAP428, do you have any suggestions of your own for 2d Lt Sherrod? :)
JACKIE M. BRISKI, Capt, CAP
VAWG Cadet Programs Team

...not all those who wander are lost...

Psicorp

#5
This past Fall my squadron did an AE activity, a tour of the Kalamazoo Air Zoo (aviation museum). 

Cadets were separated from family and Officers and had their own tour with a Docent (this was at the Cadets' request).   The Offficers and non-member guests were given a separate tour with a Docent.

The Docent guiding us Officers around was an actual WWII "Flying Tiger" and during the tour he told us several of stories of his time in the service.  After a while we were like, the hell with the tour, keep talking.  Fascinating stuff!    We found out later that for this gentleman to speak of his experiences is a rarity, so we were very honored he did so. 

If you know of someone (or several someones) who has "been there and done that", it can really bring a museum to life in a way that a normal guided tour can't.   There are some aircraft I will never be able to look at again without thinking of that gentleman.

As far as Cadet activities during and after, I think you'd be very remiss not to have asked the Cadets what they want to see, learn, and do during the planning stages.   You may find you have Cadets like Ms. Briski who have the insight, the saturity, and the ability to execute the activity.   

Jamie Kahler, Capt., CAP
(C/Lt Col, ret.)
CC
GLR-MI-257

Pylon

Michael F. Kieloch, Maj, CAP

Psicorp

#7
Quote from: Pylon on June 15, 2007, 05:43:33 PM
Quote from: Psicorp on June 15, 2007, 05:42:01 PM
...Cadets like Mr. Briski who...
:o :-X ;D

Oops  :D  Of all the stupid typos to make...sheesh!  Sorry!

Jamie Kahler, Capt., CAP
(C/Lt Col, ret.)
CC
GLR-MI-257

Briski

JACKIE M. BRISKI, Capt, CAP
VAWG Cadet Programs Team

...not all those who wander are lost...

MIKE

Briski looks like a dude anyway... Honest mistake.  ;D
Mike Johnston

Capt M. Sherrod

I was looking at possibly creating some sort of graph / table that the cadets could enter in some basic data about each aircraft that they looked at.  From there, we would have a discussion about which aircraft had the best wing loading and maneuverability.  Look at the possibility of which aircraft, all other aspects being equal, would be the most successful in a dogfight, etc.  What are the thoughts on this or have any of you done something like this?
Michael Sherrod, Capt, CAP
Professional Development Officer
Hanscom Composite Squadron, NER-MA-043

arajca

Contact the museum. Many museums have activities for school groups, usually different ones for different ages. If they have something suitable, use it.

Slim

Sorry to continue the off-topicness, but I can't let it slide.

Does this look like a dude?  Briski's the one on the right...



Slim

Briski

Quote from: Slim on June 16, 2007, 07:01:46 PMDoes this look like a dude?  Briski's the one on the right...

Touché. :)
JACKIE M. BRISKI, Capt, CAP
VAWG Cadet Programs Team

...not all those who wander are lost...

RogueLeader

WYWG DP

GRW 3340

Briski

Quote from: RogueLeader on June 16, 2007, 11:44:25 PMSo, how you doing? ;)
You mean other than not on the market? ;D

Quote from: arajca on June 15, 2007, 06:57:53 PM
Contact the museum. Many museums have activities for school groups, usually different ones for different ages. If they have something suitable, use it.
This is another good point. You should definitely ask and see what resources the museum has available. If they won't work for your group, you might be able to make modifications for your specific training goals, or at the very least use their ideas as starting points to get your creative juices flowin'.
JACKIE M. BRISKI, Capt, CAP
VAWG Cadet Programs Team

...not all those who wander are lost...

RogueLeader

WYWG DP

GRW 3340

Briski

#17
I'm talking to Major Christina Watts online, and since she lost her login info for this site and didn't feel like trying to find it, she decided to lecture me instead.  Here are her insights straight from IM, and organized as best I could, because sometimes it's hard even for me to organize her thoughts:

Many major science and aviation/history museums have pre-visit activities on their websites, or activities to do while at the museum (scavenger hunts, projects that can be started prior to the trip- worked on there, then completed back in the classroom) and many science centers and history museums have docents or even teachers on staff to help come up with activities and programs. Heck- the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum even has an online scavenger hunt that would count as an AE activity for the AE excellence program.

When we take our cadets to the science center I usually give them a pre trip assignment- something to do at the meeting or something like that... the one time there was an online research project.. it was pretty cool- a friend of mine made it up for us for the traveling NASA exibit.. it was a bunch of websites for them to go to and they had to read articles and answer questions specific to the articles... they got to work on it at the unit and at home.

If the museum doesn't seem to have anything on a website (or it is a smaller facility) it is often good to scope it out ahead of time... At the Detroit Science Center, if you book a group tour (cause many places require you to "pre book" a school age group trip), they offer a free admission for up to 2 people prior to your trip- allowing you to check out what areas you want to concentrate on, or to plan assignments or projects.

CHRISTINA L. WATTS, Maj, CAP
Cadet Programs Development Officer
Oakland-Maccomb Group

AKA The other distinctly non-dude in that pic who is also spoken for, 2d Lt Seng ;D
JACKIE M. BRISKI, Capt, CAP
VAWG Cadet Programs Team

...not all those who wander are lost...

Al Sayre

Quote from: Slim on June 16, 2007, 07:01:46 PM
Sorry to continue the off-topicness, but I can't let it slide.

Does this look like a dude?  Briski's the one on the right...



So much for those rumors on CS about no photos of Briski smiling...
Lt Col Al Sayre
MS Wing Staff Dude
Admiral, Great Navy of the State of Nebraska
GRW #2787