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SCHOOL PROGRAMS: PLAN A VISIT
Group
Requirements To Schedule A Program
Group size: 20 student minimum
Groups over 25 students will be broken into subgroups,
which will rotate through scheduled sites.
Due to space constraints, a maximum of 100 students
at a time will be allowed at the farm, 50 students at a time will
be allowed at the Museum, and 25 students at a time will be allowed
at Independence Hall or the Gift Shop.
Groups of less than 20 students are welcome to
visit the facilities on their own, depending on availability, but
will not receive a guided program.
Points
To Consider When Planning Your Trip
Programs are offered at three sites within the
Park: Star of the Republic Museum, Independence Hall, and Barrington
Living History Farm. Students may participate in programs at
multiple sites, if time permits.
Star of the Republic Museum, Barrington Living History Farm, and Independence
Hall are available for scheduled programs 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
Monday-Friday.
Reservations are not taken for group programs
on weekends.
Student
Program Fees
For groups meeting the above requirements, the
student program fee is $1.00 per site (Star of the Republic Museum,
Independence Hall, and Barrington Living History Farm). Adult fee
is $2.00, with one adult admitted free with every 10 students, and
bus drivers free. There is no admission fee to the Visitor Center/Gift
Shop or the Townsite Trail. Minimum group fee for students:
$20
SCHOOL PROGRAM OPTIONS
#1: Adventures in the Republic
Star of the Republic Museum
1 hour, 20-50 students
PreK-8th Grade
Fee: $1.00 per student
Star of the Republic Museum offers a well-rounded
historical interpretation of Texas History. The age-appropriate
historical adventure begins on the first floor with a scavenger
hunt or a guided explanation of the chronology of early Texas history.
Students learn about the lifestyles of the “First Texans,”
and see artifacts left behind by the Spanish and French explorers
in Texas. In addition, they view the vast exhibits on the settlers
in Texas, the war for independence, annexation, Texas Rangers, and
the Mexican War. If time permits, students are encouraged to visit
the Discovery Center, where they are able to touch, smell, try on,
and play with different reproduction items from the Republic Period.
The adventu re
continues up the ramp to the second floor. As they travel up the
ramp, students are transported back in time to the Republic of Texas.
They learn about the Tejano, African American, and Anglo settlers
in early Texas. Students are able to take a peek inside houses of
the different cultures to see how each group lived. Along the way,
the students gather around the “Wash Day” exhibit to
discuss the complexity of doing a simple chore such as laundry,
without electricity or modern conveniences. As they approach the
Yellow Stone steamboat, students learn about water transportation
in the 1830’s, hear stories about the Yellow Stone during
the Texas war for independence, and get a chance to steer the Yellow
Stone on a simulated trip down the Brazos River!
#2:
Courage, Convention, and Constitution: The Birth of Texas
Independence Hall
30 minutes, 20-25 students
PreK-8th Grade
Fee: $1.00 per student
This program helps school age children discover
the role of Washington in the birth of Texas by use of both a story
and question/answer format. Its goal is to produce within the participant
a conceptual grasp of three themes: 1) the 1836 Convention delegates
worked to organize a government knowing that in so doing they faced
great danger, 2) we can understand what a constitution is by relating
what it does to our own lives, and 3) when we understand the importance
of a constitution we realize why the Texians could not have secured
their independence without the work of the Convention at Washington
in creating the first Texas constitution. The program encourages
the students to use their imaginations to visualize the town of
Washington as it was in 1836 and provides them with an opportunity
to visit the site of the 1836 Convention, today the location of
the “Independence Hall” reconstruction. However, instead
of placing primary emphasis on the building itself, the program
seeks to develop within the participant an appreciation for what
makes the site of the Convention so unique and special to the people
of Texas.
#3:
Words and Feathers
Independence Hall
1 hour, 20-25 students
4th-8th grade
Fee: $1.00 per student
This program challenges students to use both role-playing
and problem solving to write a mock constitution for the Republic
of Texas. The students assume the roles of delegates to the General
Convention of 1836 that met in Washington to draft Texas’
first constitution. The interpreter presents the students with basic
rules of parliamentary procedure, a synopsis of the problems facing
the original convention delegates, and definitions of terms used
by parliamentary assemblies. The students then elect from amongst
themselves a President and a Secretary. Under the guidance of the
interpreter, the President directs the proceedings while the Secretary
records the provisions of the constitution created by the student
delegates. The students use parliamentary processes to create a
constitution that provides Texas with revenue, develops the economy,
establishes a structure for the government, and defines its powers.
The program concludes when the student delegates sign their names
to the completed “constitution” using feather quill
pens.
#4:
Crops, Chores, & Chickens: Life on an 1850’s Farm
Barrington Living History Farm
1 hour 30 minutes, 20-100 students
PreK-2nd Grade
Fee: $1.00 per student
Experience life on a mid-nineteenth century cotton
farm! Cooking in the open hearth, woodworking, churning butter,
feeding the hogs and chickens, driving the oxen, picking cotton,
and doing laundry…. Barrington Farm provides a unique opportunity
for young children to get their hands on the past. Students tour
the original 1844 home of Dr. Anson Jones, last president of the
Republic of Texas, including the farm’s kitchen, barn, and
slave quarters. As they explore, costumed interpreters tell the
story of life at Barrington and encourage visitors to participate
in daily chores. Kids and adults alike will enjoy the opportunity
to get to know the farm’s heritage livestock breeds of chickens,
hogs, and cattle and the role they play in Barrington’s community.
Hands-on-activities vary with the season on this working farm.
#5:
A Day in the Life: Exploring the World of the Barrington Residents
Barrington Living History Farm
2 hours, 20-100 students
3rd-8th Grades
Fee: $1.00 per student
Texas History comes to life for older students
at Barrington Living History Farm. The stories of the Republic of
Texas and early statehood are given a human face through tours of
the original 1844 home of Dr. Anson Jones, last president of the
Republic of Texas. Students will experience the world of the Jones
family and their slaves by exploring the working reproduction kitchen,
smokehouse, barn and slave quarters with the Farm’s knowledgeable
costumed interpreters. Hands-on activities vary with the season
and the age of the students. Before they know it students will be
transported into a world free of electricity and running water-
a world where “cotton was king” and school was a luxury.
By looking at Barrington Farm we are afforded a more intimate peek
into the political, social, and economic communities of Texas in
the mid-nineteenth century.
#6:
Townsite Trail Time
Washington Townsite
30 minutes, any number of students
Any grade level
Fee: no charge
What did the town of Washington look like in the
1840’s? What happened to it since then? This self-guided tour
option adds another dimension to a visit to Washington-on-the-Brazos.
Printed trail guides provide detailed information about the town
in its prime, and help students visualize what it looked like when
it was the capital of Texas. Students will gain a better understanding
of how geographic features influenced the development of early Texas
towns, and how the failure to adapt to changes affected their future.
#7:
Thanksgiving Native American Program (November only)
Star of the Republic Museum
45 minutes
Pre-K through 2nd Grade
Fee: $1.00 per student
Amid the cooler temperatures and fall leaves,
Star of the Republic Museum offers an expanded, interactive Native
American Program in recognition of the Thanksgiving Holiday. The
program is offered during the month of November for a minimum of
20 students. The program focuses on the Native Americans during
the Republic Period of Texas (1836-1846). Learn how these Native
Americans used furs, bones, and plants to create items we use everyday.
The children have an opportunity to try on, touch and play with
different replica items common among the Native Americans of Texas.
If your school is unable to make the drive out to Washington-on-the-Brazos,
the museum also offers an adapted outreach version of the Native
American Program for a minimum of 30 students with a fee of $3 per
student. This program is only available for schools within a 50-mile
radius of the museum.
#8:
Leeches by Thousands (October only)
Star of the Republic Museum
45 minutes
4th-7th Grade
Fee: $1.00 per student
The Museum offers a special Medicine Program,
“Leeches by Thousands,” during the month of October.
This program allows students to learn about ailments and medical
practices of the Republic Period of Texas. The Museum’s collection
of medical artifacts reflects a world without anesthetics or modern
technology. This program will complement the study of how scientific
discoveries and technological innovations in the field of medicine
have benefited individuals and society in the United States, as
specified in the social studies TEKS 4.3.B, 5.24.C, 6.20.A, and
7.20.A. Available for groups of 20 or more.
#9:
Home School Days (2nd & 4th Wednesdays in September
& October)
Star of the Republic Museum & Barrington Farm
10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Fee: $6/Adult, $5/child
No minimum group size required
Lunch not provided; picnics welcome!
The Star of the Republic Museum and Barrington
Living History Farm are pleased to present a program specifically
for home school families:
On the second and fourth Wednesdays in September and October, the
staff at the museum and the farm will present "Childhood in
Early Texas," an interactive, hands-on program for the entire
family. Discover what life was like for a child in the mid-19th
century during a visit to this historic site. In the museum, learn
about childhood chores, clothes, and schools, and then make some
old-fashioned toys to take home. Take a break with a picnic lunch
in the pecan grove along the Brazos River, then hike up to Barrington
Farm to experience life on the farm. End your visit with a stroll
through the cotton field, picking a boll or two along the way. Curriculum
materials including lesson plans and activity sheets will be available
online to help continue the learning experience at home. Reservations
required.
RESERVATIONS
Making
Reservations
To schedule a program, you must call at least
2 weeks in advance.
The size of your group and your choice of program
may affect availability.
Consider travel time to Washington-on-the-Brazos.
It is important for you to be on time for your scheduled program!
Scheduled time may include allowances for travel
from site to site.
Picnic area is available for lunch (free of charge)
or pavilions may be reserved for a small charge (to reserve, call
936-878-2214, ext. 222).
Certain time slots fill very quickly, so you
are encouraged to make reservations as early as possible.
Please note that an inquiry into date availability
does NOT constitute a reservation.
Call Erin at 936-878-2461, ext.236 or erin.crawford@blinn.edu
to book a program or ask questions.
Have The Following Information Ready When Calling
To Book Your Program
Teacher/contact person name, name and mailing
address for school, phone and fax number and e-mail address (if
available)
Best time to reach teacher during the day
Number of students and grade level
Desired programs
Requested dates and time-- be prepared with 2-3
alternate dates and times, in case your first choice is not available.
NOTE: Tour booking for the 2007-2008 school year
opens August 1, 2007. Reservations are taken on a first-come, first-served
basis, to the best of our ability. Please understand that many schools
call or e-mail during this period to secure desired dates. Leaving
a voice-mail message does not guarantee date availability. Teachers
are encouraged to e-mail requests in order to avoid phone-tag delays.
Once
Your Tour Is Booked
You will receive a pre-confirmation letter informing
you that your school group has been placed on the calendar.
3-4 weeks before your visit you will receive
a packet of information to facilitate your visit—including
maps, brochures, schedule, and points to remember. The packet will
also contain a CONFIRMATION CONTRACT to sign and return, confirming
your tour date. Failure to return it may jeopardize your
reservation.
NOTE: times when you receive materials may vary
based on how far in advance tours are reserved.
Pay upon arrival with cash or check for exact
amount. (No refunds for checks on day of visit). Credit cards also
accepted (Visa, MasterCard or Discover).
Post-Tour
Evaluation
Thank you for visiting Washington-on-the-Brazos!
We hope your experience was enjoyable. Please complete this brief
and simple survey to provide some feedback about your tour. Your
input will allow us to improve our services in the future. Click
Here to take survey . Thank you!
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