Educators'/Childrens' Group Information
Fort Ancient offers seven unique, age-appropriate guided tours designed to complement classroom and Homeschool curriculum guidelines, providing students with a unique educational experience.
Tour Fees:
School Groups
$5.00 per student
$5.00 per adult chaperone
Free admission for parent helpers who assist with the school program.
Adult and Senior Groups: $5.00 per adult.
For most tours, groups should allow 45 minutes to 1 hour (grades K – 2) and 1 ½ hours (grades 3+). Please note that for all groups, parents/chaperones will be asked to assist students with scavenger hunts through the Museum. Some programs may vary, based on the weather, but alternative programs will be made available in cases of inclement weather.
For larger groups (over 60) a maximum of 6 parents/chaperones will be asked to assist students with scavenger hunts through the Museum. It is best if parent helpers can arrive 40 minutes early for a short orientation, helping provide the best possible program for the students.
For grades 4 through 12, and groups larger than 40, the students will begin with an orientation to Ohio Valley prehistory. After the orientation, the group will be divided into two separate groups; half of the students will explore the Museum while the other half participates in a series of hands-on activities, including spear throwing, double ball and a classroom program. The groups will then switch, allowing each student to benefit from the full experience.
Tours, Workshops and Programs
Program: Discovery (September - May)
Students will explore American Indian heritage by listening to music and stories, playing games, and doing traditional American Indian chores. They will learn about the roles of men, women, and children, and what people needed to survive.
Program: Explorer (September - May)
Students will explore different cultural groups of American Indians in Ohio, with emphasis on how European settlements impacted these Indians. The program includes an introduction to prehistoric and historic American Indians, hands on activities, and a scavenger hunt. Also included is a look at Fort Ancient and how the 2,000-year-old site has been preserved.
Program: Natural Resources and Technology (September - May)
Students will learn how Ohio's American Indians used local resources in their everyday lives and how communities changed over time. Students will place local historical events in sequential order on a time line. The program includes completing chores, playing games, and looking for and discussing artifacts.
Program: When Two Worlds Collide (September - May)
Student will explore the cultural practices and artifacts of the earliest people in Ohio and follow the transition from a hunting and gathering society to an agriculturist society when the two cultures collided during the historic period. The tour includes an introduction to the different time periods, hands on activities, and a scavenger hunt in the Museum.
Full descriptions and PDF downloads for the programs and workshops listed above are available here. NOTE: This link will direct you away from www.FortAncient.org to the Ohio Historical Society’s teacher resources site.
Tools of Mother Nature (Pre-K to Kindergarten)
Created especially to hold the interest of preschool children and kindergarteners, this program provides the opportunity to discover how American Indians lived without electricity and the modern conveniences of today. Students will be able to touch and pass around animal furs (coyote, deer, beaver, raccoon, skunk, opossum and muskrat), and animal bones to see how the American Indians used their natural environment to live off the land. Some of the hands on items will include turtle shell, flint, reproduced flint knife (dull), bone and stone beads, feathers, stone hammers, fiber clothing and arrowheads.
Day Care Centers
Due to the wide range of ages present, day care center programs are designed to provide the same fun and access to all that Fort Ancient has to offer, while accommodating their unique needs. Children will begin their tour with an orientation in the classroom and (weather permitting) will participate in hands-on activities on the grounds. Scavenger hunt materials will be given to the day care leaders so that they can complete the Museum tour at a pace that best suits the needs of all their students, assisting the younger children as necessary.
