This program is a version of the Hammond Castle Museum visitor experience, but designed with the needs of a field trip in mind. The tour covers basic details of the museum’s background, architecture and collection, as well as aspects of John Hays Hammond Jr.’s biography which help to contextualize the Museum and its exhibits.
Topics briefly covered include:
The program includes a guided tour experience lasting approximately 30-45 minutes, but also reserves time for young visitors to split into smaller groups and explore while independently developing questions about the Museum and items in the collection, if the trip’s schedule allows.
As this is a broad overview of the Museum, it can be adjusted for practically any age level. Particularly with younger visitors, this program will include basic guided learning about how to actively experience a museum collection safely and maturely, with the hope that those visitors will develop key learning skills for further museum exploration!
Hammond Castle Museum’s educational staff is also available to work closely with classroom educators to integrate this basic program with an ongoing curricular focus or particular subject area.
This program uses Hammond Castle Museum’s vast collection of replica arms and armor, including varieties of swords, shields, axes, maces, spears, mail, and helmets, to paint an exciting picture not just of the development and design of historical weaponry through a fun and engaging series of demonstrations, but of the complex and often misunderstood culture and society that produced and utilized these items as tools, symbols of identity and social station, & objects of art.
What was the role of a “knight” in historical Europe, and who could become one?
How has our understanding of these items changed because of books, television, movies and video games?
How should we imagine historical knights today? The program involves a lecture and demonstration in the Museum’s Great Hall, followed by a brief Q&A, and the opportunity to to look at (but not handle) the items up close.
This program is appropriate for visitors in 3rd grade and above, and can be adjusted to address more complex historic and cultural questions as appropriate. Please note this program does not include any small-group exploration time of areas other than the Great Hall, but the Museum is happy to accommodate that opportunity if requested.
Hammond Castle Museum’s educational staff is also available to work closely with classroom educators in aligning the focus of this program with an ongoing instruction, or to develop follow up questions for students.
For more information or to book a specialty group tour, please email us at [email protected] or call us at 978-283-2080.
