The Farmers’ Museum and Fenimore Art Museum are pleased to present Distance Learning programming for learning in the classroom or at home. Each program includes a New York State Learning Standard-based lesson plan prepared by our Education Department staff and include either videos or Powerpoint presentations along with activities and other tools to further the lesson. Teachers are free to use as much (or as little!) of the material as desired. These materials may also be utilized by the teacher to receive CTLE credits – please contact us for details.
Another Way To Learn History
When is a carousel more than just a carousel? When that carousel is the Empire State Carousel! Not only is it a fun ride no matter your age, it is also an incredible educational tool and a beautiful work of art. Take a look at our lesson "Another Way To Learn History" and find out … Continue reading Another Way To Learn History
Back to School
School in the mid-1800s in rural New York focused on essential skills that children would need to be successful farmers and businessmen. The school calendar revolved around the farming calendar, and attendance was not mandatory. Students will understand what school was like in the mid-1800s and how it compares and contrasts to their school experience … Continue reading Back to School
How Many Biscuits Can You Eat?
Today’s lesson will show you how make delicious rolled buttermilk biscuits. Grab your apron, gather up your ingredients, and join our interpreters to learn how baking was done in the 1870 wood cook stove in the kitchen of Bump Tavern. You can make the same yummy biscuits using your own oven at home. Buttermilk … Continue reading How Many Biscuits Can You Eat?
Impact of the Chenango and Erie Canals
The Erie Canal opened in 1825 to much fanfare and celebration, connecting New York City and the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes. The success of the Erie Canal led to the building of other canals. This allowed agricultural and factory made goods, as well as people, to move cheaper and with greater speed from … Continue reading Impact of the Chenango and Erie Canals
Quilt Math
Math has a way of popping up in the strangest places! Check out this lesson on math and quilt-making and see what we mean. Quilt Math ppt Quilt Math Presentation Quilt Math Triangle Worksheet Quilt Math Triangle Answer Sheet Quilt Math Fraction Worksheet Quilt Math Fraction Answer Sheet Quilt Math Make Your Own Block Instruction … Continue reading Quilt Math
Sheep to Wool
Sheep were important to farm families in the mid-1800s. Sheep provided both meat and wool to the families. Wool allowed the families to make clothing and other needed goods. In this lesson, students will learn about sheep, wool, how it is processed, and products made from wool. This lesson is designed for younger students. PowerPoint … Continue reading Sheep to Wool
Simple Machines
Here is an opportunity for you to utilize the resources of The Farmers’ Museum to facilitate classroom instruction of the Simple Machines curriculum. Many tools that 1840s farmers used are in fact simple machines. Citizens and farmers of upstate New York in the nineteenth century may not have viewed these machines through today’s language of … Continue reading Simple Machines
Six Nations
The Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, have a long history and presence in New York State. The geography and natural resources of the Eastern Woodland region greatly influenced the Haudenosaunee culture. Arrival of European settlers significantly changed their lifestyle, traditional beliefs, and culture that still inform the lives of the Haudenosaunee people today. Using Fenimore Art Museum’s … Continue reading Six Nations
Smuggled Lenses: Photography and Japanese American History
This special hour-long presentation designed for high school classrooms features two Asian-American scholars discussing the work of three American photographers – Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and Toyo Miyatake – during World War II. Each of them recorded the lives of Japanese American citizens who were imprisoned in concentration camps such as Manzanar in California after … Continue reading Smuggled Lenses: Photography and Japanese American History
The Underground Railroad in the Leatherstocking Region
The Underground Railroad played an important role in helping escaped slaves on their journey to freedom in Canada. Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass are the two New Yorkers most often associated with the success of the Underground Railroad and Abolition Movement, but many may not know that Cooperstown, Hartwick Seminary, Oneonta, and other local communities … Continue reading The Underground Railroad in the Leatherstocking Region
To Market to Market: Time to Shop
To Market to Market: Every wonder about shopping in the mid-1800s? Where did the goods come from and what was available? General Stores were cornerstones of towns in Central New York in the mid-1800s. In this lesson, students will learn about a typical general store, its importance to the community, and how general stores compare … Continue reading To Market to Market: Time to Shop
Tradesman’s Tool Chest
The majority of the people living in rural upstate New York in the mid-1800s were farmers, working the land to provide for themselves and their families. Most of the rest of the population was made up of lawyers, doctors, shopkeepers, and tradesmen. Tradesmen provided a variety of goods and services to the farmers and to … Continue reading Tradesman’s Tool Chest
Two Presidents, One Photographer
Pete Souza was the official photographer for both Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama during their presidencies. Through his photographs, students get to be the “fly on the wall” while the presidents carry out their official duties. Lesson Overviews: Pete Souza Grades 1-4 Short Version Lesson Plan Pete Souza, The Art of Photography READ ME Pete … Continue reading Two Presidents, One Photographer