Annual historic field trip for students. Brenham, Texas

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1 Annual historic field trip for students. Brenham, Texas What a great way for kids to see history, feel history, touch history and have memories and goody bag s to take back to their families! Bonnie Brinkmeyer, Director of Instructional Services & Accountability Brenham Independent School District

2 Goals for the 2013 Program Fulfill individual teacher requests for Downtown tours. Establish an annual recurring program that can be replicated. Give BISD 4th grade students a memorable experience that will connect them and their families with our rich local heritage. Send students away with fun reminders of what they learned. Follow-up with classroom exercises to reinforce the history taught. Entice parents to learn more and visit historic attractions with their families. Field Trip Notice Sent home with students a week before event. Results history was made in many ways! About 360 Washington County students were taught local history for the first time, as part of the BISD curriculum. Students experienced the history by touring historical sites where they learned directly from our forefathers (costumed actors). Teachers were able to escape their normal consuming field trip logistics, so they also learned and enjoyed the day with their students. 4th grade teachers are now including local history in their curriculum. Local parents received messages and enticements for fun family outings at historic venues. Nearly 100 volunteers and sponsors enabled the program, making it a unique conduit for the community s spirit of service to school children. For the first time, local historical organizations worked together to benefit the community. I have been on many field trips in all my years of teaching, but none as informative, interesting to students and teachers, and useful as Local History Day. Mary Lou Zeiders, 4th Grade Reading Teacher Brenham Elementary School Not only was it totally awesome in the information that it provided, but it was amazingly organized to the liking s of a teacher! Amanda Gurka, 4th Grade Teacher Krause Elementary School It is because of the work of your event team that we were able to focus more on what the day was supposed to be about, and less on the logistics of taking our kids on a field trip. We, as teachers, learned so much interesting Brenham history that we will now incorporate into our lessons.

3 Historical Venues Brenham Heritage Museum Brenham Fire Museum Samanthe Alamo Alley Giddings Stone Mansion Ant Street Inn Toubin Park Giddings Wilkin Home Glissmann's

4 Organization, Follow-up, Promotion, 2014 Goals Goody Bags Sent Home with Students Purpose Reinforce what students learned. Add more fun to their experience so it will be more memorable. Encourage them to share with their families. Continuously remind families of Contents 2 vintage toys Candy from the past Goober Peas (peanuts) Brochures - historic sites Water bottle/fire Tips Map - Washington County with attractions Leadership Downtown Scavenger Hunt for architecture with prizes Music CD - Ant Street singer Sponsor brochures Coin purse Pencil the event. Entice families to visit historic City of Brenham Proclamation sites together.. I don t know how to begin to say thank you for the goody bag s. They were, in every sense of the phrase, above and beyond. I have never, as a student or teacher, been on a field trip that left students with such tangible, age appr opriate, and entertaining tak e-home information. It will help the childr en remember the day and the history of Brenham in ways we cannot imagine. Sponsor Participation Loved it! My students did, as well. I got a parent , raving about how her son showed her all his goodies, explaining everything he learned fr om the presentations. Quarter-page Ad in Banner Press after Event Student Follow-up Dawn Bolcerek, 4th Grade Teacher Krause Elementary School Label on Peanut Bags 2014 Goals for the Program

5 A Few of the Notes Received After I liked when we went to the Brenham Heritage Museum to learn about what people would do in Brenham 10,000 years ago. I also like the part where the soldier told us about the civil war. And thank you for the lunch. I liked the tour because I know the history of Brenham. And thank Boys and girls, you for driving us you can be just like us around Brenham Giddings brothers when you grow so we can go up. You can do anything you set your to these places. mind to. Just remember, we were no Sincerely, different from you, when we Moctezuma were your age! I loved the food yum! I wish I could come back just ten more times but not by flunking my grade. Well great job I hope I grow up and be like all the people you talked about. Sincerely, Brandin Thank you for showing me where they cooked and why it was apart from the rooms. That was one of the best field trips I have ever been on! I was sad that the field trip was over but it was fun while it lasted. I ll never forget that field trip and the actors. Sincerely, Ali The actors were fabulous! Our kids really enjoyed hearing the stories of these famous Brenham figures, and the acting brought it to life for them. Each of the speakers was very knowledgeable about the history of their location and did a fantastic job of tying it to the history we learned at all the other stops. I ve never seen students on any field trip ask so many questions, and that tells me that they were interested! More info: ,