'Traveling Trunks' offers museums connections, outreach to students
Falls on the Colorado Museum board members and San Saba County Historical Museum representatives gathered outside the historic Marble Falls building Tuesday. Lynn Blankenship, Mikie Bishop and Celia Bell from the SSCHM joined Sharon Spencer, Ely Banuet Rodriguez and Darlene Oostermeyer from the Falls the Colorado Museum.
By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula
The leaders of small-town historical museums sometimes have to learn from each other to survive and flourish. In this spirit, Falls on the Colorado Museum board members hosted representatives from the San Saba County Historical Museum (SSCHM) on Tuesday, Sept. 23, to discuss the “Traveling Trunks” program and the possibility of launching one at the Marble Falls museum.
The Traveling Trunks program originated with the SSCHM, and proceeded through a partnership with its local library and funding from a Tocker Foundation grant.
And, although the two museums are different in size and their locations, both survive on donations of artifacts, time and money.
The Traveling Trunks program combines a presentation with a collection of lesson and activity ideas, all together in a single, easy-to-transport trunk. Each trunk is themed according to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curricula, which is already familiar to teachers of all age groups. The trunk's lesson plans are designed to be adaptable.
The SSCHM offers trunks about the importance of the Sears & Roebuck catalog, patriotism and community, animals of the region, water and pecans.
The Falls on the Colorado version would hone in on subjects of interest to Hill Country dwellers, such as the geology of the region, lakes, and the Founding Fathers of Marble Falls.
“We’re all here to network and share ideas”and learn from each other, said Sharon Spencer, who knows Lynn Blankenship, SSCHM president.
For the full story, see Friday's Highlander.
