Here come the preschoolers! Story Time next week at the Museum

In celebration of the 20th annual Children’s Week, the East Central Georgia Regional Library, in conjunction with the Augusta Museum of History, will host local public figures, politicians, and media personalities as storytellers during Children’s Week Story Time, to be held Tuesday, October 7 through Thursday, October 9, 2008, at the Museum.

On Thursday, October 9, 2008 at 11:00 am, Story Time will be offered to the general public, marking the first time Story Time has been expanded to include area families with young children. Families with young children still at home are invited to reserve a space by calling the Museum at 706-722-8454. Space is Limited and reservations are required by October 7, 2008.
Each year the Augusta Partnership for Children, Inc. and several of its community partners join together to coordinate Children’s Week. Now in its 20th consecutive year, Children’s Week features a variety of events for children of all ages and their families. Children’s Week provides opportunities for parents and families to experience various resources in the community and, in addition, participate in fun and enriching activities for children.

Children’s Week Story Time, attended by local preschools and area families, will take place in the Augusta Museum of History’s exhibit, Augusta’s Story, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon each day. Each group will hear four stories during their story time hour.

Each child participating in Story Time will receive a book. Special thanks to Georgia Public Broadcasting for donating the books!

Bring your child to experience the art of storytelling and the joys of reading at Children's Story Time!

Free Admission to local Museums as the Westobou Festival takes over the city!

This Saturday, September 27, we are pleased to join with our friends and colleagues at museums and cultural attractions in the CSRA for the 4th Annual Museum Day presented by Smithsonian Magazine!

Admission to the Museum, the 1797 Ezekiel Harris House, Morris Museum of Art, Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson, and Fort Discovery are FREE!! Just sign up online (microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html) and experience our region's incredible cultural offerings!

A Westobou Festival endorsed event!

Museum wraps up successful start to Hands on History program!

This July, we began a new program series at the Augusta Museum of History - Hands on History, which allowed children to take a hands-on approach to history and learn about a specific theme within the Museum's collections. Each session focuses on a particular historical craft or activity which relates to our exhibitions and collections.

On July 30th, we held a Hands on History centered around Pottery. After viewing the Museum’s collection of pottery, including Edgefield pottery, face jugs, and a piece by famed freed slave potter, Dave, young visitors tried creating their own clay masterpiece. With the help of the Museum Education Department, children learned different ways of decorating pottery pieces (stab and jab, stamping, and other techniques) and learned both the coil and pinch pot techniques. It was amazing to see what these young creative artists were able to imagine and create!

We will continue Hands on History programs in the Fall and now have the option available for teachers to bring their class. Stay tuned for more hands-on programs to learn all about history in a creative and engaging way!

Museum film focuses on black Southern cinema

The following appeared in the August, 21, 2008 edition of The Augusta Chronicle:

"Museum film focuses on black Southern cinema"
Written by Nikasha Dicks
August 21, 2008

The theater at the Augusta Museum of History provides visitors with yet another window to the past.

"Our theater seats about 100 people, and it has a full screen like you would see in a movie theater," said Heather Sellers, the museum's education manager. "It's more engaging, especially for school groups, when you have a theaterlike atmosphere, and it's a good way for them to get specialized information."

Each month, a documentary film is shown in the theater. Past films have included Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives; Cartoons Go to War; and The Rise of the Southern Biscuit. This month's film is on black Southern cinema. (read more...)

Girl Scouts: 2008 - 2009

Girl Scouts love History!

Our Scouting Program had tremendous success with it's initial unveiling in Early 2008, and we are so pleased to offer a full year of programming for Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia beginning in September 2008 and continuing through May 2009!!!

Explore the world of Museums, earn Try-Its, Badges, and Interest Projects and meet new friends at the Augusta Museum of History!

The Museum offers exciting and interactive weekend workshops for Brownie, Junior, Cadette, and Senior Girl Scouts to earn Try-Its, Badges, and Interest Projects. On scheduled Saturday mornings, from 9:00 - 12:00, girls will participate in activities to help them complete their Badge requirements (please remember that the Augusta Museum of History does not provide badges, but Particpation Patches are availble for purchase in the Museum Shop).

Minimum of 8 Scouts, Maximum of 30 Scouts. Chaperones are required (please follow Safety-wise guidelines)

All Badge Programs are $8 per Scout

FALL 2008 DATES

Brownie Girl Scout Day
Me and My Shadow Try-It
September 6, 2008
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Brownie Girl Scouts will learn how much fun they can have with their shadow. The girls will create their own silhouette work of art, play shadow finger puppets and more!
$8 per Scout/ Free for Adults. Reservations are required by calling the Girl Scouts, Central Savannah River council office at (706) 774-0505.

Junior Girl Scout Day
Now and Then: Stories From Around the World
October 25, 2008

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Junior Girl Scouts will explore myths and legends that have been passed down from generation to generation, from European fairy tales to Native American legends. These stories were meant to teach lessons, entertain, or explain natural phenomena. Create your own modern fairy tale and watch footage of an award winning Native American storyteller. $8 per Scout/ Free for Adults. Reservations are required by calling the Girl Scouts, Central Savannah River council office at (706) 774-0505.

Cadette/ Senior Girl Scout Day
Heritage Hunt Interest Project
November 8, 2008
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Using the collections on view in the exhibit, Augusta’s Story, Cadettes and Seniors will explore the past in comparison to their lives today and earn their Heritage Hunt Interest Project. They will explore their own heritage and those of women who came before them by viewing historic documents and photos; experiencing past trades like weaving on a loom and churning butter; designing their own Family Trees; and comparing women’s lives in the past to their own today. $8 per Scout/ Free for Adults. Reservations are required by calling the Girl Scouts, Central Savannah River council office at (706) 774-0505.

SPRING 2009 DATES

Junior Girl Scout Day
Women’s Stories Badge
March 14, 2009
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Celebrate Women’s History Month with the Augusta Museum of History. Junior Girl Scouts will look at women in the news and stories of female role models. Scouts will create a collage and their own women’s history game. $8 per Scout/ Free for Adults. Reservations are required by calling the Girl Scouts, Central Savannah River council office at (706) 774-0505.

Cadette/ Senior Girl Scout Day
Women Through Time Interest Project
March 21, 2009
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Celebrate Women’s History Month with the Augusta Museum of History. Compare the lives and roles of woman in past decades to today using the Museum’s exhibit, Augusta’s Story and primary resources. Scouts will also learn a domestic art or craft practiced by women in the past that has been replaced by technology. $8 per Scout/ Free for Adults. Reservations are required by calling the Girl Scouts, Central Savannah River council office at (706) 774-0505

Junior Girl Scout Day
Folk Art Badge
April 25, 2009
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Junior Girl Scouts will see a different side to the exhibit Augusta’s Story by learning about the arts and crafts of the past. Take a Scavenger Hunt through the Museum, play historic games and toys, enjoy story time, create your own family portrait after viewing the portraits in the Museum’s collection, and earn your own Folk Art Badge. $8 per Scout/ Free for Adults. Reservations are required by calling the Girl Scouts, Central Savannah River council office at (706) 774-0505.

Brownie Girl Scout Day
Through the Years Try-It
May 16, 2009
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Brownie Girl Scouts will learn about fashion, films, song, and slang from different decades to earn their Through the Years Try-It. They will also have the opportunity to view the award-winning exhibit, Augusta’s Story. $8 per Scout/ Free for Adults. Reservations are required by calling the Girl Scouts, Central Savannah River council office at (706) 774-0505.

Interested in a different date?

Alternative Dates are Available By Appointment!
Through a collaboration with Girl Scouts, Central Savannah River Council to educate and excite girls about history, Brownie, Junior, Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts are invited to join the Augusta Museum of History for Scout Days to earn Try-Its, Badges, and Interest Projects. Programs are available by appointment. Minimum participation of 8 Scouts. Each participant will earn a badge at the end of the program. Contact Heather Sellers at the Augusta Museum of History at (706) 722-8454 or hsellers@augustamuseum.org for more information and to schedule.

Only $8 per shout! Plus admission is waived for the day for Scouts and chaparones to explore the Museum!

Call the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia Council to register for Badge Days, space is limited, so register early!

Tours show public how museum operates

The following appeared in the July 31, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle:

"Tours show public how museum operates"
Written by Chamain Z. Brackett
July 31, 2008

They would have been wonderful pieces in the Augusta Museum of History's collection, but the World War II Navy uniforms had been stored in an Augusta attic since the early 1950s, where humidity and moths had taken their toll.

Sean Todd, the registrar at the Augusta Museum of History, discusses an apple peeler at a behind-the-scenes museum tour. The program is offered on Saturdays through Sept. 27.
"We had to give them back," Sean Todd, the museum registrar, said during a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum Saturday.

The Augusta Museum of History has a new educational program. Preserving History: Behind the Scenes at the Augusta Museum of History will take visitors on a tour to the museum's processing laboratory, where artifacts are conserved and prepared for exhibits. "They will get to see the action that takes place behind the scenes at the museum every day but is generally closed to the public," said Sean Todd, the museum's registrar. "This is an opportunity for people to see the process." (read more...)

Save your $$$ and enjoy Dollar Dog Days of Summer!

It's hard to believe that summer is starting to come to an end, and before long school will start back up. We've had a very busy summer at the Augusta Museum of History, welcoming hundreds of children through summer programs and tours, had many Family Reunions pass through, opened From Ty to Cal with tremendous success, and much more!

But possibly one of the most exciting things to happen at the Museum this summer begins this Friday, August 1st. We are pleased to announce Dollar Dog Days of Summer! During the entire month of August, Museum admission is only $1 per person!

Director Nancy Glaser had the following to say about Dollar Dog Days: “We are thrilled to be able to offer the families and residents of the CSRA special reduced admission rates during the entire month of August. Discounted admission will ensure everyone in the community has the opportunity to visit their History Museum. We are grateful to be able to provide these rates during these economically challenging times.”

“By presenting Dollar Dog Days of Summer, the Augusta Museum of History is not only providing access to the Museum for individuals and families, but it also offers opportunities for the public to take advantage of the many programs the Museum has to offer, including specialized tours, children's activities, and other family-oriented programming”, Glaser continued.

What a wonderful opportunity for families to visit the Museum and soak up those last few days of summer together. Exhibitions on display during the month of August include The Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown, the first major exhibition celebrating the life and legacy of the renowned artist, and From Ty to Cal: A Century of Baseball in Augusta, tracing the history of professional baseball in Augusta over the past century. And of course admission also includes our award-winning permanent exhibition Augusta's Story; Stories & Legends: Remembering the Augusta National; The Susan Still Children's Discovery Gallery, and much more!

Visitors can also participate in some of our programs offered during August - Hunt for History, a self-guided journey through time for ages 4 – 13 and Preserving History: Behind the Scenes at the Augusta Museum of History, an education program for the general public which offers a guided tour and behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Museum world every Saturday at 1:00 and 2:00 pm. In addition, admission includes the film Movies of Color: Black Cinema in the South which will be playing in the charge. The film gives a portrait of independent African-American film making in the South prior to World War II.

And that's not all! Admission to the 1797 Ezekiel Harris House is also $1 per person and FREE for children under age 5 during the month of August. For more information on Dollar Dog Days or Museum programs, visit http://www.augustamuseum.org/ or call (706) 722-8454.

Deep into the dog days of summer, as the long hot days seem to melt into one, bring the whole family down for a fun, affordable, and enlightening look at Augusta’s rich past!