Outreach Programs
Outreach Programs
Wintercount (gr. K-8) (20-30 min)
Learn how the American Indians kept track of their history, viewed time and communicated using symbols.
Packing a Travois (gr. K-5) (30 min)
Students learn about the roles and responsibilities of American Indian family members through costumed role-playing of a Dakota girl and boy as they prepare to move to another location on the prairie.
Travois Program -Working Together To Survive on the Prairie (gr. 6-8) (30 min)
Students work in small groups as they investigate items in a parfleche or tipi bag and determine who would have used the items and why each item was important for survival.
Prairie Animal Tracks (gr. K-5- max. 25 students) (30 min and time to dry the tracks)
Learn about various animals of the prairie by examining their pelts and making plaster animal tracks.
American Indian Games (gr. K-5) (20-30 min)
Learn how to play the Moccasin game and/or Double-Ball
Powerpoint presentation (all ages) ( 20-30 min)
Overview of the Jeffers Petroglyphs (which includes excellent photos of the carvings)
Survivor: 7,000 B.P. (gr. 5 and up) (45-60 min)
Jeffers Petroglyphs: A Recording of 7000 years of North American History
Learn how Early Indian People living in Southern Minnesota were able to endure environmental changes by developing ways to adapt in order to survive and also how the carvings at the Jeffers Petroglyphs relate to their ways of life.
This program correlates with State Social Studies and Science standards and can be tailored to specific levels and time available. Pre-Post visit materials will be provided to teachers.
The program begins with a PowerPoint presentation that introduces the students to the information followed by the classroom activity. Students will travel through time investigating how the Early Indian People were able to face the daily challenge of survival. Students will examine and handle important tools and other (reproduction) items illuminating the technological and other cultural innovations that people developed and used during each of four time periods defined by climate changes: Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian. To aid in discovery and learning, students will be guided by professional staff through questions designed to engage the students in their travel through 7000 years of history. The program ends with a “Survivor” game in which students answer questions about information they learned from the outreach program.
Scheduling an Outreach Program
- Contact: Pam Jensen at 507-628-5591 or jefferspetroglyphs@mnhs.org
- Cost: $4.00 per student for up to 2 hours of programs (plus mileage)
- Minimum number of students: 20