Castle Museum on the move, driving history into the community

Can't get to the museum? No worries -- it'll come to you.

The Castle Museum in Saginaw has retrofitted a 53-foot moving van with an interactive archeological exhibit on wheels to bring the museum experience to children and to area events. Started about two months ago, History on the Move highlights the archeological history of Michigan and the Saginaw Valley, considered one of the most abundant archeological areas in the state.

In the van, which can be booked for classrooms, is a pretend archeological dig where children learn the ins-and-outs of conducting an archeological dig, says Heather Thompson, education coordinator for the museum. Thompson, who was responsible for adding the classroom component to History on the Move, says that the learning experience also includes weighing, measuring, and describing "found" artifacts. The van also includes an exhibit highlighting the history of the area.

With declining school budgets, teachers do not necessarily have the opportunity to take students to the museum, says Thompson.

"Students are just not able to take field trips like they used to," she says.

So History on the Move helps bring the museum experience to children, who might not otherwise have the chance to visit the Castle Museum. For teachers, the program allows them to provide a field trip experience to students without having to leave the classroom for hours at a time.

It recently showed up at the Saginaw Children's Zoo for the Drop Everything and Read program. It also was at the Freeland Walleye Festival and the Shields Festival.

Enticed by the History on the Move van, many people walk through the traveling exhibit and then decide to make the trek to the Castle Museum for the full experience. When they tour the van, they get a free pass to go visit the actual museum.

Writer: Jenny Cromie
Source: The Castle Museum, Heather Thompson