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FIELD TRIPS

FIELD TRIPS TO THE EXHIBIT HALL & RESEARCH LIBRARY

Visit The History Center on the Ithaca Commons with your class! Explore local history and make connections to your classroom curriculum. Open toA photo of a group of students standing in front of the Tommy Plane. grades pre-K through college. Field trips explore our Exhibit Hall and Research Library and can include topics such as: Haudenosaunee history & culture, the Tommy Plane and local inventions, the People of Tompkins County, Maps throughout Tompkins County history, and more. We can also design a program with you to meet your classroom needs.

Field trips offered to public school students (K-12) support classes in meeting NYS Social Studies Framework. 

Field Trips or Guided Tours of the Commons or Exhibit Hall and Research Library are also available for all college and university courses or private groups with advance request.

Field trips may include introductions to our Exhibit Hall displays, Research Library, living history performances, and handouts, local history coloring pages, or scavenger hunts to supplement your visit. 

Private tours and field trips for groups are available at $150-$225 sliding scale in support of The History Center. 

REQUEST A FIELDTRIP

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LIVING HISTORY PERFORMANCE OPTIONS

Living history performances from our Tompkins County Heritage Ambassadors are designed to supplement in-person visits to our Exhibit Hall on the Ithaca Commons. Performances range from 10-20 minutes and can be must be scheduled ahead of time. Available for ALL AGES. Related supplemental learning materials may be available depending on the performance topic. Email community@thehistorycenter.net to schedule a field trip with a living history performance. 

Visit The History Center on the Ithaca Commons with your class! Explore local history and make connections to your classroom curriculum. Open to grades pre-K through college. Field trips explore our Exhibit Hall and Research Library and can include topics such as: Haudenosaunee history & culture, the Tommy Plane and local inventions, the People of Tompkins County, Maps throughout Tompkins County history, and more. We can also design a program with you to meet your classroom needs.

Field trips offered to public school students (K-12) support classes in meeting NYS Social Studies Framework. 

Field trips may include introductions to our Exhibit Hall displays, Research Library, living history performances, and handouts, local history coloring pages, or scavenger hunts to supplement your visit. 

Private tours and field trips for groups are available at $150-$225 sliding scale in support of The History Center. 

REQUEST A FIELDTRIP

MARTHA VAN RENNSELAER 

Students learn directly from Martha Van Rennselaer about her extraordinary life. Martha devoted her life to advocating for the welfare of women through her work in the field of Home Economics.  In 1923, she was named by the League of Women Voters as one of the twelve most influential women in America.  Her career was rich with accomplishments - first female School Commissioner in Cattaraugus County, first female full professor at Cornell, Director of the Home Conservation Division in Washington during WWI, Director of the White House Conference for Child Health and Protection, and honorary Doctor of Pedagogy from New York City College of Teachers. 

A photo of a woman dressed as Martha Van Rennselaer, while holding a poster.

OLD TIME FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR

Students learn about the history of Tommy Plane and the Thomas Morse Aviation Company with the Old Time Flight Instructor. The Flight Instructor is recruiting students to join the Thomas Morse Flying School in 1918.

The performance takes a little under 15 minutes, and can be supplemented pre-visit or following the program with additional videos, handouts, and activities from our "Learn with Tommy" materials. Recommended for ages 6-106.


A photo of a large group of students gathered around the Tommy Plane.

EIGHT SQUARE LIVING HISTORY

The Eight Square Schoolhouse Living History program is designed for An image of the exterior of the Eight Square Schoolhouse. It is a small red-brick building.fourth grades and home school groups. Step back in time to 1892 and experience a school-day in this one-room school building built in 1827 in Dryden NY. Use pre- and post-trip supplementary materials to dig deeper. Questions students will explore: What was it like for children to attend a rural one room school in the late 19th century? What is the purpose of education? How does this history impact who I am today?

The Eight Square Schoolhouse Living History program is also available as a Virtual E-Field Trip  option for classrooms, and homeschool groups. 

The History Center partners with Kids Discover the Trail! to offer this program to 4th grade students in Tompkins County public schools. 

The program is available for homeschool groups, private and charter schools. Learn more on the Eight Square Schoolhouse page or contact us to schedule a program!

An image of the logo for "Kids Discover The Trail!"

An image of the logo for the "Discovery Trail"

The Eight Square Schoolhouse is part of Kids Discover the Trail! Kids Discover the Trail! provides experience-based programs at the eight sites of the Discovery Trail, and site-specific books to take home, for elementary students in Tompkins County. This program is funded by gifts from local foundations, businesses, and community members, and is supported by all school districts in Tompkins County.

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS

The History Center in unable to offer "live" virtual programs or presentations for classrooms during 2021 & 2022. We encourage educators to explore our existing Virtual Exhibits, past program videos, and the e-field trip options to learn about the Eight Square Schoolhouse and Tommy Plane.

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EIGHT SQUARE SCHOOLHOUSE E-FIELDTRIP

A photo of a group of young children in a line outside of the Eight Square Schoolhouse, accompanied by a teacher.Experience a day of school in 1892 with the Eight Square Virtual E-Field Trip. Available for classrooms, and homeschool groups - materials developed for 4th grade but can be modified for other age groups. 

The digital materials engage students in exploring history and education of the late 1890s, and making connections to today.

This FREE virtual program includes: 

  • 1) Pre-trip materials to ground students in the context of the times including access to our Tompkins County Schoolhouse Photos (1865-1963) housed on the New York Heritage Digital Collections database. 
  • 2) Video introduction to the Eight Square Schoolhouse (the "fieldtrip") led by an 1892 Schoolteacher
  • 3) Post-trip materials inviting students to connect with the time period and reflect on the purpose of education. Materials can be guided by a teacher or parent, and/or completed independently by students. 

While the materials are geared towards 4th grade students, homeschooling students of a variety of ages will enjoy engaging with the materials. 

Contact eightsquare@thehistorycenter.net for more details about this program and materials. 

Image of the historic landmark plaque for the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

St. James AME Zion Church Immersive Virtual Tour - Local Histories of the Underground Railroad

In 2021, CyArk, Cornell University, and St. James AME Zion Church in Ithaca, NY collaborated to digitally document and produce a virtual guided tour of the church, which historically served as a station on the Underground Railroad. CyArk worked with Cornell and church leaders to document and share histories, memories, and songs part of the church's legacy historically and today. 

Sketch of a person in a forested area moving towards a mountain with their arms elevated.

Ithaca's Underground Railroad Mobile Guide

1.5-3 hour self-guided virtual tour across the City of Ithaca. During the tour, you will be prompted with thought-provoking questions that encourage you to engage and critically evaluate this history within contexts that range from local to national. Please send us your feedback at every stop to help us continue to enrich this tour and others for further participants.

LEARNING TO FLY WITH TOMMY VIDEO SERIES

Students can learn about the history of Tompkins County with the Old Time Flight Instructor through our five-part Learning to Fly with Tommy video series. Videos run from 6-11 minutes long and cover a range of aviation related topics. Use the PopQuiz questions for each episode.

You can also find videos  about the history of aviation in New York State, and news reports from Tommy's restoration and flight on our Tommy Plane YouTube Playlist and our Tommy Plane Collection on Vimeo. Both playlists include content created by The History Center in Tompkins County, the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation and other community partners. 

SUBSCRIBE AND EXPLORE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

www.youtube.com/@TompkinsHistory 

A screenshot of the youtube channel of The History Center, which is called


Physical Address

Located inside the Tompkins Center for History & Culture

110 North Tioga Street

(On the Ithaca Commons) 

Ithaca NY, 14850 USA

Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫˀ Territory

Hours

Exhibit Hall Wednesday-Saturday 10am-6pm - CLOSED Sun-Tues

Cornell Local History Research Library & Archives - By appointment only. Please contact archives@thehistorycenter.net

Contact                                                     

Email: Refer to Contact page for individual emails, General inquiries to community@thehistorycenter.net

Phone: 607-273-8284

Web: thehistorycenter.net

Find us on social media @tompkinshistory

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