Guide to Educational Resources
The Department of Arkansas Heritage and its agencies are dedicated to
sharing the knowledge we have gained with the public. We have created a
vast assortment of educational products on topics related to Arkansas’s
natural, cultural, artistic and historic identity. To assist in
selecting the products that will most benefit your learning quest we
have created a new area to list and briefly describe our educational
resources. For more in depth information about any of the listed items,
please check with the designated agency education coordinator. If you
need help to design a new unit or to locate suitable educational
products for a special project, please contact the education coordinator
for the Department of Arkansas Heritage education@arkansasheritage.com
Tours:
We have museum tours, walking tours, driving tours, and arts-on-tour.
Many tours have educational aids such as maps, tour guides, pamphlets,
books, symposiums, lectures and exhibit openings, to enhance your
learning experience.
There are a number of ways one may tour a museum. You may lead
yourself through the various exhibits or take part in a regularly
scheduled tour led by a knowledgeable staff person. Another option
would be to select from the special focus tours where you will learn a
great deal about one particular topic. Most of our museum tours offer
living history presentations as part of the experience.
Our walking tours can introduce one to the important natural and
manmade places within the state. The Arkansas Historic Preservation
Program offers two walking tour programs on a regular basis,
“Sandwiching in History” and “Walks Through History.”
You may download a map and tour on your own through many of the 62
natural areas maintained by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.
With advance notice, an educator can meet interested groups at some of
their natural sites for guided tours. One site, the Lorance Creek
Natural Area, is developed for a self-guided experience.
Ten driving maps that focus on such diverse subjects as Outdoor
Sculpture to Historic Schools are available to assist the public in
learning about the places they may pass by on a trip within the state.
Whereas you must go to the museum or site to participate in our other
tour offerings, Arts on Tour comes to your community. The Arts on Tour
is a roster that provides a list of many of our state's finest solo and
ensemble performers, individual visual artists, and prepared art
exhibitions available for touring within Arkansas. Many of these roster
artists will also provide workshops, master classes, and open
rehearsals.
Programs:
Offering information and hands-on learning experiences, programs take
place at museums. There are a number of ways you may utilize this
resource. Please check with the individual agency for a list of
options. Although the target audience is children, some of the
programs can be requested by groups other than schools. Many programs
may be brought to your site. For more information, contact the
education coordinator for the program you are most interested in
experiencing.
Presentations:
Do you need someone to share information at your school, meeting, or
social function about Arkansas heritage? All of our agencies have guest
speakers willing to travel to your site and provide programming. Many
presentations can be tailored to focus on your locale.
Educational Materials:
We have abundant educational materials to support learning in and out
of the classroom. From written documents to interactive Compact Discs,
our information can help you learn more about the state and some of the
colorful and intriguing characters, events, places and objects that
created our heritage.
Loan Items:
There are two types of items available for loan to the public, boxes
and exhibits. Loan boxes, or museums in a box, contain objects, books,
games and lesson plans to introduce or expand upon a lesson.
Our exhibits can be used by any organized group that would like to
share information about Arkansas through interpretative panels, objects
and other items. Look at our extensive list of loan items to see what
may work for your school, community or festival.
Workshops:
We provide workshops for any group- no matter the size. We will come
to you or, if you would like a change in scenery, you may hold your
meeting in one of our facilities. Whether you are a school in need of a
two hour Arkansas history credit, a citizen interested in learning more
about a specific topic or a conference looking for a speaker, one of
our educators can bring Arkansas history to life for your audience.
Events:
For a complete listing of events, visit our Keeping Current
section. There are a few events planned just for kids and other yearly
celebrations worth mentioning within this guide. We will provide
exhibits and activities for community events around the state.
Invitationals:
From time to time we have contests to help encourage others in the
state to try their hand at history. Outstanding photography, art and
essays are a few of the products that have been rewarded recognition by
Department of Arkansas Heritage in the past.
Preserve Our Past, an art and essay contest for fifth grade students
has been an annual event for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program
for over ten years.
Keep your eye on this section for information about contests for the 2006-2007 school year.
Funding:
Do you have a great idea for a project, but not enough funds for
implementation? Two agencies have grants available for use in projects
that are connected to their educational goals.
The Department of Arkansas Heritage celebrates some aspect of the
state’s legacy each year in May. Grants are open to groups that would
like to hold an event or provide a program that relates to the changing
theme.
The Arkansas Arts Council has a number of grant opportunities to help bring the arts to your community.
Other:
There are always a few items that do not fit in other categories.
Where else can you take part in a statewide survey of bumblebees or hear
and see a live radio broadcast. Click here to learn about these as
well as other unique experiences offered by the Department of Arkansas
Heritage.