How does local government influence the community we live in?  Join our educators for a City Hall tour that focuses on the community we live in, the people who governor it, the decision-making process, and how it affects the city’s development.  Students will participate in a mock council meeting, debate, and vote on an important issue.  

“I love the changes you have made to the program. Giving the kids a chance to act out a city council meeting was fantastic!” Melissa Ramirez, 2^nd grade teach at Bangor Lincoln

2-H2.0.4 - Describe changes in the local community over time,

2-G4.0.1 - Describe land use in the community.

2-C2.0.1- Explain how local governments balance individual rights with the common good to solve local community problems.

2-C3.0.1 -Give examples of how local governments make, enforce, and interpret laws (ordinances) in the local community.

2-C3.0.2 - Use examples to describe how local government affects the lives of people in a community.

2-C3.0.3 - Identify services commonly provided by local governments.

2-C5.0.1 -Identify ways in which people participate in community decisions

2nd Grade: Museum "Community Tour"

$5/ student or $7/ student for City Hall and Community Tour (teachers & chaperones are free)  

This engaging, community program invites second graders to embark on a  journey through Bay County's past, centered around an interactive museum tour. Our exploration will help students understand what "community" means, both historically and in their own lives today.

Program Highlights:

·         Defining Our Community: We'll begin by discussing what makes up a community – people, places, shared history, and how everyone plays a role. Students will share examples from their own neighborhoods and consider how our actions contribute to our local community.

·         Map building Adventure: This interactive second-grade program invites young learners to explore the concept of "community" through hands-on fun! Students will use various materials to creatively design and build different elements of a community (like houses, schools, parks, and shops). Following their construction, they'll apply their understanding to a mapping craft, drawing and labeling these community features onto their own unique maps. This activity fosters an understanding of how communities are organized, the different places within them, and how they connect, all while encouraging creativity and spatial reasoning.

·         Imaginative Time Travel: Lumbering & Shipping in Early Bay County: The heart of our museum tour will be an imaginative session transporting students back to the bustling era of early Bay County's lumbering and shipping industries. Through hands-on activities, role-playing, and storytelling, students will:

o        Experience the Lumber Camp: Simulate the work of lumberjacks, learn about the tools they used, and understand the challenges and triumphs of this foundational industry.

o        Navigate the Waterways: Explore the importance of the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay for transporting timber.

o        Discover Early Bay City Life: Through artifacts and guided discussion, we'll imagine what life was like for families, merchants, and workers in a booming lumber town.

o        "What Community Meant Then": Woven throughout these activities, we'll emphasize what "community" truly meant to the early residents of Bay County. This will include discussions about:

§  Shared Work and Cooperation: How people worked together to build a new life and industry.

§  Mutual Support: The ways neighbors helped one another in times of need.

§  Coming Together: The importance of schools, churches, and social gatherings in forming community bonds.

§  The Role of the Environment: How the natural resources of Bay County shaped its communities.

2 – H2.0.3 Explain how individuals and groups have made significant historical changes.

2 – H2.0.4 Describe changes in the local community over time.

2 – G1.0.2 Use maps to describe the spatial organization of the local community by applying concepts including relative location, and using distance, direction, and scale.

2 – G2.0.2 Describe how the local community is part of a larger region.

2 – G4.0.3 Use components of culture to describe diversity in the local community. 

TRANSPORTATION SCHOLARSHIP:

Through a generous grant from the Dow Championship the BCHS has funds available for bus transportation. For more information email jkramer@bchsmuseum.org. 

RESERVATIONS & PAYMENT

For reservations call 989-893-5733. Please request arrangements for students with special needs. All admissions must be collected by the teacher prior to arrival.