Education

On October 26, we hosted a field day for the Hickory Grove 5th graders (125 kids) at the Old Brookville Cemetery, next to the Parker Archives building.

The kids enjoyed activities at 5 different stations:

• Archives & Artifacts – Students worked in pairs to examine artifacts from the archives and record information on their “Mystery from History” worksheets.
• Scavenger Hunt – Students visited one section of the cemetery to search for a list of items on the tombstones in that area.
• Iconography – Students discussed the meaning of symbols used on the tombstones and how they reflect the life of the people buried there. Then, they created icons of their own to represent themselves.
• Tombstone Cleaning – Students worked in small groups, each assigned a tombstone. They recorded observations about the stone before cleaning, then performed some basic cleaning with soft bristled brushes, scrapers and rags. Adult volunteers sprayed each group’s stone with the “Wet and Forget” cleaning solution. After cleaning, students again recorded their observations of the tombstone.
• Biographies & Tombstone Design – Students worked in small groups to look over examples of tombstone designs, then design a tombstone based on the biography of a deceased county resident.

The kids were also given the opportunity to purchase items from the gift shop.

The weather was perfect for these outdoor activities, and feedback from the kids and volunteers was overwhelmingly positive.