May 20 marked the final day of School Train for 2014. This year the Museum hosted two full days of Preschool Train on April 29 and 30, and
four days of School Train in April and May. The Preschool Train program is
designed for children age 3-5. The School Train program is designed for grade
4, with a separate program for younger students and mixed-aged groups.
In 2014, 605
preschool children and adults attended the two day Preschool Train program. 631
children and adults attended the School Train program. So a total of 1236
people participated in the 6 days of educational programming this spring. In
2014 a large number of School Train participants were from small private
schools, although there were attendees from the Federal Way, Renton, Lake
Washington school districts. School Train is also popular with families that
home school and this year was no exception.
School Train
activities included a history intense grade 4 program, where
students study primary source documents (census data and historic photographs)
to learn about Valley life in 1890 and how the
railroad changed everything here in the Pacific Northwest. Younger students
and mixed-age groups were rotated thru three short activities that included
Signs and Signals (all about ways we communicate with trains), a docent-led
Depot tour, and a fun craft (decorate your own bandana) that doubled as a
take-home. Students enjoyed coloring the bandanas while the educator enjoyed
making the students first explain the historic role of bandanas on the railway.
The program concluded with a 60 minute journey upon the Snoqualmie Valley
Railroad, wherein students follow in the footprints of history, riding the same
rails as those who traveled by train to the Snoqualmie Valley in the 1890s.
The
Preschool Train program is similar, in that it includes rotation thru short
age-appropriate activities followed by a 35 minute long train ride. (Preschool
train is a 90 minute program whereas School Train is a 2 hour program.)
A special
thanks to all the volunteer docents who helped with this educational
programming, and to the running trades volunteers who operated the train!
After two hours of break-out sessions, participants grabbed
lunch and re-boarded the train for a trip to Snoqualmie Falls and back. Then, the
teachers were treated to docent tours of the Train Shed before returning to the
Depot. Many teachers commented how they didn’t even know the Museum was there
and pledged to return again – we’re hoping they come back with their students!
The Museum is honored to have had the opportunity to host a group of history educators, and is delighted to have put the new
Railway Education Center to use for a program that so clearly aligns with the Museum's Mission. A huge thank you to the volunteers (train crew and docents) that came
out to support the program. The Museum looks forward to many similar future programs.
Connecting history to modern lives is a challenge for museums. Museum interpreters carefully look for ways to engage and interact with visitors' wide-range of interests, backgrounds and cultures. For some it’s the love
of railroads and machinery that draws them
here, especially when they can “talk train” with knowledgeable
people. Then there are others (the majority of visitors) who are looking for a family experience, and the
Museum is simply a “neat place to take an old-fashioned train excursion and see the
top of Snoqualmie Falls with the kids.” And
others fall between these two groups. So how does the Museum address all of the
varied interests and ages?
One common denominator lies in the “humanization” of history.
All of us can relate to being a real person. And when that side of railway history
is presented, it leads to learning fun without knowing that learning is
happening! Recent exhibits include historic photos with people in them. What the people of the
past wore, their expressions, their
stance all let visitors connect to the fact that these were real people who lived
the railroading experience in one way or another. Giving visitors
something they’re familiar with, even though different, allows them to make a
connection to the past while making comparisons with their current lives. The new Northern Pacific Railway Stewardess exhibit, along
with firsthand looks inside the Chapel Car and Bunk car offer a glimpse of how
railroading isn’t just about the technology, but about real people and how the
railroad impacted their lives.
Periodically, we bring real humans into the humanization
experience through living history programs where visitors speak with, listen
to, watch and engage re-enactors portraying passengers of earlier times. For instance, a living history piece has been added
during School train. Students are greeted by an actor in Edwardian-era clothing. During the presentation, they
learn about the passengers of that era – their clothing, luggage and “quiet”
toys that children riding the trains may have had. A highlight is dressing a girl and boy from each class in period clothing.
Afterwards, the students are invited to handle the clothing and try
the historic toys themselves. When the light goes on about how early 20th century train travel is different from
their modern lives, it’s magical. They never considered how those everyday items
tied into railroad history! And now those simple ordinary items opened up a new understanding of how the railroad changed everything.
