9/14/99

Doak House Museum Announces Fall Education Programs

The Doak House Museum on the campus of Tusculum College is offering three educational programs this fall for elementary school students.

The East Side Garden Club of Greeneville is this year supporting the Doak House Museum's Fall programs. Front row, l-r, are Debbie Mysinger, Jean Weaver and Shirley Klein. Back row, l-r, are Anna Jane Taylor (Doak House Historical Interpreter), Joe Anne Lintz, and Emily Doak. Not pictured, but involved in the project, are Mary Stott, Frances Cornwell, Johy Seher and Lillian Taylor.

For grades K-5 the museum will offer “Down the Garden Path,” a new program coordinated by the museum in conjunction with the East Side Garden Club of Greenville,Tenn., a group composed of expert gardeners and retired teachers.

In participating in “Down the Garden Path,” students will tour the land that was once a 465 acre 19th century farm and learn why apples, corn and pumpkins were important to the Doak family. Teachers bringing school groups will receive a “Garden Adventure Bag,” a curriculum kit assembled by the East Side Garden Club. The bag includes games, activities, seeds and lesson plans that teacher can take back to their classrooms.

The East Side Garden Club decided to support the program after hearing of the success of last year’s Doak House programs. Said Jean Weaver, president of the Garden Club, “we had been looking for a program that involved children and was something we could do locally. We admire the work that’s being done here, and on the Doak House tours the children learn a lot about gardening.”

“Down the Garden Path” is offered Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. and from 10:30 a.m. - 12 noon. The cost is $3.50 per student and $1.75 per parent. There is no charge for teachers.

In “Quill Mark and Ink Spots,” a program for grades 2-6, students will learn first-hand about life from 1830-1860, including how students lived as boarders in the Doak House and bartered goods to pay for their education. Visiting students will also make a 19th century copy book and practice penmanship with authentic reproductions of historic quill pens and steel nib pens. A Tusculum Academy Diploma is given to each student who participates in the program.

“Quill Mark and Ink Spots is offered 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. Monday through Friday, or 10:30 a.m. - 12 noon Monday through Friday. The cost is $3 per student and $1.50 per parent. Teachers participate for free.

The “Storytelling and Gingerbread” program, which last year won a Tennessee Association of Museums Award of Excellence, returns this year with several new features, including a display of antique toys.

Down the Garden Path Above Jean Weaver, president, and Shirley Klein, member, display the curriculum kits they have made for each educational tour. Ms. Klein hand-colored all of the seed packets (visible above) herself.

Students participating in the holiday-themed program will make a 19th century handkerchief doll and help decorate the schoolroom for the holidays. Gingerbread treats and apple cider are included and each teacher receives a special activity booklet to copy for each child.

“Storytelling and Gingerbread is offered in November and December for grades K-2, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m Monday through Friday, and also from 10:30 a.m.-12 noon, Monday through Friday. The fee is $3 per student, $1.50 per parent, and teachers participate free.

According to Doak House Associate Director Cindy Lucas, each program is curriculum-based and is designed to compliment the lesson plans of area classrooms.

In addition, students completing one of the programs “gain a sense of how things were in the nineteenth century, and they learn that the way we go to school today and the way we learn today are different now than they were then,” said Lucas. “They also leave with a knowledge of the Doak House and the family who lived there.”

Reservations are are taken on a first-come, first-served basis and are required for all programs. Those interested may call the Doak House at (423) 636-8554 to register or to receive more information.