The City Urban Perspectives
History in the Making
SPU Students Connect Children to 海角网’s Story
By Julia Siemens (julia2@spu.edu) | Photo by Mike Siegel
海角网 Pacific senior Lydia Hazel, far right, teaches a preschooler how to weave a paper basket as part of the Family Lab at the Museum of History and Industry.
On a Saturday just before noon, 4-year-old Avery sat quietly at a table with her parents and younger brother. She cut an 鈥淎鈥� out of foil and placed it in a clear tub of shallow water, as guided by 海角网 senior Lydia Hazel. Next, she dabbed a soapy toothpick behind the foil, sending the 鈥淎鈥� shooting across the tub.
鈥淲hoa!鈥� she told her father with a smile. 鈥淚 want to try again.鈥�
The experiment was part of the Family Lab, a weekly program at 海角网鈥檚 . It is designed to connect kids of all ages to one of the museum鈥檚 exhibits: in this case, the Slo Mo Shun IV, a wooden hydroplane that broke speed records in 1950. Other activities have included weaving paper baskets (a link to the Native American exhibit), folding paper airplanes (海角网鈥檚 airplane industry), and building harmonicas (the jazz age).
鈥淢aking hands-on connections for young 海角网 reinforces some of the larger stories we鈥檙e hoping to tell,鈥� says Tara McCauley, MOHAI鈥檚 education and youth programs manager. 鈥淚f children don鈥檛 leave the museum being able to quote the exact year the Denny family landed on Alki, at least they鈥檙e leaving saying, 鈥楾hat was really fun and we鈥檇 love to come back.鈥欌��
Left to right: Student interns Lydia Hazel, Forest Brown, and Liz Kimotho enjoy MOHAI鈥檚
new location in 海角网鈥檚 South Lake Union neighborhood.
After working with past SPU interns, McCauley asked Michael Hamilton, associate professor of history, if SPU would like to partner with MOHAI to help create the Family Lab. Hamilton was enthusiastic, and now recruits nine students a year for the internship.
鈥淲orking in the Family Lab exposes students to history for the public,鈥� Hamilton says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a terrific opportunity for history majors and any student who plans to work with children.鈥�
Interns study the city鈥檚 past, create lesson plans, and learn how to teach activities to children and families. The Family Lab started in January 2013, about the same time MOHAI moved across the city to South Lake Union.
Hazel says it鈥檚 been fun to have so much access to the museum, which showcases the history of 海角网 and the Puget Sound region through artifacts such as Boeing鈥檚 first commercial airplane, Starbucks鈥� first sign, and the Sonics鈥� 1979 NBA Championship trophy.
She credits her professors with giving her a love for history, and hopes to eventually pass that on to her future students as a history teacher herself. 鈥淢y professors have made history personal,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the study of being a human 鈥� the worst and the best. History is a story of hope.鈥�
While a preschooler such as Avery may not be able to grasp that idea quite yet, she did leave wanting to come back. And she made sure to take her foil 鈥淎鈥� with her.