Museums have many artifacts and objects they display for the public to see. A museum exhibit is a display of artifacts that are all related to each other. You can make your own museum exhibit about Ohio’s pioneers by making reproductions, or copies of artifacts based on the originals.
Some ideas for reproductions:
Models
- Fort (Campus Martius, Picketed Point, Farmers’ Castle, Fort Frye)
- Houses (Log cabin or wigwam)
- Flatboat
- Model of Indian mounds
Artifacts
- Arrowheads or Native American objects made from modeling clay.
- Pioneer letter- write a letter to your family about the Ohio Territory. (To make the paper look old, brush with lemon juice and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes- watch closely, because the longer it bakes, the darker the paper will become. You can also tear the edges to make them look rough before putting it in the oven.)
- Maps, drawings, or sketches- copy a map or drawing from the late 1700s.
Other Ideas
- Biography of Pioneers- use a graphic design website like Canva to make biographical posters of the early pioneers. You can add pictures to the poster to make it more visually interesting.
- Everyday Pioneer Artifacts- make everyday items that pioneers used like a quill and ink, toys, pottery, or other objects.
Exhibit
Students can write brief summaries about the reproductions they create to place with their items during the exhibit. They can also use their summary to present their artifact to the class.
Other Ideas for Creating an Exhibit
https://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/2015/lessons/museum-makers
