Take sixteen lively fourth graders on a history field trip in May.  The Delaware River is sparkling, the sun is shining. Penn Treaty Park is looking its best.  Perhaps a recipe for chaos? Not for a moment.  Susan Himelfarb’s students from the Adaire School in Fishtown  gathered by William Penn’s statue for a talk about the Treaty of Friendship and how artists captured the event.  Penn Treaty Museum Board member, Penny Dwyer, engaged the students in a lively discussion about the events of 1682. I went along as bouncer.

They knew their history. From the importance of Shackamaxon to Native Americans to what it  means to be a Quaker, they chatted with enthusiasm. They viewed the obelisk and discussed why it was important. They admired the “tree child” descendant of the Great Elm.  They were focused and eager to share their classroom knowledge.

After the park tour, the class assembled at the Penn Treaty Museum. Seated around a large table, the discussion turned to the evolution of the Penn Treaty story and image as represented in paintings, prints, decorative artifacts and popular culture.  A “scavenger” hunt followed as students were asked to find symbols in artifacts from the collection. They looked. They commented. You had a feeling that there just might be a future historian or archaeologist in the group.

Lunch back in the park concluded the morning.

The Penn Treaty Museum’s Educational Outreach Program includes a unique field trip opportunity specifically aligned with the State of Pennsylvania Curriculum Standards for the fourth grade. The goal of this program is to provide a site-specific experience in Penn Treaty Park and within the Penn Treaty Museum collection.

Gail Sweet