For Educators
This page is currently under construction. Check back later for more information such as pre- and post-visit activities, links to films you can view in your classroom, and more.
Before You Visit
Before you visit please prepare your students on some background history of the Hudson River and museum etiquette. Here are some resources:
Classroom Activities:
The following are some suggestions for in-class activities to do before or after you visit the museum.
- Find a map of the Hudson River. Have students find their town on the map. Find the Maritime Museum on the map. How far is it from your town to HRMM? What other towns or places are in between? What other rivers are near your town? Is HRMM north, south, east, or west of your town?
- Read “Keep the Lights Burning Abbie” by Peter and Ronnie Roop before visiting the lighthouse. Students can draw several correlations between the Rondout Lighthouse and Abbie’s lighthouse in Maine. For very young students, watch Reading Rainbow’s episode about “Keep the Lights Burning Abbie.” Ask, What do lighthouses do? Why did they need people to live in them? Look up the lighthouses in New York, particularly on the Hudson River and see if there is one near your school.
- Have students look up Henry Hudson online or in an encyclopedia. Who was he? What did he do? Why is he important to the history of New York? Check out this interactive online map of Hudson’s journey.
What to Wear
HRMM programs take place rain or shine and some activities may take place outdoors. Please have students dress accordingly. Proper footwear is key for visiting the Rondout Lighthouse as the boat ride includes going on floating docks and outdoor stairs. Please remind students NOT to wear flip-flops, open-backed shoes, or smooth leather-soled shoes or boots as they make for dangerous footing. Proper fitting athletic or tennis shoes are best. A portion of the deck on the lighthouse is made of steel mesh, so high-heeled shoes are strongly discouraged.
Sunscreen, sunglasses, and protective clothing are encouraged on sunny days. There are no trees at the lighthouse, so things can get a little hot out there! Dress accordingly.
What to Bring
Students and adults may bring cameras and notebooks, but please leave backpacks and large bags on the bus as room in the lighthouse and sometimes on the boat is scarce. In addition, museum galleries have many artifacts on display which may be damaged or knocked over by large bags. Photographs are allowed but flash photography is not.
Groups are encouraged to bring sack lunches and eat under our tents out of doors, but lunches should be left on the bus or in a container in a designated spot inside the museum. Lunches may not be carried through the museum while on tour or to the lighthouse.
Hand-held games and devices with internet access should be left at home or on the bus unless prior arrangements have been made to use items such as smart phones or tablets in activities or while on tour. Please turn all cell phones to vibrate or silent while on tour. If you or your chaperons must take a phone call, you will please leave the room so as not to disrupt the tour.
Museum Etiquette
Please explain to students before your visit what an artifact is. In order to preserve artifacts for future generations, we ask that all students and chaperons refrain from touching artifacts on display in the museum.
In addition, because many artifacts are not roped off or behind glass in our museum, we ask that visitors move carefully through exhibits. No running is allowed in the gallery spaces.
Although a tour guide will lead you through the space, please assist and ask your chaperons to assist in keeping the group together as you move through the galleries. This will ensure that all the students get a chance to see everything and ensures that the guide can concentrate on engaging the students.