Part of the Framingham History Center’s mission is to share Framingham’s history with the community, whether that be at the museum or digitally. We are continually working to create online exhibitions and activities to make learning from home easier than ever.
Activities
A Soldiers’ Ghostly Quest- Virtual Escape the Room
I am a soldier. Of that I am sure. You can see by the musket I carry, the tricorn hat I wear and the blue jacket with white facings that I fought in the Revolutionary War from 1775-1783. Upon inspecting my pockets, I found a letter addressed to a “Thomas ____ of the 6th Massachusetts Regiment.” The family name is unintelligible. Perhaps this is my first name? I need your help in discovering who I am. Can you help?
Oh, and did I mention? I’m a ghost.
Designed for middle school aged students.
Create a Mini Exhibit
Do you love hats like Ada? You can make your own exhibit right at home just like in a museum!
Take a collection of your favorite things, decide how you want to display them, and write a 1-2 sentence label for each object. Don’t forget to create a fun title!
Parents, want to share your child’s mini exhibit? Tag us @framinghamhistoryctr on Instragram or @framinghamhist on Twitter.
Color in Framingham!
Dennison Manufacturing Company was a very large business with offices all over the world, but their headquarters was in Framingham for 97 years. The company employed hundreds of people and made a lasting mark on the town.
This map was drawn in 1928 by Alden Cummings in an edition of the company’s newsletter, the Round Robin. It is not an accurate map and includes many funny drawings, like a water monster in Farm Pond!
Right click on the image and “save image” to download. Print and enjoy coloring in this comical map of South Framingham!
Try out your braiding skills
March is Women’s History Month and we have 12 biographies on important Framingham women right on our website.
Pair the story of 16 year old Betsey Bennet with craft time – try making tiny braids with yarn, ribbon, or pipe cleaners that could be glued together to make a hat or bracelet.
Sculpt like Meta
Meta Warrick Fuller was a female artist of color known for her paintings and sculpture. Meta raised her 3 children in Framingham, attended St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and participated in the Framingham’s Equal Suffrage League. Fuller Middle School was named after Meta and her husband in 1994.
Several of Meta’s works were about family and mothers like Storytime. Using playdoh, model magic, or air-dry clay make your own sculpture about family.
Click here to view more pieces by Meta.
Victorian Doll House Tour
Did you know that doll houses have been around since the time of Egyptian Pharaohs? Doll houses show what everyday life is like in miniature form. We have a house that was owned by 3 sisters in Framingham in 1890. Margaret, Mary, and Elinor Kennard played with this doll house for many years and then passed it own to their children and grandchildren!
You can take a virtual tour of the 6 room doll house and see what life was like in the late 1800s.
Can you find the dog playing the piano or the basket of yarn? What other small details of the house can you see?
Make your own sash
2020 is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment (in August). Storyteller Libby Franck shares a brief message on suffrage (the right to vote in political elections) and two Framingham women who were jailed for picketing President Wilson.
Pair this video with the biographies on Josephine Collins and Louise Parker Mayo and make your own sash! It could be a “Votes for Women” message or something that you care about, i.e. a clean planet, animal cruelty, etc. Maybe even make your own video like Libby!
Journaling this Moment in History
You are a historian. Starting today keep a digital journal that you will detail what you are seeing in the news, how the world, how our nation, how your friends, neighbors, and family are responding to this pandemic.
You are creating a primary source that can be used by people in the future to learn about our lives during this crisis from your unique perspective.
Guiding Questions: You can write anything you like about your experiences. The following is a list of potential things you can respond to.
1. What did the government announce/declare/implement today?
– Does it make sense?
– Does it impact your life? Why or why not?
– How did your family respond?
2. What does your neighborhood look like? Are people walking around?
3. Did you see anything today that gave you hope? Anxiety? Fear?
– In person, in the news, or on social media?
4. What does your family need today that you might not have, have enough of, or have no access to acquire?
The Framingham History Center is making an effort to collect a digital archive of community member’s experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in real time. We have created a Google Sheets template for anyone who wants to record a line-a-day journal during the duration of the pandemic (and beyond). For more about the inspiration behind the Pandemic Journal Project, click here: https://framinghamhistory.org/covid19/
Invent like Mattie
Have you ever had an idea for something that would make your life easier, safer, or more fun? If no one else has thought of it, then it’s an invention!
One of the first women to hold a patent (a government license that gives you ownership of your idea) in the United States was Margaret Knight. Margaret, also called Mattie, spent her adult life in Framingham and developed almost 100 different inventions in her lifetime! Her most known invention was the flat bottomed paper bag that you might pack your lunch in or get popcorn in from a store.
Think about your daily routine and how you could improve it. It could be as simple as a faster way to put on your shoes or making your bed. Put your ideas on paper and test out a prototype (a model for the real thing) just like Mattie!
Home Water Log
How much water does your family use in a day? Before the invention of indoor plumbing, filling a tub of water or preparing for wash day was not a simple task. In the colonial era Framingham families needed hundreds of gallons of water to perform these chores. If you did not live by a source of water, what did you do? Dig a well and haul water in buckets.
This water log activity measures how much water a family uses in a day. For laundry day in the colonial times, it would take 100 gallons of water to wash clothes. Think of the time it would take just to haul the water before the laundry is even started…
Try it with your family! Does the amount of water used surprise you?
Framingham Artifacts of the Past
Test your knowledge of Framingham’s past by identifying artifacts from different time periods. What does each object say about Framingham’s story?
There are many ways to learn about the past; one way is to study artifacts. An artifact is an object made by a human being that has cultural or historical interest. By examining these artifacts, you can begin to understand how people lived, who they were, and what they did.
Some of the objects may not be familiar to you so examine them critically. What they are made of? What might be their purpose? Using those clues, give your best answer.
Click here to download the activity.
Virtual Poetry
Enjoy virtual poetry readings from Framingham teacher and author James L. Parr while taking a tour of historic Framingham sites and objects.
Virtual Tour of FHC Exhibitions
View Four Centuries of Framingham History and Framingham & the Civil War exhibitions with FHC volunteers as your tour guides!
Online Scavenger Hunts
Framingham’s Top 10 exhibition showcases ten of our most important artifacts from the collection. Download or print a scavenger hunt and try to find all the answers!