The Fleming Museum Education Kits are multimedia resources that bring the Museum into your classroom. Containing authentic Museum objects, these kits provide a hands-on approach to learning. Slides, music tapes, books, maps, posters, games, and other instructional materials expand understanding of the objects and the cultures that created them. The Teacher's Guide includes additional information, suggested activities, and other resources for exploring the topic with your students. Listed below are the kit topics and some of the objects in each kit:

CHINA: Coins, a bronze mirror, cricket cage, embroidered shoes for bound feet, a silk scroll, abacus, a contemporary child's vest, terra cotta soldier, silk jacket, and signature stamp.

INDIA: A bronze dancing Shiva, sari, dolls, shadow puppet, brass handbells, palm leaf art, colorful textiles, and folk art.

JAPAN: A 19th-c. nobleman's hat, calligraphy, porcelain rice bowl, cloth banners, geta and tabi (shoes and socks), tsuba (sword guard), furoshiki (wrapping cloth), and kite.

JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTING: The history and technique of the Japanese woodblock print are illustrated with two 19th-c. prints, books, and DVD.

VIETNAM: A doll wearing traditional clothing, embroidered nón-lá hat, lacquered baskets, electric incense burner, and posters of contemporary and children's art.

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ANCIENT EGYPT: Amulets, scarabs, a bronze statuette of Osiris, a fragment of linen wrapping, stone weights, a papyrus, and a reproduction of a relief sculpture.

ANCIENT GREECE: A replica of an ancient lamp in the shape of a Greek ship, miniature ceramic vases, a small modeled head of a goddess, and a gallery of Greek art and architecture.

MEDIEVAL EUROPE: A brass rubbing, real parchment, a chain mail glove, armored knights, a game of Nine Men's Morris, and reproduction stained glass.

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ABENAKI: Projectile points, pot sherds, stone tools, sweetgrass basket, ash-splint basket, and a flag.

INUIT & ALASKAN ESKIMO: Soapstone carvings, snow goggles, miniature mukluks, a stone-headed doll, Eskimo "yo-yo," baleen puzzle, and a doll with fur clothing.

PLAINS INDIANS: Child's beaded moccasins, beaded knife case, buffalo horn, dancing bells, sinew, club, and arrows.

SOUTHWEST INDIANS: Pottery, sandpaintings, Navajo weaving, a Hopi dance rattle, and a doll in traditional Navajo dress.

NORTHWEST COAST: A carved wooden mask, small totem pole, woven grass mat, and a replica of a button blanket.

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AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES: A boomerang, bark painting, bull roarer, shell necklace, models of a spear thrower and didgeridoo, and posters of contemporary art.

INCAS: A rich array of weavings, dolls, a montera (hat), a quipu (knotted cords used to record and transmit information), pan pipes, a toy llama, and a model of a reed boat.

WEST AFRICA: A mask, Asante stool, Tuareg leather box, calabash bowl, gold weight, and musical instruments.

WEST AFRICAN TEXTILES: Adire cloth, batik, kente cloth, bogolanfini (mud cloth), adinkra stamps for printing of cloth, and factory-made cloth.

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Kits are borrowed for 18-day periods: pick-up for kits is on Tuesday, and the return date is a Friday. There is a fee of $30 for each 2 1/2-week loan. There will be a charge for the late return of any kit. PLEASE HELP BY RETURNING KITS PROMPTLY.

Kits should be handled with reasonable care under a teacher's supervision. A damage fee of up to $50 for negligent handling will be charged.

Use the inventory found in the Teacher's Guide when unpacking and repacking a kit. Please complete the evaluation form in the Guide.

For reservations and information, call the Museum Education Office at 656-0750. Office hours are 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

To discuss how to integrate education kits into the classroom curriculum, speak with Chris Fearon, Curator of Education and Public Programs.

NOTE: You will be charged for a kit even if you do not pick it up. If you wish to cancel, you must give us at least 3 weeks notice.

Contact Information:

To reserve an artifact kit, or for more information, please call the Fleming Museum Education Department at 802-656-0750.