Hands-On History: What Is It and Why Is The Museum Doing It?
June 5, 2025
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By Matt Dwier, Education Manager
Starting this Summer 2025, Museum of World Treasures is introducing a new program to enhance the experiences of our visitors, Hands-on History. This program is aimed to give guests a new and memorable way to interact with history. So, what is Hands-on History and why are we at the Museum doing it?
What is Hands-on History?
Hands-on History is an additional program that guests can purchase a ticket for alongside their admission to the Museum to handle real items from our Education Collection. Yes, real fossils and artifacts. The program will last between 30 and 45 minutes where guests under the supervision of Museum representatives will get to hold fossils and artifacts and learn interesting stories and facts about the items.
The items for this program are pulled from a curated part of the Museum’s wider overall Collection that is aimed at educational programs such as this. Guests will get the chance to handle items ranging from prehistoric fossils to ancient spear heads and figurines to more modern items.
Why are we doing Hands-on History?
Dr. Jon and Touching History
Our museum was founded by Dr. Jon and Lorna Kardatzke, two passionate collectors and lovers of history. Dr. Jon specifically always loved the chance to hold history in his hands and share the stories of those items. These traits specifically the Museum have held to be our guiding lights and inform both our Mission and our Vision. Dr. Jon loved giving guests a chance to get an up-close and personal interaction with history and this program aims to do that as well.
Making Learning Real
As we developed this program I was personally guided by my past experiences as a high school history teacher. For many of us learning history in a classroom the people, places, and ideas are abstract and far out of reach. However, this program looks to bridge that gap and put history directly in your hands. Why just look at the fossils on display in our Fossil Gallery when you can also hold a real-life fossil!?
This exciting new program also helps to teach the public about how people in museums do some of their job and how we handle and care for our collection of over 9,000 items!
Sign me up!
If this program sounds like an experience you’d like to have, you can sign up for it at the front desk of the Museum. Either ask about it as you are paying admission or you can swing back by later during your visit to sign up.
