Children’s Programming
The American
Marble & Toy Museum has a number of excellent children and school
programs.
A local history
program for 3rd graders with a slideshow depicting what it was
like to be a child growing up in 100 years ago, going to school, playing
marbles in the school yard and working in the marble factories – this
was a period in our country’s history when child labor was commonplace.
A number of
simple but enlightening scientific principles are demonstrated with the
help of marbles.
Making clay
marbles in art class using reproductions of Sam Dyke’s patented
invention, these are then fired and decorated by the young scholars.
The arts and
games of marbles - teaching how to hold and shoot a marble, the rules of
the game of ringer and other games – then hands-on lessons knuckling
down in the schoolyard. Each child receives a drawstring bag of marbles.
Experience shows
that all children love to get a bag full of marbles. However, it is
interesting to note that when the young scholars at the suburban schools
go home they normally toss their new marbles in a drawer then play their
computer games. The experience at inner city schools is radically
different. These young scholars express the kind of joy and thanks as if
they’d received a new bicycle instead of 25 cents worth of marbles and a
small parts bag (we buy our toy marble by the ton to give away – so we
paid very little per unit.) When these children go home they normally
teach their siblings or young neighbors how to play, they bring their
marbles back to school and play with them in the schoolyard. This is more
similar to the historical way marbles were played with by children. It is
a very rewarding experience for all involved.
Scenes from our Children’s Programming
Making clay marbles with Sam Dyke’s molding device.
Learning the arts and games of marbles.
Hands-on
Interactive Displays for Children
Through our
research into the historic record of the old marble companies we’ve
discovered many different types of clay marble machines once used to make
clay marbles. Children traditionally operated these machines; they are
harmless and would be fun for
children to put in a clump of clay, turn a handle and watch a clay marble
roll out.
Marble
Raceways
The American
Marble & Toy Museum desires to erect in a section of our new home an
area for children filled with marble raceways. These are popular today in
Europe. The following link describes the type children’s play area we
wish to develop:
Rolling
Ball Sculpture
The American
Marble & Toy Museum desires to hold a competition of artists,
engineering students and rolling ball hobbyists with the intent of
awarding a commission to build a monumental rolling ball sculpture in our
new park.
Rolling ball sculptures or called Kugelbahns in German, are very popular public sculptures in Europe. See this link: