Each year more than 30,000 students visit the Baltimore Museum of Industry to learn about the city’s industrial past. While the museum has been shuttered due to the COVID-91 outbreak, students will still be able to get the field trip experience from home with the BMI’s “City Kits.”
The City Kits are based on the museum’s award-winning Kids’ Cannery program. In this exhibit, students learn about an 1883 oyster cannery and take-on various jobs within the factory. Created in collaboration with the Baltimore City Public Schools and Great Kids Farm, the take-home kits include activities that teach students to interpret historic materials and think about the process of food preparation. The lessons also align with the state social studies curriculum.
Earlier this week, museum staff and volunteers assembled 2,000 City Kits. These kits will be distributed for free within Baltimore City at meal distribution sites on Wednesday, June 3. The museum aims to continue distribution and make the kits accessible to as many students as possible.
Beth Maloney, Director of Interpretation at the BMI described the project as an analog supplement to digital learning. “We know that students love the hands-on learning that takes place in our Kids Cannery experience at the museum, and we wanted to replicate that for children who are not able to visit during this pandemic,” she said in a press release.
The Baltimore Museum of Industry is currently seeking donations in order to distribute kits to more widely.