Hand's-On-History Camp 2017
Historic Sandusky’s first annual Hands-on History Camp was a hit among this year’s campers. In response to the question “what did you dislike the most about the camp” on our anonymous evaluation, campers wrote “I liked all of it”, “not much”, and “nothing”.
This year’s camp was held July 17th through 21st. The purpose of the camp was to cultivate an interest in history without using the traditional classroom-textbook style approach to learning. Campers explored history through archaeology, architecture, different forms of communication, horticulture, medicine, and symbols or flags. The campers also had the opportunity to tour the historic home and watch our Emmy award winning documentary, Hunter’s Raid.
Teachers, Tracy Estelus and Kelly Childress, did a great job planning and facilitating the camp. Campers participated in many activities some of which were; a scavenger hunt, capture the flag, decoding a cryptogram, and sending messages using a cipher wheel. Overall, the majority of the campers stated, “I had fun/plan on returning”. The success of the camp can also be attributed to wonderful guest speakers, Dr. Charles Driscoll, Dr. Kelley Deetz, Dr. Clifton Potter, Historic Sandusky’s Staff (Tim Elliot and Cody Cole), and our amazing director, Greg Starbuck.
Dr. Driscoll dressed as a confederate doctor and spoke of the advancements and deficiencies of Civil War Medicine. Dr. Deetz spoke of “garbology” as a modern and applicable alternative to archaeology. Dr. Potter spoke of the memories and aftermath of the Civil War from the perspective of a veteran. Kelly Childress dressed in period clothing and spoke of the role of a woman. Mr. Starbuck spoke of the use of instruments to communicate messages during battle.
About the author: Tracy Estelus is a two time graduate of Lynchburg College, first with her Bachelors of Science in Biology in 2015 and with her Masters of Science Education with a specialization in earth science in the spring of 2017. Tracy began at Sandusky as a graduate assistant and now works part time during the summers.
Like what Tracy had to say? Read her other blog posts on her trip to Richmond for the Civil War Trust's Teacher's Institute here.
