Lion Scouts:
Houses and Homes
Explore the world of architecture! Through hands-on activities, students will gain an understanding of the types of building materials used for houses and homes around the world. Students will explore the buildings on Liberty Hall’s property to identify and interact with various building materials used throughout time. Students will then design their own house and experiment with a wide variety of materials to create their own two-and-three dimensional structures in our design lab. This program includes the opportunity for snack and story time. Fulfills some requirements of Build It Up Lion Adventure.
Green Thumbs
Come explore Liberty Hall’s historic grounds, gardens, and two greenhouses! In this program, students will discuss the basic needs and characteristics of plants, identify some of the plants and herbs growing in Liberty Hall’s gardens, and discover how plants have been used over the centuries. Students will then participate in a hands-on seed planting activity to bring home with them, care for, and later plant. Students will also have the opportunity for snack and story time. Program available seasonally. Fulfills some requirements of Ready, Set, Grow Lion Adventure.
Games Galore!
Collect ingredients for a colonial recipe, play colonial card games, and so much more! In this program, students will learn about colonial life and leisure through a variety of games that introduce and reinforce number identification, addition and subtraction, and geometric shapes and patterns. Through these hands-on activities, students will explore mathematical concepts while improving their motor, cognition, and teamwork skills. Students will also play with real colonial toys and make their own clay marbles to take home with them. This program includes the opportunity for snack and story time. Fulfills some requirements for On Your Mark and Rumble in the Jungle Lion Adventures.
Adventures in Nature
Get outdoors and study the world around you! Using their five senses, students will explore three different habitats surrounding Liberty Hall and participate in an animal and plant scavenger hunt to identify the natural world around them. Students will then create their own nature-inspired art project to bring home. This program includes the opportunity for snack and story time. Program available seasonally. Fulfills some requirements of Mountain Lion Lion Adventure.
Community Helpers
Let’s learn about community helpers! Students will explore Liberty Hall’s Firehouse Museum to learn why firefighters are important community helpers that work to ensure the safety of everyone in the community. Students will discover what firefighters do, what gear firefighters use, and about the different components of firetrucks past and present. Students will also learn about fire safety and make their own fire hats and badges to wear as they play on a real-life firetruck from the 1950s! This program includes the opportunity for snack and story time. Fulfills some requirements for Animal Kingdom Lion Adventure.
Tiger Scouts:
Tall Tales of the American Revolution
Many tall tales grew out of American history. In this program, we will explore tall tales inspired by the American Revolution. Scouts will hear some of the folk tales that have been passed down through generations both in story and song. In addition, scouts will have the opportunity to play with the type of hand-made toys that entertained children in the 18th century. We will wind up the adventure by painting wooden finger tops to take home. Meets the requirements of Tiger Tales, Tiger elective adventure.
Wolf Scouts:
Scouts, Spies and Soldiers: A Revolutionary Adventure
In addition to being the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington also served as Spymaster in Chief of our intelligence services. In this exciting program, scouts will learn how Revolutionary era spies used codes, dead drops and ciphers to convey military intelligence. Scouts will follow clues to find a secret message from General Washington hidden on the trails of Liberty Hall. They will learn how to use the pig-pen code and will discover the important role scouts played during the American Revolution. Scouts will participate in a musket drill and learn how Revolutionary soldiers trained for battle. All scouts will create and take home their own secret code book. Meets the requirements of Code of the Wolf, Wolf elective adventure.
Green Thumbs
The gardens that surround Liberty Hall provide the perfect setting for scouts to learn about the types of plants that thrive in New Jersey’s temperate climate. Scouts will learn how to identify some of the plants growing in beds throughout the gardens and discuss the wonderful array of herbs that are grown on the property and how they have been used over the centuries. Highlights include a visit to our two greenhouses and a hands on seed planting activity that scouts will take home to be cared for and later planted. Meets the requirements of Grow Something, Wolf elective adventure.
Bear Scouts:
Marble Mania
Scouts will learn about the types of toys, games and activities that entertained early American children and have the opportunity to play with reproductions of the very same games and toys. Scouts will learn about the many different types of marble games dreamed up over the centuries and the unique vocabulary that “mibsters” (marble-players!) use. The event culminates in a marathon of marble playing with scouts devising their own original marble game. Each participant will make their own set of clay marbles with a burlap carry bag to take home. Meets the requirements of Marble Madness, Bear elective adventure.
Fur Real! That’s for the Birds!
Scouts will hike the trails surrounding Liberty Hall and identify the many animal and bird habitats that critters and birds call home. In addition, scouts will use magnifying glasses to get up close and personal to look at some of the unique plant specimens growing in our gardens and woods. Finally, scouts will make and take home an eco-friendly feeder for the birds. Meets the requirements of Fur, Feathers and Ferns, Bear elective adventure.
Webelos:
Art Adventure
The historic portraits of the residents of Liberty Hall hold many secrets! We’ll discuss how each portrait tells us something about its subject. Scouts will use origami techniques to create a one-of-a-kind sketch book that will be used as we find inspiration for sketches to be made on the grounds of Liberty Hall. Scouts will create and personalize a self-portrait of their own to take home. Meets the requirements of Art Explosion, Webelos elective adventure.
The Forest Around Us
The grounds of Liberty Hall are home to many unusual specimens of trees. We’ll learn how to identify different types of trees and learn the important roles trees play in daily life from Early American times to present day. We’ll study the growth rings of a massive tree felled by Hurricane Sandy and learn what those rings can tell us about the life of a tree. In addition, scouts will learn how to identify four common plants from Liberty Hall’s herb garden. Scouts will make a booklet of bark rubbings to take home that will aid in identification of their own neighborhood trees. Meets the requirements of Into the Woods, Webelos elective adventure.
Other Programs:
Legends of Liberty Hall
Liberty Hall Museum is home to some of the most mysterious and intriguing legends of New Jersey. Tour Liberty Hall, listen to these legends, and Test your? sleuthing skills to determine the elements of each legend that are facts versus those that are fictitious! In addition, scouts will learn about one of the oldest known toys in the world, and will paint their own finger top to take home! Can be completed in conjunction with Art Explosion Webelos elective adventure.
Virtual Scout Programs Available!
Our ever popular scout programs are now available as virtual programs! Explore our selection of virtual scout programs. Each program is approximately 90 minutes in length and includes a lively presentation by one of our museum educators along with artifacts from the museum’s collection. Programs are designed to assist scouts in completing the requirements of merit badges, elective adventures., etc. – depending on your scout level. To book a program, please contact Hannah Gaston, the Coordinator of School Programs at hgaston@kean.edu or call 908-527-0400. See virtual program page for details.