For Teachers

PLAN A FIELD TRIP

YOU MUST CALL THE PARK TO SCHEDULE A SELF GUIDED FIELD TRIP AT LEAST TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE

Self Guided Trips-

The mounds are spread out and you may not want to walk to all of them. If that's the case we encourage everyone to stop by the Earth lodge, which is only a short walk from the Visitor Center.

The Earth Lodge is a reconstructed council chamber or social meeting place. It was a place of both spiritual and political significance. The reconstructed walls and roof help to protect the original floor which is about 1000 years old. Earth Lodges help us to understand the politics, problem solving methods and spiritual ideas of the societies of the past. Visitors get to enter and experience this special building of the Mississippian culture.

The Great Temple Mound is situated about one half mile from the Visitor Center. The path takes you over a rail road cut and past the site of the early English trading post. Once at the Great Temple Mound you can take your class to the top and get a spectacular view of the city of Macon and Ocmulgee National Monument.

The Visitor Center contains over 2,000 artifacts found during excavations on site. The first exhibition in the rotunda displays artifacts that cover the 17,000 years of human habitation here at the park. The main museum contains artifacts that deal more specifically with the group of people who used the mounds 1000 years ago, known as the Mississippians. At any time during your visit we can show your class a 17 minute orientation video. We can only seat about fifty students in the theater, so if your group is larger, we suggest splitting them up. While one group watches the film the other can tour the museum.

A ranger will give a group orientation if requested by school group if the educational ranger is available. And if you don't mind the children getting dirty we can make clay available so the children can make pottery, using traditional techniques they've learned that day. The cost is $10.00 (plus tax) for 25 pounds of clay, which can accommodate about twenty five children.

TRAVELING TRUNKS

We have three traveling trunks that teachers can borrow to use in their classroom for interactive guided learning activities. These trunks contain recreated artifacts, pottery, period clothing, tools, toys and musical instruments. By interacting and learning through hands on activities your students can investigate multicultural significance of everyday items. This helps connect students with people of the past through mutual understanding. We cannot mail the trunks. The have to be picked up and dropped off in person. The trunks can be borrowed for 1-3 weeks please call at least one week in advance before picking up the trunks.

For any questions or to schedule a field trip call [phone] between 9:00am-5:00pm daily