Hands On History

Historic Arrowtown

For Teachers - Programme Options

Social Sciences Year 1 - 10

  1. Hands on learning focusing on gold and life in 19th century New Zealand based in the Museum.
  2. Learn about Maori in the Lakes District using legend, drama and artefacts.
  3. Walk through Arrowtown and stop at a miner's cottage, be locked up in agoldfields gaol and visit Mary McKillop's cottage.
  4. Explore the Chinese settlement and discover what life was like for these

    Investigating the gold mining equipment

    industrious immigrants.
  5. Stake a claim and try your hand at gold panning in the Arrow River with an expert tutor.
  6. Experience a class with Miss Gray in our 1880s school house.
  7. Learn how to make butter and rag mats.
  8. Get hands-on with artefacts.
  9. Use the cemetery to learn about social class, religion, death and disease.

Other optionsChildren at the river

Schoolyard games; Photographic Interpretation; Communication; Electricity; Transport; War and the Wakatipu; Inventions; Women in the Wakatipu.

As well as the established options above, the education officer is willing to work with you to develop a session that suits your needs.

Exhibition GalleryChildren gold panning

Our exhibition gallery has a constantly changing array of art work and local history exhibitions with special education programmes run in conjunction. View our blog to see what is showing when you plan to visit.

Timing: Allow 75 minutes for each option.
Cost: Maximum cost $5.00 per student. Teachers and caregivers free of charge.

Senior studies

As well as the established programmes below, the education officer is willing to work with you to develop a session that suits your assessment requirements.

History

Use the Wakatipu as a living classroom by visiting historic sites. Learn how to use a variety of primary and secondary resources in our purpose built archives facility. Where students can immerse themselves and get enthusiastic about research!

  • NCEA 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3 - Introduction to primary sources
  • NCEA 2.1 / 2.2 / 2.5 - Communicate historical ideas
  • NCEA 3.1 / 3.2 / 3.3 - Historical method

    Looking for gold

  • Put 19th century New Zealand into context - great for inspiring Year 13 students for their external assessment.

Try and allow at least a full day (most schools spend two days) to allow your students to get as much research done as possible.

"Students were able to do a lot of research and enjoyed it! Having access to lots of primary and secondary sources and material they would not normally see was very useful." Year 11 teacher

Geography

  • NCEA 1.1 - An extreme natural event and the human response - Flood!
  • NCEA 1.3 - Resource use in farming and mining context - Grapes and Gold
  • NCEA 3.2 - Tourism as a cultural process - Queenstown: A case study

    Historic hut

  • More geography options being developed - inquire with the education officer

Allow half a day to cover each geography option. Sessions can be made longer or shorter to suit your class needs. Access to primary materials such as photographs, newspapers and oral history extracts can be made available. Visits to appropriate sites can be arranged through the education officer. Contact the education officer to discuss your needs.

"An integral part of my Year 13 programme" Year 13 teacher

Economics, English, Art and Photography students are also ably catered for at the Lakes District Museum.