Abbe Museum

Last month, the Asa Adams fourth grade classes took a field trip to the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor to enrich our learning about Maine Native Americans. We left school close to 8:30 and had a relatively quiet bus ride as most of our class brought books to read.

We were greeted by the friendly staff of the museum and split up into groups before beginning our tour. Our first stop was the Layers of Time exhibit. We learned about how archaeologists excavate different sites and what they learn from their findings. To make it more relevant for students, a trash can was shown to students and they were asked to tell about the people who threw those things away. From the diapers and baby food jars, students could conclude that these people had at least one child. Travel brochures suggested that these people had leisure time and enjoyed traveling. Students also got to explore the exhibit more thoroughly as they went on a scavenger hunt for artifacts such as baskets, animal bones, and tools. 

Next, we got to look at a replica of an archaeological dig site. Students examined artifacts and made educated guesses about what the people living there might have done. Shells with holes suggested that people were making jewelry. Large rocks suggested people were using tools to build. A pile of shells indicated that people were preparing food. 

Before leaving, we got to demonstrate what we'd learned. We got to handle some of the tools we had been hearing about and explain what they were used for. Most tools were made from rock or bone because those were the materials accessible to Maine Native Americans.