Museum educational programs
The educational program consists of more than 30 themes, including history, ethnoculture and art and are designed for pre-school and school pupils.
I. Historical programmes at Kėdainiai Regional museum
Secrets of the Nevėžis valley
During the educative tour pupils visit a manor of Sirutiškis and a park – a motherland of Cz. Milosz grandparents, Kalnaberžė – manor of P. Stolypin and K. Binkis, Paberžė – a museum of the 1863 uprising, manor of the Šilingai, a museum of the church items collected by Father Stanislovas, Krekenava – the Church of Virgin Mary Assumption, where poet Maironis served as a priest, Pašiliai – the lonely wisent reservation in Lithuania, Šventybrastis – a valley of insurgents of 1863 uprising, Šeteniai – a cultural centre of the Nobel prize winner Cz. Milosz, Apytalaukis – a manor of historicism style, that belonged to the Counts Zabielos, and a minaret in Kėdainiai. During the tour pupils fill in their excercise notebooks, with tasks requesting knowledge of history, literature and biology. The programme is adapted to pupils of 5-12 classes. Duration – 6 hours.
Kėdainiai – a land of Mikalojus Daukša and Czesław Miłosz
Pupils read works of the Lithuanian poets of the Renaissance period and M. Daukša; fragments of ethnographical outline by M. Katkus ‘The Spill Times‘, autobiographical novel ‘The Isa Valley’ by Cz. Milosz and novel ‘Neighbours’ by J. Paukštelis; after that they analyze fragments of movies created on the basis of the mentioned works; they also select most typical heroes of the mentioned authors, create pageants and put together puzzles. The programme is adapted to pupils of 8-12 classes. Duration – 2 hours.
(The programmes adopted for higher classes are held in Kėdainiai district and Kėdainiai Regional Museum.)
What does the stone axe tell
School children get acquainted with the archaeological exposition, watch a fragment of video film ‘Vikings’ Festival’, measure and draw archaeological exhibits, do crosswords.
The tales of old items
During the lesson school children learn to roll a linen towel, to carry wooden buckets with a yoke. They also try wooden clogs, guess riddles, say proverbs and draw items they like mostly.
The life in a mansion
School children get acquainted with history of mansions of Kėdainiai Region, look round the set of furniture made of horn from the Apytalaukis mansion, make fans and draw palace of their own dreams.
One day in the medieval town
School children get acquainted with history of the Big Market Square, draw sketches of the most important architectural buildings: Town Hall, the Reformed Church and House of Glaziers, take a walk around inner yards of the Old Town.
The ways of book smugglers
School children get acquainted with book smugglers of Kėdainiai Region, their dangerous life and secret schools. They also do crosswords, read writings of the end of the 19th c. and play games.
History of the Radziwills family
School children inquire into history of the noblemen family, their traditions and customs, analyse meaning of the family names, and draw the ornaments of the Radziwills sarcophaguses.
The ancient coat of arms of Lithuania and Kėdainiai
School children get acquainted with the ancient blazons of Lithuanian towns, draw the blazons of Kėdainiai and Jonušava, and create sketches of their own blazons.
Deportation and the partisan movement in Kėdainiai region
School children get acquainted with life of deportees and partisans, read their letters, analyse photographs from the Museum’s depository, listen to songs and poems of deportees and partisans.
Kėdainiai town culture (5-8th classes)
A sightseeing tour of Kėdainiai old town (Big Market Square, Town Hall, Reformed Church, Arnets House); familiarization with archaeological artefacts at the Museum.
The ancient folk sculpture. A symbol of a cross
School children get acquainted with the small folk sculpture, chapel-crosses and crosses by V.Svirskis.
Anna Frank history for today (8th class)
School children get acquainted with an uprise of the Holocaust. They watch a film ‘Dear Kitty’ and read fragments of the diary.
Secrets of tea
School children have a view of a collection of the ancient teakettles, get acquainted with traditions of tea drinking of various countries, taste Lithuanian tea of various sorts.
II. Ethnocultural programmes at Kėdainiai Regional museum
The flax way
School children get acquainted with flax processing tools, flax cultivation customs. They also are taught songs and games.
The rye way
School children get acquainted with agricultural tools, learn to sow from a seedlip, separate out different sorts of corn. They also taste bread of different sorts and do crosswords.
Let advent’s evenings not be long
School children get acquainted with customs and charms of Advent. They also are taught the Advent games and songs.
Waiting for Christmas
School children get acquainted with customs, charms and games of Christmas and Christmas Eve.
The cold winter goes away
School children get acquainted with customs, songs and games of Shrovetide.
The return of birds
School children get acquainted with the return of birds, customs of festivals, children’s’ small folklore and imitation of birds voices.
The Easter entertainment
School children get acquainted with ways of eggs variegation and Easter customs. They also are taught the Easter games and songs.
Easter eggs
Teacher explains symbols of the Easter eggs. School children are taught to mottle eggs with wax.
Customs of shepherds
School children get acquainted with customs of Whit Sunday, games, songs and children folklore.
III. Programmes at the Multicultural centre
Confessions
A sightseeing tour of the Catholic, Reformers, Othodox and Jews temples finding out similarities and differences of various religions.
The Holocaust
Pupils watch fragments of documentary films ‘Sunset in Lithuania’ and ‘Ambulance’ and discuss.
Shtetl and traditions
A sightseeing tour of Kėdainiai old town finding out particularities of the Jews life in towns of Lithuania. Practice classes at the Multicultural Centre. The Jewish celebration Sabbath: customs and used items.
Literature, music and symbols of the national communities
The programme includes written works of various forms from the 16th to the 19th c. Research of texts of the Lutherans, Calvinists, Catholics and secular Jewish texts related with Kėdainiai. Pupils familiarize also with the Russian and Polish texts related the mansions culture of the 19th – 20th c. Written heritage of the various nations and religions is illustrated by samples of art and architecture, finding out the most important symbols as well as listening to religous chants and music of various nations.
IV. The programmes of the historical crafts at the Arnets House
Reflection of the historical crafts in Kėdainiai folk art: tying of thrums
Demonstration of wristlets and tied decorations. Training how to make decorations. Explanation about their history and simbolic meaning of thrums, knots and beads in the Lithuanians world-view. Demonstration of slides during a lecture.
Reflection of the historical crafts in Kėdainiai folk art: tatting of lace using shuttle and crochet
Explanation about Lithuanian traditional tatting methods and their use. Presentation of tatting using a shuttle – history and simblic meaning. Training how to make lace and embroider. Demonstration of slides during a lecture.
Presentation of traditions of wool fulling-mill and production of felted decorations
Training how to make felted decorations. Explanation of fulling-mill history, tradition and technique.
Reflection of the historical crafts in Kėdainiai folk art: applique – one of the oldest methods of colour embroidery
Explanation why and when the method of applique was named ‘patchwork’, what is the difference between ‘patchwork’ and applique. Embroidery of national and historical ceremonial clothes. Demonstration of slides during a lecture.
Traditions of weave and techology in Kėdainiai region
Two lectures – workshops. The first lecture: demonstration of beginning of weave using authentical loom of the 19th century – praparation of threads and whipping. Explanation about vertical and horizontal warper, how to cross threads and how threads of thrums are being tied into a string and bent onto a shaft. The second lecture: explanation, how warped warps are being fitted into loom.
Knitting of wristlets and gloves in Kėdainiai region
Explanation about traditional patterns of wristlets and gloves of the Middle Lithuania and Klaipėda region. How the unique collection of gloves of Klaipėda region got in Dotnuva in 1940; also about spreading of the Lithuanian gloves, their shapes, knitting technique, sacral, aesthetical, customary and ceremonial meanings.
SPINNING
Demonstration of spinning using vertical and horizontal spinning-wheels, wooden distaff and authentical stone distaff of the Neolithic age.
V. The programmes in Museum of the 1863 uprising
- Paberžė and the 1863 uprising
- Life after the 1863 uprising
- Symbols of Paberžė – cross-suns, cross-chapels and bowled stones (for 5-12 classes and adults)
- The 1863 uprising in Lithuania (for 7-12 classes and adults)
- Places of remembrances of the 1863 uprising (for 5-8 classes)