Teacher Resources: Planning Your Visit to the Home of American Impressionism
 Hey Educators!
Are you looking for an artistic way to leave a lasting impression on your class? The Museum presents wonderful student-centered field trips throughout the year tailored to the interest and grade level of your class. Your students will tour the historic rooms where some of America's pioneering Impressionist artists lived while painting the landscapes of Lyme. They will spend time in our state-of-the-art galleries having meaningful discussions about genuine works of art with trained educators. And best of all, your students can have a memorable hands-on experience, making a painting with authentic art-making supplies, in the very places where real American artists painted nearly 100 years ago.
Check out our new On-Line Learning site with tons of resources for teachers!
Contact our Museum Educator Mollie Clarke to plan your adventure. School tours are offered year round, Tuesdays through Fridays. We would be happy to suggest an ideal field trip experience, or work with you to incorporate your specific curriculum goals.
When you call, please have the number of students (45 maximum is ideal), the grade level, as well as some dates you wish to visit. Field trip tours are $6 per student. Teachers and up to 3 chaperones are admitted for free. Mollie Clarke can be reached by phone at (860) 434-5542, ext. 113 or mollie@flogris.org.
Pre-Visit Kits: The Museum prepares special pre-visit kits for teachers coming with school groups. The kit includes: A History of the Museum, Rules and Regulations, Tour Components, and Directions. Ask about the kit when making your reservations or click on the links to download the components here.
Additional Reading & Research
Before your visit, we recommend the following:
A Certain Light. This 12-minute introductory video tells the story of how an famous art colony was formed in the small New England town of Old Lyme. Geared towards a general adult audience, but appropriate for older children. Available for purchase through the Museum's Shop for $12.
Miss Florence and the Artist of Old Lyme. This publication recounts the anecdotes of Arthur Heming, one of the artists who stayed with Miss Florence during the early years. The book is filled with good period descriptions of the house and paints the scene of the bohemian artist colony. Geared towards a general adult audience, but appropriate for older children. Available for purchase through the Museum's Shop for $15.
The American Artist in Connecticut: The Legacy of the Hartford Steam Boiler Collection. This exhibition catalogue includes great color reproductions of many key paintings along with insightful essays regarding the artists. The complete collection is pictured in a special index in the back of the book. Available for purchase through the Museum Shop for $29.95.
What Teachers Are Saying About the Florence Griswold Museum's Field Trips:
"Excellent way to introduce students to American Impressionism."
"The program is wonderful."
"I've been going for 10 years and it has gotten better each year!"
"It's our best field trip of the year."
"Excellent! It was meaningful, engaging and fun."
"Tied in great to our curriculum!"
"The staff are very kid-friendly and willing to accommodate."
"Very well organized."
"My class loved the entire experience."
"We have gone to many art museums every year and your tour and hands-on project were first rate."
"The docents interacted perfectly with their young audiences."
Teacher In-Service Training Days
Scheduled throughout the year
Tailored to the specific needs and interest of the group of educators, the Museum presents a series of teacher training days throughout the year. Training days often includes an intense introduction to the Museum with guided tours of the facility and an overview of the history of Miss Florence and the Artists of Old Lyme. Previous training days have included special workshops on "Interpreting Art Via Storytelling" and "Visual Thinking Strategies."
 Summer Institutes
The Museum has coordinated several weeklong summer institutes combining the latest learning theories with the art and history of Connecticut geared for local school educators. Institutes offer an immersion into the collections and resources of the Museum along with exposure to experts in the fields of art, history, architecture, garden design, and more. Previous summer institutes have included Living the Lesson: A Teachers‚ Colony at Lyme that used Sue Snyder's Total Literacy as a model to teach the story of the art colony at Old Lyme and Thinking Outside the Frame: Interpreting Art Via the Multiple Intelligences based on Howard Gardner's learning theory.
Visiting Scholars who have participated in the summer institutes include:
Allison Abucewicz, Musician and Music Teacher, Plantsville, CT
Frederick Bebisheimer, Architect, Old Lyme, CT
Kandie Carle, Historic Performer, East Haddam, CT
Carol Glynn, Author and Actor, Niantic, CT
Brad Guarino, Visual Artist, New London, CT
Daniel Hansen, Principal, Pleasant Valley School in South Windsor, CT
Cheryl Hulteen, Associate Director, Artsgenesis, New York, NY
Tom Lee, Storyteller, Chester, CT
David Madacsi, Professor of Physics, UCONN at Avery Point, Groton, CT
Rita Quinn, Principal of Fields Memorial School, Bozrah, CT;
David Robertson, Spiritual Healer, NY
Brad Roth, Movement Specialist, Milford, CT
R. Scott Warren, Botanist and Professor of Botany, Connecticut College, CT
Sheila Wertheimer, Landscape Historian, Old Lyme, CT
Summer institutes were funded by the Connecticut Humanities Council and the Connecticut Department of Higher Education.
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