To serve students at home and the public working remotely, the USS Constitution Museum has launched a robust outreach initiative where it is turning the Museum “inside-out” and creating digital opportunities for visitor engagement. The Museum is drawing on its leadership in audience engagement and its expertise as the definitive source for information related to USS Constitution and the Ship’s crew.
“We are offering compelling educational materials for curious students and armchair sailors,” said Anne Grimes Rand, Museum President & CEO. “Whether it’s students who cannot attend classes, educators looking for ideas, or adults with a penchant for learning about Constitution, we remain committed to delivering interesting and informative content during this difficult and uncertain time.”
Every day the Museum disseminates dynamic content related to Constitution through its social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and website usscm.org. Through new blog posts, in-depth research publications, artifact highlights, crew profiles, original videos, and interactive and educational webpages, the Museum continues to seamlessly engage with its virtual audience in new and exciting ways.
The weekly social media schedule includes, but is not limited to:
Monday: Research publication and LEGO® Ship Shape Competition
Tuesday: Blog post
Wednesday: Hands-on family activity
Thursday: Artifact highlight
Friday: Meet a historic sailor from “Old Ironsides”
Saturday: Notable event from Constitution history
Sunday: Video feature
Additionally, USS Constitution is hosting daily virtual tours using Facebook Live at 1 p.m. ET.
•Families at home can enjoy hands-on activities through an engaging resource now available digitally, including the Museum’s “Old Ironsides” Activity Book, which utilizes rich illustrations of renowned artist Stephen Biesty and lively text of award-winning author Richard Platt. Families can also participate in the weekly LEGO® Ship Shape Competition on Facebook. Each Monday at 12 noon ET the Museum will post a new contest with a Thursday at 2 p.m. ET deadline. The winners are determined by online voting.
•New interdisciplinary educator resource kits have also been assembled that include primary sources, lesson plans, and at-home activities organized by major themes – Design and Construction, Life at Sea, Meet the Crew, War of 1812, and USS Constitution legacy. Staff from other museums and libraries can review the Museum’s website engagefamilies.org, which features extensive research and strategies for family engagement.
•On April 1, the Museum will launch A Sailor’s Life for Me, a dynamic online game and educator resource that allows people of all ages to step into the shoes of an 1812 sailor and take on the tasks and challenges of life at sea, including scrubbing the deck, whacking rats in the hold, and sailing the ship at sea.