The Fun of Field Trips

Learning all about life on the Lower East Side! A visit to the Tenement Museum! 

My older daughter is in 4th grade. In New York State, the social studies curriculum is centered around learning about New York. This content lends itself very well to field trips - there’s lots around New York City and Long Island to explore.

A few other parents and I decided to take the kids to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side in New York City on a recent day off from school. The Tenement Museum allows visitors to experience what it was like to be an immigrant in New York City - over the past 100 years. We selected a tour that was not too long (so it would keep their attention) and something that they would find interesting. The idea of a space changing over time is a bit of an abstract concept for kids - but the museum did a great job explaining this idea.

There was lots of information to take in on the field trip. The kids learned that apartments were first referred to as tenements. It was later that the word apartment was adopted (we took it from the French word l’appartement) and replaced tenement. We also learned all about the Schneider family who ran a Lager company in the late 1800s. Because the tour takes visitors into a space that replicates living and working conditions during this time, the kids were able to understand the amenities that were not available (did not exist) during this time. There was some surprise about the house not having a sink in the kitchen or a bathroom indoors.

I was impressed by how much the kids got out of the experience. It gave the 4th graders more of an understanding about what life in New York City was like at different times in history.

This experience was a great reminder of how we can bring literacy and learning to life for kids. We’ll be in Buffalo for Thanksgiving - and hopefully will get to take the kids to the Lockport Locks (my 4th grader has been reading a lot about the Erie Canal this year). I’ll report back if we get there!