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Upcoming Children's Programs

Music for Children

Upcoming Adult Programs

Nordic American Voices

For Teachers


Education & Classes

Upcoming Children's Programs

Download a calendar of Kids' Programs in 2010.




Music for Children - Lilla Spelmanslag

 

Lilla Spelmanslag Camp
 

The Nordic Heritage Museum’s Lilla Spelmanslag is a group of young musicians from age 8 to 18, that play traditional Scandinavian music. Emphasis is on musicianship, teamwork, leadership, poise and playing for fun.

Membership and Rehearsals
The Lilla Spelmanslag is open to any child already started on the violin. It may be open to other instruments appropriate to playing this kind of folk music at the director's discretion. There is an annual fee to join the group and some scholarship monies may be available. The group rehearses twice a month at the Museum.

Upcoming Performances
May 17, Monday, Syttende Mai Parade
May 29, Saturday, Folklife Scandinavian Dance in the Center House
June 6, Sunday, Pancake Breakfast at Swedish Cultural Center
June 27, Sunday, Skandia's Midsommarfest


Our Director
The Lilla Spelmanslag is directed by Martha Levenson. A long time fiddler and educator, Martha enjoys sharing her love of Scandinavian music and dance.

Contact us!
For more information on the Nordic Heritage Museum's Lilla Spelmanslag, please contact Martha Levenson at lillaspelmanslag@nordicmuseum.org.

Upcoming Adult Programs


Nordic American Voices Oral History Initiative

The Nordic Heritage Museum announces the launch of a new and ambitious effort to collect, preserve, and share the life histories of Nordic immigrants and their descendants in the Pacific Northwest.

Nordic American Voices builds upon the expertise gained in the 1999–2000 Vanishing Generation Project, when 123 interviews were recorded by more than 40 volunteers. In 2001 the Museum, together with project partners the Ballard Historical Society and the Swedish Finn Historical Society, published a 289-page book. Voices of Ballard: Immigrant Stories from the Vanishing Generation contains narrative renditions of over 100 interview transcripts. The first edition sold out quickly and is currently out of print. One early goal of the Nordic American Voices project is to publish a new, expanded edition of the popular book.

The scope of Nordic American Voices will reach beyond Ballard, capturing the life stories of individuals throughout the region, from the farming communities of Snohomish and Skagit Counties to Scandinavian settlements in Eastern Washington. These interviews will inform future publications as well as exhibitions in the Museum’s current facility and in the new building planned for Market Street in Ballard.

Another special focus of the project will be to identify and interview individuals living in the Pacific Northwest who can share their memories and experiences of the Nordic countries during World War II, the occupation and the resistance movements, and the Winter War and Continuation War in Finland. These stories will be featured in a range of projects, from educational websites to exhibitions, and will be available to historians and to other Nordic cultural organizations.

YOU CAN HELP
The Nordic American Voices project will thrive with the assistance of many volunteers. The Nordic American Voices Steering Committee also seeks the community’s assistance in identifying interview participants and in conducting interviews. Please consider becoming a project volunteer nominating a narrator by contacting Janet Rauscher at (206) 789-5707 ext.35, or janetr@nordicmuseum.org.

For Teachers

The Nordic Heritage Museum invites school groups to visit our exhibits, either on guided or self-guided tours. Reservations are required for all group visits at least two weeks in advance. Contact the Education Department at (206) 789-5707 ext.19 or email: alisonc@nordicmuseum.org.

Museum Tours
Guided Tours
Guided tours take place in our Dream of America exhibit and include a curriculum guide, a guide to Washington State EALRs addressed, and a scavenger hunt for students to use on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Bring your class’s study of immigration, Nordic culture, or Washington State history alive with this popular tour. Travel back to the nineteenth-century Scandinavian countryside with your students to begin the journey to America through the Dream of America’s life-like settings and period artifacts. The voyage continues through captivating displays, as students board a ship to cross the Atlantic, and disembark at Ellis Island. Moving through the Midwest, the trek ends in the Pacific Northwest and Ballard, Seattle. Make the Nordic immigrant experience universal with this dynamic tour using role-playing and illustrative props! Minimum of ten students, maximum of 30 on guided tours. Larger groups can schedule back-to-back tours. One chaperone is required for every six students. Self-guided Tours
Teachers are also welcome to bring students on self-guided tours. Scavenger hunts are available for all three floors of the museum.

Outreach Trunks Immigrant Trunk
The Immigrant Trunk is full of hands-on artifacts that reflect common objects brought by Nordic immigrants to America during the nineteenth century. Use the classroom activities and teacher’s manual, personal belongings, and replicas of immigrant documents from the Museum’s collection to bring history alive. Let the Immigrant Trunk give your class a personal glimpse into the immigration period of the late 1800s! The Immigrant Trunk is a great complement to the Dream of America guided tour!

Viking Trunk
The Viking Trunk contains faithful replicas of Viking Age artifacts for your students to handle and try on, including clothing, armor, and jewelry. Slides depicting the world of the Vikings, informative books, and a teacher’s manual filled with information and activities for classroom use complete this fun outreach resource. Use the Viking Trunk to discover with your students how the Vikings really lived!

Trolls and Norse Gods Trunk
The Trolls and Norse Gods Trunk is an excellent resource for classes studying folktales or myths, or for those who just love trolls and Norse gods! This new outreach trunk contains troll and Norse god costumes, music stories to read in class along with story writing aids, and a teacher’s manual filled with information about trolls and Norse gods and activities to use in your classroom!


Nordic Adventures
Would you like to have someone visit your classroom and give a presentation related to the Nordic countries? The Nordic Heritage Museum has an exciting organization, Nordic Adventures, that can provide classroom presentations on a number of Nordic subjects, including culture, music and dance, arts, history, Norse mythology, and Vikings, to name a few! Presenters are provided FREE of charge to speak to your class! This is a great addition to a Dream of America guided tour, or a fantastic option for groups that cannot afford a visit to the Nordic Heritage Museum.

If you would like to have a presentation from a member of Nordic Adventures, contact the Education Department at (206) 789-5707 ext.19 or email: alisonc@nordicmuseum.org.

Living Voices
For an exciting addition to a Dream of America tour, consider arranging a performance by Living Voices at the Museum! Their program Northwest Passages was created in conjunction with the Nordic Heritage Museum and follows a young Swedish immigrant as she grows up in the Pacific Northwest. Northwest Passages is appropriate for students in the 5th grade and up, and is a wonderful complement to a Dream of America tour. Presentations scheduled at the Museum in conjunction with Dream of America tours will receive a special rate of $175! To arrange a tour and presentation, contact Alison Church, Children’s Education Coordinator at the Nordic Heritage Museum at (206) 789-5707 ext.19 or alisonc@nordicmusuem.org. From more information on Living Voices, visit their website at www.livingvoices.org.