The McClung Museum serves thousands of community visitors and schoolchildren through onsite and outreach programs. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, in-person visits to the museum are not possible at this time, and there has been an indefinite suspension of all school group excursions and camp activities. To combat learning loss during the extended break, museum educators, with the help of a $2,500 grant through the East Tennessee Foundation’s Neighbor to Neighbor fund, have begun creating family activity kits to reach out to our youngest visitors at their homes and schools. Each activity kit contains lessons inspired by the museum’s diverse collection as well as craft materials to create a related art project. This project includes content in both English and Spanish to allow us to reach as many student and families as possible.

 

The McClung hopes to continue to serve our community and local Title 1 schools even in these times of physical distance. Curator of Education, Leslie Chang Jantz says

 

“We are very grateful for the support of the East Tennessee Foundation, which will allow the McClung to offer families fun and educational materials during these challenging times. Our hope is to sustain this mode of engagement and adapt it to fit the needs of specific neighborhoods. We remain committed to engaging local families and we will continue to explore creative ways to nurture the museum’s bonds with the communities it serves.”

 

The activity kits will be distributed through partnerships with area schools supported by the Knox Education Foundation and the Great Schools Partnership.

Stay tuned for more updates and educational opportunities!