KITES

Kansas Interpretive Traveling Exhibit Service

A KITES exhibit is a wonderful opportunity to create special educational programs and events for your community or school. The Kansas Historical Society and the Kansas Humanities Council make it easy for you by offering a package of exciting resources suitable for each exhibit and for all ages. Consider the possibilities:

• Kick off your exhibit with a special opening featuring a speaker or a first-person characterization that brings the exhibit subject to life
• Let students experience hands-on history with a traveling resource trunk
• Use an exhibit guide or history resource packet to get a lively discussion going among students or adult audiences on the exhibit theme
• Offer a community workshop on how to make pinatas or another folk art with information provided by a Traditions Brochure

The various resources our agencies offer are listed below, along with fees and phone numbers for booking and orders. Check each exhibit for a specific listing of available resources, then refer to the information below.

Speakers: Entertaining and lively speakers are available to visit your community and present talks that will enhance many of the exhibit topics. These quality speakers are perfect for an opening, special event, luncheon, or gallery talk for adult audiences of 20 or more. Bookings: Kansas Humanities Council, 785-357-0359. Fee: $35.

History Alive! Characterization: Dressed in the costume of the day, humanities scholars bring to life historical characters such as Theodore Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and Zora Neale Hurston. Ideal for a classroom, school assembly, or adult group. Call the Kansas Humanities Council at 785-357-0359 for fee and booking information.

Multimedia Resources

Traveling Resource Trunks center around a theme from Kansas history and offer a hands-on experience using reproduction artifacts, photographs, games, and more. While each trunk was developed for a specific grade level, they can be easily adapted for other age groups. Curriculum guide for teachers included. Bookings: Kansas Historical Society, 785-272-8681, ext. 414; shipping costs.

Publications

Kansas History Packets help teachers create a whole unit of learning activities based on primary source documents. Topics include cattle towns, settlements, emigrant Indians, and territorial conflict. Order from the Museum Store; $15 fee.

Traditions Brochures feature photographs, history, and hands-on instructions for traditional arts in Kansas. Topics include blacksmithing, hammer dulcimer music, Swedish ljuskrona, Mexican pinatas, Czech egg decorating, quilting, Native American beadwork, Cherokee basket making, African American gospel music, and food preservation. Order from the Kansas Historical Society, 785-272-8681, ext. 454; $1 fee.

Exhibit Catalogs and Guides accompany some of the exhibits and are sent to borrowers free of charge. Other publications may be purchased for reference use or resale; discounts may be given for quantity orders. Order from the Kansas Historical Society, 785-272-8681, ext. 414.