New Program: Ellwood Explorers Backpacks

Ellwood Explorers is our youth program serving elementary aged students. This summer we transitioned from a monthly event to year round backpacks available to check out for free, at your next Ellwood House Museum visit. Our backpacks are themed and include fun STEAM activities that encourage students to observe, question, and explore as they move through the historic mansion and grounds. Our themed backpacks all include laminated fun fact cards, crosswords, mazes, coloring pages, and word searches as well as:

Insects at Ellwood Park - Students can decorate bug hotels and then use magnifying glasses to find bugs in the park to release or bring home and pick and press flowers to create bookmarks. 

America’s 250th Birthday - Students can create a foam and pipe cleaner flag and decorate 250th themed magnets.

Horses of Ellwood House - Students will learn about magnetized or non-magnetized items with a horseshoe magnet activity and guess who made the animal tracks pressed into clay.

Fun at the Visitor’s Center - Students can practice cursive writing, make a folding fan, and play a game of I Spy Bingo.

Sights and Sounds of Ellwood House Mansion Tour - As they tour the mansion, students can complete a worksheet with a corresponding QR code that allows them to listen and look for sounds and sights on each floor of the mansion. Afterwards, they can play instruments and decorate their very own slap bracelet.

Halloween Holiday - Students can make a spider web of yarn, study 3D shapes they construct of candy and toothpicks, and play a rousing game of mummy wrap!

Ellwood Explorers backpacks are available for check-out during regular Museum open hours from Wednesday through Sunday, 12:30pm to 4:30pm. Backpacks may be checked out for free at the Visitor Center’s front desk and used throughout a visit.