Young visitors as well as their parents have a unique possibility to get a trip into the prehistoric past in a special interactive room called Living archaeology. 2nd millennium BCE Paliessie courtyard.
The lesson trip lets the visitors to imagine an incredible diverse world of prehistoric humans’ objects. During the trip, we can get to know women wear of the period, low-warp and high-warp looms, drilling machine for stone, try to hack down a tree with a flint axe and many others.
Special fire, trees, stones, and sounds of nature help you to plunge into an archaic time.
Archaeological excavations
For fourth to sixth form pupils.
Children are proposed to become archaeologist assistants for a while, and, more precisely, to dig an imaginary Iron Age site of a settlement called Malyški. Under the guidance of museum educator, children not only explore cultural layers, but define cardinal points, keep a field journal, and map out excavation plan as well.
Dolls from grandma’s chest
For age 12 up visitors.
It’s nice to be a maker for a little, to create warm, kind, and joyful things, and then give them to friends and relatives! During the ‘Dolls from grandma’s chest’ lesson, participants can not only get to know some ritual dolls, but create their own bright and inimitable ones as well. Especially as dolls as main characters of the rituals and traditions of our remote ancestors make the past more interesting and understandable. This relatively small but remarkable part of folk material culture gives joy not only to children but to adults as well.
Secrets of weaving handcraft
For third to sixth form pupils.
We hope that you have never been called "unbridled" or "ungirdled". Where this idiom is coming from? Why were our ancestors attaching such an importance to the belt, imputing talismanic power to it, and using it in rituals? Young visitors can learn more about that usual but interesting piece of clothing by coming to the ‘Secrets of weaving handcraft’ lesson. Moreover, children will learn first-hand about ancient technique of weaving, and weave a belt to take it away as a keepsake.
Cycle of lessons ‘Where our stock is coming from’
For fourth to seventh form pupils.
The Where our stock is coming from cycle of lessons deals with the history and culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and is composed of three parts.
During the first lesson, young visitors will familiarize themselves with the basics of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania history and culture, learn about the evolution of its national territory changed, its main political and cultural centres, hear about key events of its past, imagine the mechanism of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth, as well as evolution of their state system. The first part ends with a theatrical knighting of boys and incorporation of girls into the retinue of the queen and grand duchess.
The second lesson of the cycle is focused on szlachta, upper class of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On the basis of the museum display, young visitors will learn about rights and obligations of this class, about their original culture and even their fashion; will see the Sarmatian portraits and famous historical personalities, starting with Konstanty Ostrogski and Lew Sapieha and ending with Karol Stanislaw "Panie Kochanku" Radziwill and Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Children will study different exhibited family trees and their charting principles. Finally, boys and girls will try to make their own genealogical tree under attentive supervision of an experienced educator. Children can take away their genealogical trees.
At last, the third lesson deals with heraldry. It is explained to visitors what is a coat of arms, who can be bearer thereof; it is related about the main elements of a coat of arms and rich heraldic symbolism. At the end of the lesson, children will try to make their own coat of arms and explain its symbolism. A ready coat of arms can be taken away as a keepsake.
Precept of remote ancestors
For first to second form pupils.
At the ‘Precept of remote ancestors’ lesson, in an immediate and exciting atmosphere, through the game, young visitors get a basic notion of the life of primitive man, and his relationship with the nature. The program is designed to interest the most little visitors by further visits of the National Historical Museum to extend their knowledge of the history of Belarus without assistance.
