On Monday, October 3, the Museum of Work and Culture, a division of the Rhode Island Historical Society, and the Woonsocket Harris Public Library will host the first program in their bi-monthly free educational series for homeschool families.
The program will begin at the Museum at 10:00am, where families will gather on the mill floor to learn the history of child labor and unionization. Children will be introduced to the important vocabulary terms related to work and labor and try some of the jobs young people would have been expected to perform in mills at the turn of the 20th-century. They will then work in teams to come to a collective bargaining agreement in a labor union simulation activity.
At 11:00am, participants will move to the Woonsocket Harris Public Library where the children will explore other means of resolving labor disputes, including strikes, by creating picket signs and writing marching chants.
Space is limited and registration is required. Please email mowc@rihs.org for reservations.
Future program dates include:
Monday, December 5: Global Holiday Traditions
Monday, February 6: Immigration in the Blackstone Valley
Monday, April 3: From Fiber to Fabric