CAM will periodically offer on-site workshops where staff and/or museum volunteers will lead students through hands-on activities that creatively engage them with Chinese American history and culture. Student workshops are only available to classes who participate in a guided tour of the museum.
CAM proudly provides the following workshops for our students/educators to enjoy:

Family History Scrapbook Workshops

Recommended Age: 4th-8th grade

Length of workshop: 30-45 minutes

Capacity: 30 students (1 adult chaperone for every 8 students)

Available: Tuesday-Friday, 10am – 1pm

California History-Social Studies content standards: California Content Standards for History-Social Science - 4.3.4; 4.4.3; 5.8.1; 5.8.5; 8.6.3; 8.6.4; 8.12.5; 8.12.6

The Family History Scrapbook (FHS) is an educational tool used to enhance classroom lessons on U.S. history and immigration experiences and serves as the centerpiece of enriching workshops, offered free to schools as a supplement to class tours of CAM.  Created and published by CAM in the Fall of 2005, the FHS workshops are designed to help students grades 4-8 and their families discover, explore and preserve their personal family history and cultural heritage through interactive workbook exercises that promote vital inter-family, inter-generational communications.  All workshops are led by a trained museum staff or docent and workshop participants will each receive a complimentary copy of the FHS activities book to take home. 

Contact

There is no set schedule or fee for FHS workshops, but are available Tuesday through Friday, 10am to 1pm. Workshops must be requested and booked at least three (3) weeks in advance AND should be scheduled to correspond with guided tours.  Workshops are contingent upon staff/docent availability. 
To schedule a Family History Scrapbook workshop, please use the online form, printable PDF form or contact the Museum Educator at (213) 473-5306 or educator@camla.org.

Lantern Making Workshops

Recommended Age: 2nd – 8th grade (although there is no set age limit)

Length of workshop: 30 minutes

Capacity:  30 students (1 adult chaperone for every 8 students)

Available:  Tuesday-Friday, 10am – 1pm

California Visual Arts content standards:  2.2.3; 3.3.5

CAM’s cultural art workshops engage students, families and adults with Chinese American customs through easy-to-learn art projects that utilizes a variety of creative methods, styles and materials.  One such popular workshop teaches the tradition of making lanterns using colored construction paper, makers, yarn, streamers and other materials.  Led by a trained museum staff or docent, participants will learn how to make their own personalized lanterns from among 2-3 different styles.

Lanterns are very symbolic in the Chinese culture, as they represent a "lighting of the way,” literally and metaphorically. The tradition to create and string up lanterns in homes and in the streets started in China as a way to signal the end of the New Years' celebration. Over the many years, the function of a lantern also evolved to include ornamental and aesthetic purposes.  The use of lanterns as both ceremonial and decorative elements continues to thrive to this day both in China, America and throughout the world.

Contact

There is no set schedule for the lantern-workshops. Workshops must be requested and booked at least three (3) weeks in advance AND should be scheduled to correspond with guided tours.  Workshops are contingent upon staff/docent availability.  Depending on the group size, there will be a minimal cost to cover workshop materials.    To schedule a lantern-workshop, use the online form, printable PDF form or please contact the Museum Educator at (213) 473-5306 or educator@camla.org.