Group Visits

Class Visits

Exhibits

Related Adventures

Directions

Visit Highlights

A class journey through the Adventure takes about two hours. Students view interactive exhibits and participate in activities designed to nurture an understanding of economic growth and how it affects living standards. These include:

• a scavenger hunt that focuses on the importance of innovation and highlights the qualities of notable, enterprising New Englanders past and present;
  
  
• a look at material life over the past 200 years that offers vivid evidence of the stunning progression in our standard of living;
  
  
• a dynamic display of images and text which students can manipulate to learn about different aspects of New England’s economic history and build a “big picture” of how growth works;
  
  
• a graphic timeline that chronicles trade and globalization in the region over the centuries and its effects on New England’s economic evolution; and finally,
  
  
• a group task in which students examine factors that have contributed to economic growth and rising living standards and assess their varying levels of influence on both the region’s, and their own personal, economies.

Students then play a series of investment games that illustrate how the gains in our standard of living are the result of technology, investment, and personal initiative.

School groups may also visit a changing exhibit that complements the Adventure.

By prior arrangement, visits can be extended beyond two hours, and classes can take advantage of programs in the Bank's Economic Education Laboratory that further develop the Adventure's themes of rising living standards and the sources of economic growth. The Bank's scheduler can assist you in working out these additional arrangements.

To maximize the benefits of a visit to the Adventure, classes should make use of the pre- and post-visit materials available on this web site. The Bank's education staff will be happy to assist.

Scheduling a Visit

To schedule a class visit to the New England Economic Adventure, please call:
1-800-409-1333. Press 2 for access to the voice messaging service and leave the requested information. Our scheduler will call you back to confirm dates and work out arrangements.

Directions to the Adventure are available.

Students may not bring backpacks, cameras, or other metal items into the Bank.

A number of other educational experiences are located within close proximity of the Boston Fed. Please refer to related adventures for information on complementary exhibits in the area. The Bank's scheduler can assist you in making arrangements to combine your visit to the Adventure with a visit to another local program.

For more information on visiting the Adventure, take a look at our full-color brochure.

Pre-Visit Preparation

Teachers can use many of the materials on this web site to help set the stage for a successful Adventure visit. Your class may wish to go over some of the materials on a preliminary basis before the visit and again, more thoroughly and with greater understanding, afterwards.

A useful starting point is Spotlight on Standard of Living, the Winter 2003 issue of The Ledger, the Bank's economic education newsletter. Spotlight on Standard of Living is an excellent introduction to the multiple facets of this concept.

To make the most of the investment game experience, we suggest that teachers review with their class the concept of the time value of money and the glossary of investment-game terms provided on this site.

Post-Visit Activities

Teachers can expand on what students learn in a visit to the Adventure in many ways. Some of the learning opportunities on this web site amplify the themes of the Adventure; others extend the learning experience to complementary topics.

• Games and Activities features Pursuit!, an animated game that sheds light on the many factors of economic growth. Also included are a variety of activities demonstrating how material living standards have changed since the 1800s. An online quiz checks students' grasp of the standard of living concept and how changes occur.


• Profiles of Economic Decision-Makers provides more information about the lives of the three entrepreneurs highlighted in the investment games and the results of their investment decisions.


• Historical Narrative of Economic Growth in New England provides a broad outline of the shifting nature of economic growth in the region. The Historical Narrative highlights how New England has "reinvented" its economy more than once when old paths to prosperity no longer worked and new ways were needed.


• A primer on living standards and economic growth provides (1) an explanation of the concepts of economic growth and standard of living, (2) an introduction to economic growth theory, and (3) the historical record of U.S. economic growth. A glossary of economic growth terms accompanies the primer.


• A timeline of key events highlights major economic developments in New England and allows students to see the historical context in which they occurred. Numerous links and references to further information are provided. The timeline is the basis for the animated game, Pursuit!, and it can serve as the foundation for a variety of exercises to help students appreciate the importance of key economic events.


• Spotlight on Standard of Living, the Winter 2003 issue of The Ledger, the Bank's economic education newsletter, is useful for post-visit as well as pre-visit purposes. The concept of "standard of living" is explained, and there are examples of how standards of living have risen over time. The issue is designed to engage the interest of the student audience.


• Adventure staff have reviewed many online programs offered by other sources and compiled a list of recommended lesson plans that teachers can use to build on Adventure themes and content. Possibilities for longer-term student projects are also suggested.

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