The Hall at Patriot Place Presented by Raytheon Education!
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The Hall at Patriot Place and Raytheon hosted another bridge building event Thursday at 1 p.m. The event featured a visit to the Gillette Stadium field and a look at the stadium’s bridge structure with an explanation from Raytheon engineers. The group then entered the ground floor of CBS Scene and broke down into small groups to build their own bridges, which were then tested with weights. Some cool prizes were awarded for the sturdiest bridges.
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Evolution of safety equipment
The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon taught visiting YMCA and recreation groups about the history and evolution of football’s safety equipment during short seminars held during February school vacation week.
Hall curator Brent Hensel and education coordinator Paul Carroll showed the children equipment used during football’s different eras while discussing with them how research, testing and technology has made football a safer sport.
Hensel, donning his white curatorial gloves, took out a rounded ball used in the early 1900s and explained to the kids how the introduction of the forward pass led to changes to the football’s shape. That’s, of course, where the science involved in the shape of the football became prevalent. The pointed tips and the ability spin the ball off the hand into a spiral allowed for the newer shaped or modern ball to cut through the air more efficiently. This made the passing game more accurate.
Hensel and Carroll also showed an old leather helmet and the newest model that has emerged in the last decade. The newer helmet has protection further down on the jaw and is a slightly lighter model that is supposed to be better in protecting players from concussions. Not all players wear the newer model, which is not required. But the helmet’s evolution and that of the facemask were a critical in improving safety. The padding inside today’s helmets better protects the head by preventing the helmet from sliding on the head while absorbing blows to the head and spreading the impact of the hit better than older helmets did.
Hensel also showed the kids the different shoulder, rib and hip pads used in different eras.
The brief seminar proves that science and technology are a major part of football’s continued evolution.
Education
- Background – One of the clearly defined missions of The Hall is a comprehensive, integrated and relevant educational program that adheres to Massachusetts frameworks and national standards in many of the published criteria. The Hall has a team of classroom educators that have volunteered to assist with the development of our standards-based experience designed to benefit teachers and students alike. We know our education program will be an extension of the classroom in a fun and entertaining setting for students in grades 3-12. Raytheon is also involved in the education program and together with The Hall, is interested in promoting math and science education. Raytheon has installed an interactive game show on the third floor of The Hall, called In the Numbers. The game gives guests a chance to compete in football related math and science questions in a fun way. Raytheon has its own education site at www.mathmovesu.com and Inside the Numbers helps promote that interactive website.
- Book a Group – Be sure to call early to get your class on the schedule for The Hall. Groups can be booked from up to six months in advance to 14 days before the event. We look forward to hearing from you soon and hosting your class at the Hall. Chaperones are required at either an 1:8 or 1:10 ratio depending on the age group. Call (508) 549-0555 for more information or to book your group today.
- Scout the Museum - Teachers (with identification) can “scout” the museum in advance and prepare correlated lessons for their students for FREE. Call 508-549-0555 for more information.