We’re Off to See the Wizard

Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas

Mom and I visited the Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas. The whole town of Wamego is all things The Wizard of Oz. I think that if someone is going to visit Kansas and has the time to come to Wamego that they should. It was such a fun day. The whole Wizard of Oz theme is not only in the museum, but extends all throughout the town.

As seen below, the museum has all kinds of interesting facts and memorabilia. It is the perfect size museum and is well curated. The staff was very knowledgeable about all things Oz and very willing to answer questions and receive feedback.

Activities

Todo statues are all over town and each Todo has a different theme. A fun activity while visiting Wamego would be to visit all the Todo statues and take pictures with them. Teachers and/or parents could have discussions or complete writing prompts about which Todo was their favorite. Kids could write a story about Todo possibly incorporating the theme of their favorite Todo.

Resources

Wizard of Oz Lesson Plan- this website has activities for all of the chapters in the book.

Wizard of Oz Learning Guide- this website provides activities centered around different themes and the characters that exhibit those themes:

Dorothy representing home.

Scarecrow representing the history of The Wizard of Oz.

Tinman representing empathy and emotions.

Lion representing self discovery.

Wizard representing stagecraft and the theatrical processes.

Wicked Witch representing adaptations.

Munchkins representing activities for early childhood students.

A tip from someone who has been there.

There is a yellow brick road across the street from the museum with a yellow brick road (go figure), Todo statues, and Wizard of Oz murals. It is very well down. You can tell someone has put time and effort into making this fun for visitors.

There is an eating establishment called Friendship House just past the yellow brick road. Mom and I got some pastries and cookies that were delicious. There is also a park and splash pad that might be fun for those staying more than one day.