A Little House Virtual Field Trip ~

As I’ve written before, the Little House books have influenced my life since I first read them as a little girl. I’ve read the entire series several times and have always had a dream – a dream that this year is going to come true!

I’ve always wanted to walk where Laura walked, see where she lived, and be inspired as a family along the way. Well, this summer it’s happening!

In June we’ll be heading west as a family – not in a covered wagon, but a minivan – to the Little House sites in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota on a massive road trip.

I’m beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to do this as a family, but then I thought – why not take you guys along with me?

Of course, you won’t all fit in the minivan, but why not put together a virtual field trip so you can take your kids to Laura’s homes from your dining room or coffee table?

Ready? Let’s go!

A Little House virtual field trip

Stop 1. Pepin, Wisconsin

Books written about this site: Little House in the Big Woods

Head to Little House in the Big Woods on Google Earth

Laura was born in the Big Woods in 1867, and she describes this first childhood home in Little House in the Big Woods. The Ingalls lived here twice, and the memories Laura shares in the book actually take place after they returned from the Kansas prairie.

If you look at the satellite view, you’ll see that only a few trees remain, but there’s a replica cabin located at the site and a picnic area to hang out in.

Take a tour of Little House, Pepin:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Learn more about Pepin:

• About the site – Wikipedia
• Read the highway marker at the site.
• More photos of Laura’s birthplace
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Pepin

Stop 2. Independence, Kansas

Books written about this site: Little House on the Prairie

Head to Little House on the Prairie on Google Earth

Laura’s family moved here in 1869 and settled on land belonging to the Osage Indians, having received word that the land would soon be available for settlers. After a year of persevering through hardships and dealing with tensions between the Native Americans and settlers, the Ingalls were forced to leave Kansas.

Today a replica cabin sits on the site, furnished the way Laura described in the book. Pa’s hand dug well stands nearby as well.

Take a tour of the Laura’s little house as it looks today:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Learn more about the Kansas site:

• Read the marker at this site.
• More photos of the site near Independence.
• Kansas travel – Little House

Stop 3. Walnut Grove, Minnesota

Books written about this site: On the Banks of Plum Creek

Head to Walnut Grove on Google Earth (scroll up a little to see the original dugout site)

After leaving Kansas and spending a few years back in Wisconsin, the Ingalls moved to Minnesota in 1874 and lived in a sod house for the winter. Pa eventually built a house on the property (which Laura called “the wonderful house,” as it was the largest she had lived in at that point).

Both houses are gone, but Plum Creek–ah, that’s still there! I’m looking forward to taking off my shoes and wading in it, just like Laura did.

The site of the dugout has been marked, and Walnut Grove has a museum dedicated to Laura and the time period. The church bell that Pa donated his shoe money for hangs at a church in town as well.

Tour the site of plum creek and Laura’s home:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

And take a walk on the banks of plum creek:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Learn more about the Minnesota site:

• Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove

Stop 4. De Smet, South Dakota

Books written about this site: By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, The First Four Years

Head to Little House in De Smet on Google Earth

After suffering disappointments in both Minnesota and Iowa, where the Ingalls lived for a short time, the family decided to move further west so Pa could work for the railroad as it expanded through South Dakota. This ended up being their final move until Laura, Mary, Carrie, and Grace left home as adults.

De Smet is the site of the Long Winter, the site of Laura’s courtship with Almanzo Wilder, and the start of their married life together.

Tour the Little Town on the Prairie:

( Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Stop 5. Malone, New York

Books written about this site: Farmer Boy

Head to Almanzo’s childhood home on Google Earth

Almanzo was born on this farm in 1857, and Laura shares his childhood story beautifully in her book Farmer Boy. His family lived here for nearly two decades, until crop failures forced them to move west to Minnesota.

Almanzo’s original home still stands, and has been restored as much as possible to the time period in which the book was written.

Tour Almanzo’s farm:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Stop 6. Mansfield, Missouri

Head to Rocky Ridge Farm on Google Earth

All the Little House books were written from this location!

Laura, Almanzo, and Rose moved here in 1894 looking for a fresh start in farming. They transformed the rocky land they purchased bit by bit and spent nearly 20 years building the white farmhouse that is now a museum honoring the family’s legacy.

Years ago Steve and I had the chance to visit Rocky Ridge Farm on a road trip before having children, and I loved seeing Pa’s fiddle and Laura’s kitchen and parlor.

I’m standing at the site of the “Rock House,” which Rose (Laura/Almanzo’s daughter) built as a gift to her parents down the street from Rocky Ridge Farm. After living there a few years, they said it was “too fancy” for them and that they were homesick for the farm – so they moved back down the street!

Tour the Little House on Rocky Ridge Farm:

(Click here for the video if you can’t see it below.)

Learn more about Rocky Ridge farm:

• Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum
• Laura Ingalls Wilder house
• Rocky Ridge Farm – Tripadvisor

I hope you enjoyed this Little House virtual field trip out west with Laura and me – a special thanks to Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frontier Girl for all of the wonderful video clips!

Head here to read all Jamie’s posts re: Little House – including the one after we returned from our trip!

“It has been years since I beat eggs with a fork or cleaned a kerosene lamp. Many things have changed since then, but the truths we learned from our parents and the principles they taught us are always true. They can never change.”~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, reflecting on her famous series

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what you need most!

Written by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool 

What a beautiful ride it’s been since Give Your Child the World came out a few months ago!

Thank you, thank you for all the support. I can’t tell you how much it’s meant to hear that so many of you find the book useful and inspiring, exactly what I hoped for during the five years I worked on it.

Some of you have written with another question as well:

What’s the best way to use Give Your Child the World in our homeschool?

Glad you asked! I purposely made the book so it could be used several different ways, and I’d love to describe those for you here. (And for anyone wondering: Yes – the print above is THE Eiffel Tower I mention about in Chapter 2 that meant so much!)

What’s this all about?

Photo by Luke Price

Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time is a reading treasury that guides you to the best global children’s literature (over 600 hand-picked titles!), allowing your family to read your way around the world. Perfect for the book and travel lovers among us.

All the hard work has been done for you, so you can get right to the fun part! I organized the reading lists by region, country, and age range (ages 4-12). Each listing includes a brief description of the book, its themes, and any content you might want to have a heads up about.

For the cost of a single paperback, the book gives you a geography/history/literature resource you can use for up to 8 YEARS with multiple kids. Read an excerpt here.

Check out the three main ways I imagine families putting it to good use:

Option 1. The Informal/Unschooling Method

I wanted both homeschooling and non-homeschooling families to be able to use Give Your Child the World, and I wrote it with that intent. If you decide to use the book informally, just follow your heart in choosing titles that interest your family most.

Does your child find China fascinating? Flip straight to the Asia chapter, look up your child’s age range, and dive in.

Are you heading on a road trip soon? The North America chapter has you covered!

Did a global topic arise in current events? Head to the country index in the back of my book and find all the titles to help you learn more about that part of the world.

I even heard of one family who flipped the book open at random to decide where they were going to study and “visit” next–so fun!

Option 2. The History Method

Did you know that Give Your Child the World has four indexes: Author, Country, Historical, and Title?

And in case you think a publisher has someone assigned to make indexes (like I once did), think again: I made all of them! When I came up with the idea of creating a historical index, I knew it would be worth the extra work. It opens up an entirely new way for readers to easily use the book.

I painstakingly went through every title included in the reading lists to figure out which time period in history they come from, then organized it all for you in this index. So if you have a history curriculum, you can use my book to enhance your studies with other living literature picks.

This means Give Your Child the World isn’t another thing to fit in, but instead adds extra value to what you’re already doing. Love that!

Option 3. The Geography/Social Studies Curriculum Method

You can also use my book as your full geography/social studies this year in a more formal/structured way!

I didn’t realize this until after I finished the book, but check out how it covers the school year so perfectly:

October – Africa, Chapter 6 of GYCW

November – Europe, Chapter 7

December – Do a Christmas Around the World study, take the month off for the holidays, or choose from the Multicultural Chapter 5 (which could also be used in September for an earlier start!)

January – Asia, Chapter 8

February – Middle East, Chapter 9

March – North America, Chapter 10

April – Latin America, Chapter 11

May – Australia, Oceania, and Polar Regions, Chapter 12

This is the method I plan to follow this year in our own homeschool. Depending on how much time you have in any given month you can dive in deep or shallow with this idea.

Still need to get a copy?

If you don’t own Give Your Child the World yet, order yours today!

I’m so proud of what an affordable resource this is for you and yours–definitely the cheapest around the world trip you’ll ever plan!

How have you decided to use Give Your Child the World in your homeschool?

History is boring!

Okay, not really, but that’s definitely how I felt when I was in school. Now, history is my favorite subject to learn alongside my kids and one of their favorite subjects, as well.

What’s made the difference?

In large part, it’s due to learning history through historical fiction and biographies, rather than a textbook. Nothing puts a reader in a particular place or time better than getting engrossed in a great story.

Biographies allow readers to learn history through the lives of men and women who lived it.

Biographies show, rather than tell, the reader what it was like to live during the events that make up our history. You can experience the uncertainty and wonder with which the subject lived without the benefit of today’s hindsight.

One of my favorite parts of reading biographies is the ability to make connections that could easily become lost in a textbook. In a textbook, you might learn that Robert E. Lee married George Washington’s great-granddaughter.

However, after reading biographies of both men, you realize that the great-granddaughter Lee married was the daughter one of the grandchildren that Washington and his wife raised after his step-daughter’s death.

Biographies help us make connections about the people and events that affected history.

When learning history through biographies, you start to make the connections about whose lives intertwined and role the economy, geography, and world events played in our history.

For example, Samuel Morse started thinking about how great it would be if information could be transmitted rapidly after getting stuck in England during the War of 1812. He was reminded of this when he didn’t find out for several days that his beloved wife had died while he was in Washington D.C. This led to his invention of the telegraph.

Just recently, we learned that Thomas Edison was hired by Western Union to make improvements on Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. Western Union had declined to purchase Bell’s patent.

By the time they realized what a mistake this might have been, Bell had already started his own company to produce the telephone, a move that looked very threatening to Western Union’s telegraph operation. The only way they saw to rectify the situation was to create a better telephone.

Historical fiction lets readers see what it might have been like to live through an event or during a period of history.

We love historical fiction, too. Some of our favorites are books like Johnny Tremain and Across Five Aprils that dump the reader right down in the middle of the action.

Really good historical fiction is true to the events in history and the main players while allowing readers to view the action through the eyes of someone to whom he or she can really relate – in our case, this is usually a teen or tween from the time period.

You may wonder how students can really learn history without memorizing facts and dates, but when biography after biography, along with some good historical fiction, continually weave the events and the key people together, you start absorbing their stories as your own and the dates and facts become part of of your story.

And, isn’t that what history truly is?

What biographies or historical fiction have made a lasting impression on you and your kids?

After several months, my three kids and I recently finished reading all nine books of the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Reading these to my own kids was like a dream come true.

I fell in love with Laura and her life as a young girl myself and have read through the whole series three or four times. But experiencing them as an adult with children of my own gave me a new perspective  than I had before.

Certain parts made me laugh, some parts made me cry, a few parts shocked me, and I took away a few lessons to remember as well.

Lessons learned from Little House

1. Self-reliance and industry are vital to family life.

We made apple turnovers, like Almanzo took to school, after finishing the book Farmer Boy

Pa might hunt alone all day in the bitter cold, in the Big Woods covered with snow, and come home at night with nothing for Ma and Mary and Laura to eat. So as much food as possible must be stored away in the little house before winter came.
~ Little House in the Big Woods, Chapter 1

The survival aspect of Little House draws many of us into the Ingalls’ life story. It’s so far removed from our own lifestyles that it sounds like an adventure.

Our generation has been given a gift–the gift of leisure–that pioneers didn’t have. How are we investing that leisure time–giving it to hours in front of the television or computer–or dedicating it to our families, our education, and our life mission?

Freedom and purpose emerge through self-reliance and industry. Though there are certain things I hope never to do–like cook a pig’s head, for example–there are other skills I want to do myself and teach my children.

As homeschoolers, we have time to invest into teaching our kids these skills. Laura would be proud.

2. Atmosphere matters.

No that’s not Laura’s cabin, but actually the 200-year-old farmhouse my family currently lives in. Photo by Desirea Rodgers

“What will Pa and Ma say?” Carrie quavered.
“We’ll know when they say it,” said Laura. “They won’t blame you, this isn’t your fault. It’s my fault because I rocked that seat so hard. I’m glad of it!” she added. “I’d do it again!” Carrie did not care whose fault it was. There is no comfort anywhere for anyone who dreads to go home.
~ Little Town on the Prairie, Sent Home from School

I was struck by Carrie’s insight in this passage: “There is no comfort anywhere for anyone who dreads to go home.” How true.

Laura and her family lived through severe ups and downs, yet an atmosphere of togetherness generally characterized her home–patience, family unity, and contentment.

As homeschooling families, we find a lesson in this–the atmosphere we create with our words, our tones, our smiles (or lack thereof) influences our family in profound ways.

3. A little (education) goes a long way.

Photo by Desirea Rodgers

Laura almost wailed, “Oh, Ma! How can I ever teach school and help send Mary to college? How can I ever amount to anything when I can get only one day of school at a time?”
“Now, Laura,” Ma said kindly. “You must not be so easily discouraged. We will hurry and get the work done, then you can study. There is enough figuring in your arithmetic to keep you busy for a good many days, and you can do as much of it as you want to. Nothing keeps you from learning.”
~ The Long Winter, No Trains

Ma dreamed that her children would receive formal schooling. But for years and years, it didn’t happen.

Laura and Mary spent most of their childhood working with the family and playing on the prairie. In reality, they were homeschooled for most of their young lives.

When they finally went to school for a couple of years, they soared to the top of their class. Not only that, both girls demonstrated a passion for self-education, spending hours at home learning by lamplight.

Mary continued her studies, even after she became blind. Laura continued studying even after she became a teacher herself.

4. Keep calm and carry on.

Photo by Desirea Rodgers

Ma sighed gently and said, “A whole year gone, Charles.” But Pa answered, cheerfully: “What’s a year amount to? We have all the time there is.”
~ Little House on the Prairie, Soldiers

The Ingalls family endured severe setbacks–loss of homesteads, debt, sickness, and death. But they continuously demonstrated a calm and grateful spirit, even in the face of tragedy.

I’m fascinated by their example, for as I write in my e-book Mindset for Moms, our reaction to life ultimately influences our circumstances themselves. Our perspectives matter.

Two of Ma’s upbeat sayings have become phrases around our home as well: “All’s well that ends well,” and “There’s no great loss without some small gain.”

5. There’s always room for improvement.

Rocky Ridge Farm, where Laura and Almanzo lived in Missouri and where Laura wrote her books

“Why don’t you like Indians, Ma?” Laura asked.
“I just don’t like them, and don’t lick your fingers, Laura,” said Ma.
“This is Indian country, isn’t it?” Laura said. “What did we come to their country for, if you don’t like them?”
Ma said she didn’t know whether this was Indian country or not. She didn’t know where the Kansas line was. But whether or no, the Indians would not be here long.
~ Little House on the Prairie, Prairie Day

Hmmm. As an adult, I had a different reaction to some of these passages than I remember noticing as a child. I found myself editing a lot as I read-aloud. Some passages I’m surprised haven’t been removed or altered in subsequent printings.

Other parts I skipped touched on the harshness pioneers truthfully experienced, but that I wasn’t yet comfortable sharing with my kids. “Mommy, what’s a massacre?” wasn’t a question I wanted to tackle just yet.

But real life is like that, isn’t it? Imperfect, like we all are, reflecting both the highs and the lows of the cultures we’re raised in.

Several years ago, when Steve and I were moving cross-country, we chose to drive through Missouri so I could visit Laura and Almanzo’s home where she spent the majority of her life, and where she wrote her stories. (Did you know she didn’t even begin writing until the age of 65?!)

I stared in awe at Pa’s fiddle, sat on Laura’s porch, and stood by her grave as well. Like thousands of other Americans, I remain thankful for Laura’s words that have allowed this historical period to come to life for so many readers.

These stories capture our imaginations because they represent what we all desperately want: courage to keep trying in the face of resistance, wonder and desire to have an adventure, and the hope to believe that something better is sure to be just around the corner.

Little House Resources:

• The Complete Little House 9-book set
• The Little House Cookbook
• The Little House Guidebook
• My Little House Crafts Book
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Timeline

Have you read the Little House books to your children? What lessons stuck out to you?

I am so excited about this upcoming year! I have always maintained that educational flexibility is the highlight of home education, and 2012-13 will be one of those years that embraces flexibility.

Shouldn’t education be crafted by creativity, rather than squished into a box labeled “scope and sequence”?

For me, part of the joy in homeschooling my kids comes with the designing, the knowing that my kids get an individualized education plan that suits them perfectly.

So here is what I have planned for my two at-home kids:

Student #1: All Things America

The upcoming year is an election year, and my daughter will be a sophomore. What a perfect year for all things America! I had already planned to teach American Literature at our co-op, and I knew U.S. history would also be offered there as well. That leaves government, and what better year to study government than an election year?

I remembered that a father in our support group teaches government at a local high school, so I contacted him to see if he’d consider teaching for our co-op. He was enthusiastic and immediately began planning.  He put together a class description, which includes watching debates and election returns together, and reached his class maximum in just a couple of days. I am excited about my daughter having the opportunity to really be immersed in government during an election year.

So you’ve noticed that all her classes so far will be through our co-op? The rest of them—ecology, geometry, ACT Prep, and performing arts— are as well. In an area where public education is a strange mix of mediocrity and fierce competition, we are blessed to have a phenomenal high school program through our support group. We all agree that our life is richer within the network of the homeschooling community.

High School Resources

•  American Literature: I’ll be teaching this course, and I create my own course materials drawing on various resources. My three favorites are: Glencoe Literature Library, Shmoop, and Signet Classics Teachers’ Guides.  We’ll be reading a variety of novels, plays, short stories, and poetry, as well as seeing plays, watching movie version of novels, and of course writing!
• U.S. History and U.S. Government will both be teacher-created courses, not relying on one particular textbook.
• Geometry will meet twice weekly, using Geometry by Harold Jacobs
• Ecology:  My husband, a biology professor, will be teaching this class for our co-op using Elements of Ecology by Thomas Smith and Robert Smith. Besides the weekly class, they’ll be doing lots of field work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Can you imagine a more memorable science class?
• ACT Prep: I am team-teaching this with two other moms. Students will be using The Real ACT Prep Guide.

Photo by justinday

Student #2: War

My youngest will be straddling 6^th and 7^th grades. We move him rather fluidly between levels, based on his needs rather than his age. (See my post Stepping Outside the Grade Level Box.) One day I remarked to my husband that, “I wish we could just spend a whole year studying World War II.” He looked at me with a look that was a combination of “Ummm, why can’t we?” and “Duh, isn’t that why we homeschool?”

Ah, yes. That is precisely why we homeschool. Why let this perfect timing slip away because the typical scope and sequence calls for a vague “global and regional studies”? We have a nearly 12-year-old son who is fascinated by this period in history. My father is World War II veteran, as well as an historian. What ideal ingredients for intense, delight-driven learning: an eager student, a primary source (my father), a library, the internet, and a facilitator (me).

So what will be doing? Lots of reading. My father is putting together an outline of events, from the start of the war to the fall of Japan. I have only just begun a reading list, but some of our possibilities include:

• World War II for Kids by Richard Panchyk
• The Good Fight: How World War II Was Won by Stephen Ambrose
• Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman
• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
• When Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
• The Tuskegee Airmen by Lynn Homan
• When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park
• Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyui Choi
• I Am David by Anne Holm
• Hitler’s Canary by Sandi Toksvig
• Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida
• A Boy at War by Harry Mazer
• The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
• The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolan
• Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust by Alan Zullo

Our World War II study will include reading, writing, and history, but we’ll continue on with our regular math (finishing Teaching Textbooks pre-algebra and then beginning algebra) and grammar (Easy Grammar). I am excited to begin a new classical science program, Elemental Science, which  “focuses on the science being studied instead of a person’s religious viewpoint.” My son and I will be doing Biology for the Logic Stage.

This year our trip to New York City greatly enhanced our homeschooling year. Next spring we plan to visit Washington D.C., a perfect trip for our daughter’s year in America studies and our son’s study of World War II.

Although we are just winding down 2011-12, I am already so excited about our upcoming school year! I have all summer to enjoy relaxing—and planning!

I’d love help in planning our World War II study! What are some of your favorite books, movies, field trips and other resources from this time period?

Ages of my children: 12, 9, 4, and 5 months
Educational Philosophies I Pull From: Unschooling, Eclectic

History was never my strong point. I blame it on all the instructors who pretty much killed the subject for me, like elementary school teachers who had us read and respond to the social studies textbook questions without a single explanation on how it related to the rest of world chronology.

Plus the grad-school student-teacher who had us studying Machiavelli’s The Prince for a whole semester in high school because that was her dissertation work. And although she was totally enamored with the subject, it just didn’t rub off on me.

Thankfully, there were two teachers who did bring some light into those Dark Ages, and both had one thing in common — they told stories and they told them with enthusiasm.

On days when we probably should have been reviewing declensions, our Latin teacher, egged on by students who knew his weakness, would spend the entire period telling us stories from Roman history.

Another instructor acted as our tour guide to all the must see Wonders of the World — from Pyramids to the Taj Mahal, he shared with us the stories behind all these architectural marvels as we zipped through different time periods in history.

For my own part, I avoid history textbooks like the plague and try to engage my children in ways that they will respond to through books, games, and projects.

I credit series like Horrible Histories and You Wouldn’t Want To Be for my son’s love of the subject. I wish someone had pointed out these books to me, that made history fun and engaging. I never would have sought them on my own, crippled, as I was from history-phobia.

In their younger years, my chidren made Cartoon History Books in which I read Story of the World aloud and they illustrated their favorite parts. We’ve filled out accordion-style time-lines, which could be unfolded for a “walk through history.”

During their Spy-phase, they wrote up Profile Pages on historical figures, events, or inventions. I find unit studies to be helpful in studying history, especially when tied together with a historical fiction and final art project.

As they get older, their studies also intensify. For my middle-schooler, we raid the library for inviting books on a subject, fill out an outline on the specific period, do a write-up on one key topic, draw symbols representing the period, and scour the Internet for pertinent games.

I once received a message from a reader suggesting that, because I “unschool,” I couldn’t use curriculum of any sort. I disagree.

While I do avoid packaged complete curricula, I think we should be open to all options and pick the ones that work best for our family at any given time. If there was a history curriculum that my children worked well with, I’d definitely use it.

Fortunately, instead of fitting them into a generic history curriculum, we have found our own ways to design a curriculum around them.

Hopefully this will give my children a more positive experience than I had, and leave them with fond memories of their travels back in time.

What have been your favorite history resources?

Would it surprise you to learn that my family and I are time travelers? It is true!  Our mini-van recently became our personal time machine when we visited one of our favorite local living history museums, Conner Prairie.

Living history museums are a way to interact with history, up close and personal, and in some cases at the very spots where the original events occurred.

A visit to a living history museum moves education beyond the page of a textbook. They offer a chance to experience history with your five senses: you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the past.

Many living history museums provide an opportunity to interact with performers who portray the thoughts and feelings of their characters while demonstrating the daily chores, pastimes, and politics of the era.

If you’re planning a field trip to a living history museum, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your visit:

Before You Go

Check the Website

This may seem like an obvious tip, but be sure to check the brochure or website for the hours, even if you have been there before. Many living history museums are located outdoors and therefore have seasonal hours. Some museums have had to cut back their hours of operation due to the current economy.

If it is your first visit to the living history museum, or if it has been a while since you’ve gone, check  for information on planning your first visit. This will give you suggestions for “must-see” attractions as well as any recent changes or improvements since your last visit.

Keep an Eye on the Forecast

As I mentioned, many living history museums are located in part, or entirely, outside. Be sure to check the forecast to find out how to dress for the weather and if you need to pack an umbrella or extra sunscreen.

Consider a Membership

It pays to compare the cost of admission with the cost of a membership. We discovered that a yearly membership to Conner Prairie for our family of five was only slightly more expensive than the price of a one-time admission. Our member benefits include a discount at the gift shop and free parking, too.

Some living history museums have universal memberships, meaning your pass covers admission to other participating museums as well. Our Conner Prairie membership also gives us access to the Smithsonian museums.

Do Your Homework

Spend some time with your child discussing and reading about the period in time or event you are going to be visiting. Ask your child to be on the lookout during your visit for specific things from your discussions. Encourage them to think about things that might be different from modern times and also to notice similarities with today.

Check the museum’s website for teacher resources. Some of them even have study guides that you can use before your visit to help enrich the educational experience.

Things to Bring Along

Tools for Documenting

Be sure to document your experience in some way – with a camera, video, or just a simple journal and pencil. Do this alongside your child and you can compare your notes and photographs together later.

Jot down observations, create sketches, photograph your experiences.

You might be surprised by the things and experiences which stand out to your child and make the biggest impression on them.

Your Sense of Adventure

Living history museums are very hands-on. Be willing to jump right in and have a first-person experience with history!

At Conner Prairie we had the opportunity to make candles, milk a cow, take a tour of the heirloom gardens, try our hand at weaving, help out in the pioneer kitchen, or even to take an 1859 hot air balloon voyage. It was wonderful to be able to actively engage. Instead of passively viewing exhibits, we became a part of the experience.

Be Prepared To

Suspend Disbelief

As you immerse yourself in culture and history of times gone by, you may have to suspend disbelief for a while. Yes, this is really just an actor dressed up as Abraham Lincoln, but get into the spirit of the performance.  Be willing to believe you are in the presence of America’s sixteenth president and let yourself be taken back in time.

Be a good audience member and go along with the act. It is sometimes easier for children to get in this mindset than adults, but if you play along you’ll all have a better time and get more from the experience.

Slow Down, Ask Questions

While you are visiting the museum, encourage your family to take their time. Don’t shuffle quickly from exhibit to exhibit, but linger over what interests your family.

Make sure that you encourage your child to ask questions and interact with the actors, too.

Dress Up … Just a Little Bit

Dressing up for your visit to a living history museum doesn’t have to mean head to toe pioneer or colonial garb for the whole family. Practically speaking, a simple mob cap or bonnet goes a long way toward allowing your child to engage in the experience and add another layer to the illusion of stepping back in time.

Keeping it simple means that you can simply tuck the bonnet or cap into your bag, or even your back pocket, if your child grows tired of wearing it.

Living History

We had such a good time at Conner Prairie that our family is making a list of other living history museums we’d like to visit, including:

• Colonial Williamsburg ::: Virginia
• Mystic Seaport Museum of America and the Sea ::: Connecticut
• A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village ::: Oregon
• Fort William Henry Museum and Restoration ::: New York

Where will your family’s time machine take you?

Does your family have a favorite living history museum that we should add to our “must see” list?