Bring the Connecticut Museum to Your School
If you can’t visit us, the Connecticut Museum can come to you! These programs use reproduction objects and documents from our collection along with hands-on activities to bring history to life.
These participatory programs are designed for individual class-size groups. They are not suitable for large groups, unless otherwise indicated.
Program Length: 1 ¼ hours (allow 15 minutes between programs)
Cost: $150 per program plus round trip mileage from the Connecticut Museum at 65¢ per mile. Discounts available for Priority School Districts and Title I Schools. Thank you to the Henry Nias Foundation and other generous sponsors.
MOST PROGRAMS FOR GRADES 3 AND OLDER REQUIRE STUDENT READING.
KINDERGARTEN–GRADE 8
Native Peoples of Quinnetukut
GRADES K-2
Native Peoples of Quinnetukut
This program introduces students to the pre-colonial lives and cultures of Native Peoples of this region. Through close looking and hands-on activities, students will examine reproduction artifacts and learn about the natural resources and technologies used to make clothing, foodways, and tools.
HIST K.1, K.3-5, 1.1, 1.3-5, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6-7, GEO K.4, 1.4, 2.4; CCSS R.7, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1, L.4, L.6
Me and My Community
GRADES K-2
Me and My Community (available starting January 2024)
What are my different communities and what is my role in them? This interactive program explores the roles and responsibilities in family, school, and town communities. Students will try out different jobs done in these communities today and long ago with contemporary and reproduction historical objects. Students will then determine what a community needs by designing their own town on a floor map.
This program is available at a discounted rate through a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
HIST K.1-3, K.7-8, 1.1-3, 1.5, 1.7-8, 2.2-4, 2.7, 2.9-10, CIV K.1-3, K.5-7, 1.1-3, 1.5, 1.6-7, 2.1-2, 2.5-6, ECO 1.4, GEO K.2-3, 1.2-3, 2.2-3; CCSS R.7, SL.1-2, SL.4, SL.6, L.1, L.4, L.6
Colonial Kids
GRADES 1-3
Colonial Kids
Using reproduction objects and hands-on activities, students are introduced to daily life in colonial Connecticut. They compare and contrast their own lives to those of colonial children as they learn about both work and play. Students make a reproduction “hornbook,” examine differences in clothing and daily chores, and enjoy colonial-era toys.
HIST 1.1, 1.4-5, 1.7-8, 2.2, 2.6-7, 2.9-10, CCSS R.1-2, R.4, R.10, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1, L.4, L.6
History Detectives: Exploring Indigenous Life in Quinnetukut
GRADES 3-5
History Detectives: Exploring Indigenous Life in Quinnetukut
In this program, students become the historians to investigate the lives of Native Peoples in this region before colonization. They learn about various types of historical resources, including oral tradition and historical artifacts. Students practice close observation, descriptive writing, and presentation skills to analyze, describe, investigate, and present reproduction artifacts to their classmates.
HIST 3.2, 3.5-7, 4.1, 4.3, 5.2, 5.5-7, 5.10, ECO 3.2, 4.3, 5.2, GEO 3.4-6, 3.8, 4.3, 4.5, 4.7, 5.2-3, CCSS R.7, W.2, W.4, W.9, SL.1-4, L.1-3
The Three Branches of Government
GRADES 3-5
The Three Branches of Government
Based on our popular museum tour of the same name, students explore Connecticut’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government to discover who makes the rules in Connecticut. To better understand the role of each branch, students elect a governor from among their classmates, debate a bill, and hold a mock trial (student reading required). Through movement, improvisation, role-playing, and active participation, students learn the purpose of rules and laws, explore the separation of powers, and discover the rights and responsibilities of individuals.
This program is available at a discounted rate through a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
CIV 3.1-3, 3.6-7, 5.1-4; CCSS R.10, SL.1, SL.3-4, L.1, L.3, L.6
PLEASE NOTE: This program is also available for groups of 26-50 students for a fee of $225 per program. For groups of over 25 students, a large, open space is required as this program will not work in a standard classroom.
Characters from Colonial Connecticut
GRADES 4-5
Characters from Colonial Connecticut
After a short introduction, students work in teams of 4-5 to learn about a character from colonial Connecticut, such as a colonial tinsmith, enslaved woman, Patriot soldier, or Nipmuck trader. Each group explores one “identity box,” handling reproduction artifacts, practicing close observation skills, and completing activities related to their character’s life.
HIST 4.1, 5.2, 5.4-6, ECO 5.2, CCSS R.1-2, R.4, R.6-7, R.10, W.2, W.4, W.9, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1-2
On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut
GRADES 4-8
On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut
This program introduces students to a variety of 20th-century stories about moving to Connecticut. An introductory game of chance looks at the difficult choices and conditions faced by immigrants throughout history. Students then work in teams to examine artifacts from “immigration trunks” and uncover different family stories about moving to Connecticut from Georgia, Poland, Jamaica, and Vietnam.
HIST 4.1, 8.1-3, 8.6-9, ECO 4.1-2, 8.1, GEO 4.4-8, 8.3-4; CCSS R.1-4, R.7, R.10, W.2, W.4, W.9, SL.1-2, SL.4-5, L.1-2, L.6, RH.6-8.1-4, RH.6-8.7
Connecticut and the Road to Independence
GRADES 5-8
Connecticut and the Road to Independence
Through a variety of activities, students will learn how Connecticut residents experienced the dramatic sequence of events from 1763-1783 that led to American independence. Students will explore the multiple perspectives and experiences of Connecticans, "choose sides" in the debate between Patriots and Loyalists, investigate reproduction artifacts, analyze a primary document, and use quill pens to join the cause by signing an “Oath of Allegiance.”
This program is available at a discounted rate thanks to the generosity of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut.
HIST 5.1-10, 8.1-9; CCSS R.1-2, R.4, R.6-7, R.9-10, SL.1-4, L.1, L.4, L.6, RH.6-8.1-2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.6-8
Amistad: A Journey to Justice
GRADES 5-8
Amistad: A Journey to Justice
Explore the Connecticut event that had a national impact on the rising tensions leading up to the Civil War. Investigate the dramatic 1839 story of 53 Africans, who were kidnapped from their homeland, enslaved, and fought a legal battle in the U.S. that allowed them to return home. Students will use a range of physical activities, reproduction artifacts, primary source documents, props, and illustrations to connect to the story. This program requires a projection screen or surface.
HIST 5.2, 5.4-5, 5.9, 8.1-5, 8.9, ECO 5.1, 8.1, GEO 5.3, 8.4, CCSS R.7, SL.1-4, L.1, RH.6-8.1-3, RH.6-8.7-8
PLEASE NOTE: This program is also available for groups of 26-50 students for a fee of $225 per program. For groups of over 25 students, a large, open space is required as this program will not work in a standard classroom.
Connecticut and the Civil War
GRADES 5-8
Connecticut and the Civil War
Using a variety of primary sources and local history materials, students look at the Civil War through the experiences of people from Connecticut. Using letters, photographs, historic posters, and government documents, as well as reproduction clothing and equipment, students explore four areas of the war's impact on Connecticut’s citizens: recruitment, the soldier’s experience, roles played by women, and reporting the war. This program requires a projection screen or surface.
HIST 5.2, 5.6, 8.1-4, 8.6; CCSS R.1-2, R.4, RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7-8
Grades 8-12
Take a Stand
GRADES 8–12
Program Length: 45 minutes–1 hour (depending on class length)
Cost: $125 per program plus round trip mileage from the Connecticut Museum at 65¢ per mile.
Take a Stand
History is complicated; stand up for your position! Students create an argument using preselected primary and secondary sources. Students then debate compelling questions in U.S. History through the lens of local history and use their conclusions to take a stand! Select a theme for your workshop from the topics below.
- Women’s Suffrage? The Fight For (and Against) Women's Suffrage
- Connecticut: Land of Opportunity?