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Bring CHS to Your School
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, except where noted (allow 15 minutes between programs)
Cost: $150 per program, plus round trip mileage from the CHS 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.
COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS
The CHS updates our COVID-19 policies per current guidance from the CDC and the State of Connecticut. We will discuss current COVID-19 policies with you at the time of booking.
This program introduces students to the pre-colonization lives and cultures of Native Peoples of this region. Through close looking and hands-on activities, students will examine reproduction artifacts and discuss the natural resources and technologies used to make clothing, food, and tools.
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, daily chores, and enjoy colonial-era toys.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Students investigate how Connecticut citizens participated in the American Revolution, looking at issues from both the Patriot and Loyalist perspectives. Through a variety of student activities, the dramatic sequence of events from 1763-1783 that led to American independence is brought to life. Students examine reproduction artifacts and analyze a primary document to explore life in Connecticut during this time. Using quill pens, they 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Program Length: 45 minutes–1 hour (depending on class length)
Cost: $125 per program plus round trip mileage from the CHS at 65¢ per mile.
History is complicated; stand up for your position! Students create an argument using preselected primary and secondary sources from the CHS collection. Then, students debate compelling questions in U.S. History through the lens of local and state history, and use their conclusions to take a stand! Select a theme for your workshop from the topics below.
Tuesday-Friday 12pm-5pm, Thursday nights until 8pm
Saturday 9am-5pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm
Tuesday-Saturday 12pm-5pm, Thursday nights until 8pm
Always by appointment only.
One Elizabeth Street
Hartford CT, 06105
