In this activity, children and adults will take a trip together to explore a locally owned business in their community. Children and adults will use the suggested questions to learn more about what it takes to run a business while thinking about the business history of their

Seven Miles to Freedom is a book about Robert Smalls, a man who was born a slave in South Carolina, but made a daring escape to freedom on the ship CSS Planter and joined the Union in fighting to end slavery in America. Part of an OurStory module entitled Full Steam to Freedom,

Make your own constellation commemorating an American woman, like Maria Mitchell. Many cultures have used constellations to remember the stories of heroes, like the Greeks and some American Indians. Included in an OurStory module from Smithsonian's National Museum of American History entitled

In this activity, students will examine an historical newspaper, a piece of historical fiction, and their social studies textbooks for accounts of the civil rights movement, and then define 'equality' and 'discrimination'. They will then use these definitions to look for instances of eq

Quilts do more than just keep us warm; they preserve history by telling us stories about the people who made them. In this hands-on activity, students will learn about women's history by studying quilts. They will then make a quilt square in honor of a person who is important to them. It is inclu

Protest signs are a powerful and important way for people to express their feelings. In this activity children will compare two protest signs from the civil rights movement and then create their own expressive chalk art or poster. It is included in an OurStory module entitled Student

Think of three symbols to represent Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and create a window decoration with those symbols. Included in an OurStory module entitled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nonviolence, this activity is designed to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together thr

Use this guide to actively read Julia Morgan Built a Castle, a picture book about one of America’s first female architects. Part of an OurStory module entitled Building Beautiful Buildings, this activity includes discussion prompts, a glossary, and background information.

Students will learn how to start their own collection after reading about Teodoro Vidal, a man who collected objects from Puerto Rico in this OurStory activity. OurStory is a series of modules designed to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through the use of objects from th

Field trips to a theater or dance studio are great ways to learn about performing arts in your neighborhood.  In this activity, students will use discussion prompts and extension activity ideas to make the most of their visit. This activity is part of an OurStory module entitled An Ameri