Youth Education
The Watkins Museum offers classroom visits (in-person & virtual) and field trips for pre-K,
elementary, middle, and high school students. The museum also offers classes for
homeschool students ages 5-16. To schedule your experience with the Watkins Museum or
discuss options for developing a custom program, contact:
Shannon Hodges, Education Coordinator
(785) 841-4109 ext. 205
[email protected]
Homeschool History
Looking for an educational and fun activity for your child? In our Homeschool History class, the Watkins Museum shares Douglas County History with homeschool students ages 5-10. Class time includes exploring the galleries and using artifacts to learn about the people and places of Douglas County.
Join us at the Watkins Museum for a class based on Lawrence and/or Douglas County History. Topics will be explored using hands-on activities, art projects, and will be multisubject when appropriate. Classes meet bi-monthly and are intended to supplement students’ learning and knowledge of local and regional history. Classes are based on age ranges and designed to be developmentally appropriate and engaging. Parents may attend class, or this can be a drop off program.
Time: Thursdays, September 2024 – May 2025 10:30-11:30 AM
Dates: 2024: 9/12, 9/26, 10/10, 10/24, 11/14, 12/12
2025: 1/16, 1/30, 2/13, 2/27, 3/27, 4/10, 4/24, 5/15
Enrollment & Cost: Class registrations may be purchased by the school year, September to May, or for individual classes. Registration fees are per child and are $75 for the school year or $8 for individual classes. Register by contacting Education Coordinator Shannon Hodges at [email protected] or 785-841-4109.
Hands-On History (previously Homeschool History II)
Hands-On History is a new, project-based educational program for middle and high school students aged 11 – 16 years. The program is cumulative and offers students the opportunity to create a unique exhibit display for summer 2025 in the Community Gallery of the museum.
Hands-On History content and lessons are adapted from the Facing History & Ourselves curriculum, and designed to provide an engaging environment for students to gain critical thinking skills and engage in reflective discussion about historic events and their local community.
The program culminates in a student-led exhibit installation in the Community Gallery of the museum.
Time: Tuesdays, September 2024 – May 2025 10:30-11:30 AM
Dates:
2024: 9/3, 9/17, 10/1, 10/15, 11/5, 11/19, 12/3, 12/17
2025: 1/7, 1/21, 2/4, 2/18, 3 / 4, 4/1, 4/15, 5/6 5/20
Enrollment & Cost: Class registrations may be purchased by the school year, September to May, or for individual classes. Registration fees are per child and are $75 for the school year or $8 for individual classes. Register by contacting Education Coordinator Shannon Hodges at [email protected] or 785-841-4109.
Field Trip Busing
Does your school need help with transportation costs for a history-themed field trip? Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area offers Bus on Us grants to reimburse expenses. More information is available here:
Classroom Learning Collaborative
The Watkins Museum Classroom Learning Collaborative is a new, K–12 museum education initiative that provides students meaningful learning experiences that are centered around Lawrence and Douglas County history and incorporate diverse narratives and perspectives.
The CLC programs are semester or year-long, classroom-based and free to schools that participate.
Program content is adapted to be age specific and developmentally appropriate and centers the value in local communities and connects history with the present, demonstrating the students’ power to shape the future of their society. Participants are active learners who use the inquiry process, collaborate to interpret history, and utilize their creativity and self-expression to connect with the past.
Each CLC program culminates in a family event at the Museum where parents, students, and the public have an opportunity to view a temporary exhibition of the students’ work and celebrate their achievements. For more information on the Classroom Learning Collaborative, please contact:
Shannon Hodges, Education Coordinator
(785) 841-4109
[email protected]
Classes, Tours, & Field Trips
To ensure visiting the Watkins Museum is a fun and educational experience for everyone, please read the museum’s visitor expectations for students, teachers, and parents/guardians participating in field trips. If you wish to schedule a field trip, please fill out the request form below.
| Group | Fees |
|---|---|
| Douglas County Schools | FREE |
| Douglas County Daycares | $2 per child |
| Schools/Daycares Outside of Douglas County | $5 per student |
Teacher Resources
Graphic Novel: The Rescue of John Doy
The Underground Railroad: Experiences of Freedom Seekers
Thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Watkins education staff developed three lesson plans teaching students about what it was like being part of the Underground Railroad during the struggle against slavery. The lesson plans use Kansas History, Government and Social Studies Educational Standards.
The Underground Railroad: Experiences of Freedom Seekers received a 2024 Technology Award from the Kansas Museums Association.
Maggie Herrington Journal-Class Activity
Use excerpts from Maggie’s journal to learn about her life in early Lawrence. May be done at your school or at the museum.
Women of Wonder
Learn about women who helped Lawrence develop and thrive.
Other Tours:
- Quantrill’s Raid and the Civil War
- Life in Early Lawrence
- The Watkins Building
- Filmmaking in Lawrence and Douglas County
- Agriculture/Agribusiness
- Railroads
Douglas County Partner Tours & Field Trips:
Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Museum
Communities of the Wakarusa Valley in Douglas County: Richland
The Underground Railroad in Kansas: Angels of Freedom
Eudora Community Museum
Then and Now…Communities Establish and Evolve
Territorial Capital Museum and Lane University
Getting Started: A New Life on the Kansas Frontier
Lecompton – The Birthplace of the Civil War Tour/Field Trip
History Day
History Day is a year long learning opportunity for students in grades six through twelve, that offers students the opportunity to explore topics that interests them. They conduct research, using primary and secondary resources, and then analyze the information, in light of an over-arching historical theme or question.
For more information, visit Kansas History Day’s website.