NFLL Educational Programs
Education Programs at the National
First Ladies Library and Historic Site
The National
First Ladies’ Library and Historic site offers a number of educational
experiences for students of all ages that connect to learning standards across
the curriculum. Choose from an interactive tour of the Saxton-McKinley house or
an engaging, hands-on program. The National First Ladies’ Library will help
bring history to life for your students.
Tour Options
I
Spy: A Pint Sized Tour of the Saxton-McKinley House
Look for patterns, shapes, and colors
as you navigate your way through the Saxton-McKinley house with your pre-school
students or playdate group. Hands-on activities will keep little hands busy as
we play games, attend a pretend tea, and tuck in our baby dolls and teddy bears
with a Victorian bedtime story.
Most
Appropriate for Pre-K through 1st grade students
Admission:
$5.00/student | $7.00/adult
Length: 30 minutes
Pre-K
students are led through the house by an educator in groups of 12 with two
chaperones per group. National First Ladies Library and Historic Site can
accommodate no more than 50 students per day. A minimum of 12 students is
required for an educator led tour.
First
Families Are Families First: A Kid Sized Tour of the Saxton-McKinley House
What was it like to live in Canton
during the Victorian era? Travel back in time to the mid-to-late 1800’s and
explore what life was like for the kids growing up in the Saxton-McKinley
house. What games did children play before there were videogames? What did they
eat and where did they go to the bathroom? Students will play games, draw
pictures, and experience music as they learn about Ida McKinley and her family
and explore the home on this interactive tour.
Most
Appropriate for 2rd through 6th grade students
Admission:
$5.00/student | $7.00/adult
Length: 90 minutes
Students
are led through the house by an educator in groups of 12 with one chaperone per
group. National First Ladies Library and Historic Site can accommodate no more
than 50 students per day. A minimum of 12 students is required for an educator
led tour.
Exploring
Biography: An Ohio First Ladies’ House Tour
A recent study by Smithsonian magazine reported that U.S. state
history standards mention one woman for every three men. Help balance out your
curriculum as you dig into Ohio herstory with your students and explore the
life of first lady and Canton, Ohio native Ida McKinley. Students will learn
about Ida’s life as they engage with objects in the Saxton-McKinley house. The
tour will conclude in the ballroom with an investigation of Ohio First Lady
inspired artifacts. Students will explore hatboxes of artifacts and construct a
basic biographical sketch of an Ohio first lady. Students will leave with the
tools to begin their own biographical research on overlooked women in U.S.
history.
Most
Appropriate for 7th through 12th grade students
Admission:
$5.00/student | $7.00/adult
Length: 90 minutes
Students
are led through the house by an educator in groups of 12 with one chaperone per
group. National First Ladies Library and Historic Site can accommodate no more
than 50 students per day. A minimum of 12 students is required for an educator
led tour.
School
Programming Menu
School programs take place onsite at
the National First Ladies Library and Historic Site or offsite at your school.
School Programs are intended for a class size audience of 30 students or less. Program
fee is $100.00 per class. Inquire about
scholarships for qualifying schools
Exploring
Federal Lands and Waters
Sure you’ve heard of the Cuyahoga
Valley National Park, but did you know that Ohio has eight National Park
Service Sites and that the First Ladies Library and Historic Site is one of
them? Working with educators and park rangers from the site, you’ll learn about
the different park sites as you map them out and design your own park poster to
earn your Junior Ranger credentials. In addition, participating fourth graders
are eligible to earn an Every Kid in A Park Pass.
Most
Appropriate for 3rd through 6th grade students
Fits
OH Education Standards: 4th Grade Social Studies
Length:
1 hour
Fun,
Fitness & the First Garden
Let’s
move, shimmy and shake during Fun, Fitness and the First Garden. Students will
learn all about healthy eating from our friendly veggie friends and the White
House Chef. We’ll get moving to a Michelle Obama inspired dance party mix and
create veggie prints. We’ll wrap things up with a fun planting activity that
students will take home and start their very own White House Garden.
Most
Appropriate for Pre-K through 3rd grade students
Fits
OH Education Standards: K-3rd Grade Health
Length:
1 hour
White
House Pets
We all know about the many cats and dogs that have called the
White House home, but have you heard of Rebecca the Raccoon? Find out about the
wild menagerie of animals that have roosted at the White House as we read “A
Raccoon at the White House” and create an interactive puppet show with our
extensive collection of pet puppets. Students will have a chance to dig into
White House dog sensory bins and posit what kind of pet our current first kid
should get with a Doctor Seuss inspired felt board activity.
Most
Appropriate for Pre-K and Kindergarten students
Fits
OH Education Standards: K-3rd Grade Language Arts
Length:
1 hour
Ohio
First Ladies Hat Box
Seven First Ladies called Ohio home
between 1841 and 1923. Each of these women was unique for their time and helped
advance the role and expectations of the First Ladies. In this interactive
program, students will learn more about these seven women and what life was
like in Ohio for women during the times they lived. Students will dig into a
hatbox of props that represents each woman, sleuthing who the items belong to.
They’ll also design newspaper headlines for them, experiment with roleplay, and
challenge each other to First Lady inspired games.
Most
Appropriate for 4th through 8th grade students
Fits
OH Education Standards: 4th Grade Social Studies
Length:
1 hour
Lady
Bird’s Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson was passionate about
conserving our natural resources, protecting our wildlife and beautifying
America through her work on the passage of the Highway Beautification Act of
1965. Lady Bird’s efforts began before any significant legislation was passed
to conserve our planet. Students will learn about Lady Bird’s most significant
feat – cleaning up America’s highways and planting wildflowers to beautify the
scenery. Students will also participate in a planting activity they can take
home to beautify their own neighborhoods.
Most
Appropriate for 2nd through 5th grade students
Fits
OH Education 2nd – 4th Grade Science Standards
Length:
1 hour
Vote Like A Girl: Suffrage and
Citizenship in the 21st Century
The year 2020 marks the 100th
anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting
women's constitutional right to vote. In this session students will learn about
a few of the bold and brave figures who helped earn women voting rights and
Ohio’s role in the story of women’s suffrage. In addition, students will
exercise their own voting power and learn how to be informed and engaged citizens.
The lesson will conclude with the students creating their own contemporary,
suffrage inspired banner.
Most
Appropriate for 5th through 8th grade students
Fits
OH Education Social Studies standards
Length:
1 hour
Portraits
for the People: First Ladies on Canvas
Amy Sherald’s stunning portrait of
First Lady Michelle Obama at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery recently
put first lady portraits on the map, but first ladies have been striking a pose
for artists as far back as Martha Washington and Dolley Madison. In this
workshop, students will examine portraits of first ladies throughout history, learning
to read an artwork as a historical document. Through visual clues, students
will understand the traditional and non-traditional roles of first ladies and
how the first ladies played a significant role in shaping the political and
social history of the United States. In addition, each student will interview a
peer to create and execute a portrait that reflects their partner’s personality
and style.
Most
Appropriate for 6th through 8th grade students
Fits
OH Education Visual Arts Standards
Length:
1 hour
Dear
John, Dear Abigail: Unlocking History through First Ladies’ Letters
Before there were texts and e-mails,
letters were a major form of communication. From Ida McKinley’s letter’s home
to family during her grand tour of Europe to Lucrecia Garfield’s letter
demanding pay equity for a female doctor who treated her husband, The National
First Ladies Library collection contains many historical documents and letters
that help bring these women to life. During this session students will examine
first lady letters, learning how historians and researchers use primary source
documents. They’ll learn where to find written and visual primary sources and
how to analyze them.
Most
Appropriate for 9th through 12h grade students
Fits
OH Education Social Studies and Language Arts Standards
Length:
1 hour
Offsite
at your school | Onsite at First Ladies National Historic Site
Available Spring 2020
On
the Road with the First Ladies
Grab a suitcase and hit the road with
the first ladies. In this program, the contemporary equivalent of the Ohio
First Ladies Hatbox program, we’ll examine some of the most travelled modern
first ladies as we crack open their train cases and Pan-Am bags to examine
clues about their most famous visits and accomplishments. Learn about Hillary
Clinton’s famous speech in Beijing, Pat Nixon’s hurricane aid in Peru, and
Jackie Kennedy’s Mona Lisa loan in Paris in this hands-on, history minded,
virtual road trip experience.
Most
Appropriate for 9th through 12h grade students
Fits
OH Education Social Studies Standards
Length:
1 hour
Available Spring 2020
Red
Dress Diplomacy: First Ladies of Fashion
From Barbara Bush’s
pearls to Hillary Clinton’s pantsuits, first ladies are fashion trendsetters, but
do their wardrobe choices signal more than meets the eye? We’ll examine the
modern first ladies and discuss how color, silhouette, style, and even
designers and brands help make political statements and push presidential
agendas. After analyzing first lady fashions, students will be challenged to
design an inaugural ensemble for a potential male first spouse. What will his
wardrobe say about the way he’ll approach his new position and the duties he’ll
choose to take on as first spouse?
Most
Appropriate for 9th through 12h grade students
Fits
OH Education Visual Arts and Social Studies Standards
Length:
1 hour
Offsite
at your school | Onsite at First Ladies National Historic Site
Available Spring 2020