Do your students ever wonder what life was like 100 years ago?  What was it like to be their age in 1900?  This interactive program will help children compare and contrast their lives today with those of children 100 years ago.  They will meet two children who lived in Wilmington, Elizabeth Jones, a white girl, and Louis Redding, an African-American boy, through illustrated storytelling.  They will handle and identify objects that were as familiar to Louis and Elizabeth as refrigerators and microwaves are to us today.  They will also learn about clothing 100 years ago, and the many layers that children wore even to go to school.  Some lucky students will model reproduction suits, dresses, baseball jerseys, and bathing suits.

Earn a special Historical Society of Delaware patch!

This program introduces students to Delaware’s Native Americans and includes an interactive component in the life-sized long house in the Distinctively Delaware™ exhibit.  Students learn about the kinds of foods Delaware Native Americans ate, the crops they grew, and the animals they hunted.  Two lucky students will model real deerskin clothes as the class learns about clothing and how it was made.  Students will also investigate the types of homes the Native Americans built, what materials they used, how the homes were constructed, and where they were located.  Students will enjoy making a bear-claw necklace.

In addition to learning about the Delaware Native Americans’ food, clothing, and shelter, students will also have the opportunity to investigate and analyze artifacts to determine their purpose in everyday life.  Students will try their hand at weaving a basket similar to one a woman would have made.

Earn a special Historical Society of Delaware patch!

Because Delaware was a slave state that bordered the free state of Pennsylvania, it played an important role in the Underground Railroad. In this program, students hear stories of the brave men and women, both enslaved and free, who made this region one of the most successful Underground Railroad routes to freedom. Students learn about: Thomas Garrett, the chief organizer in this region who devoted his life to helping the enslaved find freedom; Harriet Tubman, one of the most famous conductors who continually risked her life to lead the enslaved to the North; and William Still, who coordinated arrivals and wrote down accounts of thousands of the enslaved who made it through Delaware and on to Philadelphia. Students read and examine real Underground Railroad stories and then role-play several situations that those escaping faced as they entered this region. Students will explore the challenges that an escaped slave faced by analyzing original and reproduction artifacts and primary sources. Weather permitting, the program concludes with a visit to Old Town Hall, the site of anti-slavery meetings and the location of small, dreary jail cells where students learn the fate of those escaping who were unlucky enough to get caught.

Earn a special Historical Society of Delaware Patch!

What makes Delaware the way it is? Why is it called the First State? Who lives in Delaware? What makes Delaware different from every other state? In this program, students will learn what makes Delaware a distinctive state through a vibrant exhibit that includes the history of Delaware’s people, geography, transportation, business, and industry through historical artifacts, photographs, models, films, computer games, and learning stations. The program begins with a guided tour through the exhibit starting in the 1600s with the Lenni Lenape, Delaware’s first people, and ends in the late 20th century with Delaware’s many famous industries. Along the way, students will: gain a deeper understanding of the state through maps and learn how Delaware’s environment and geography helped shape its development; meet many Delawareans throughout time, including immigrants and leading citizens; learn about the role Delawareans played in the state and national government and politics; and see how the state’s economy evolved from small family farms to modern agribusiness and multinational corporations.

The Delaware River has not always been the quiet, slow-moving river that we know today. In the 17th and 18th centuries, pirates frequently traversed the waters of Delaware looking for ships to attack and places to sell stolen goods. In this program, students will learn the chronology of piracy in Delaware, and discover what made Delaware an attractive place to these outlaws. They will hear and participate in a pirate story as well as examine pirate illustrations, both created by renowned Delaware artist Howard Pyle. A navigation activity helps familiarize students with common tools and practices used by pirates, and then challenges them to locate buried treasure in the museum. The program concludes with students making their own maps of a likely spot to bury treasure.

Earn a special Historical Society of Delaware Patch!

If you would like to schedule any of these programs,
please contact the Event Registrar at the
Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay Council
at  http://www.girlscoutschesapeakebay.org