Homeschool Day

Homeschool families, join museum educators, librarians, conservators and historians for a day of fun and learning designed just for you!

Beginning at 10:30 a.m., you and your students will have a series of eight 40-minute hands-on workshops to select from through the day. Each session brings the joy of learning to your family through practicing the skills of a historian, including discovering how to preserve history, create your own museum gallery, and more!

Upon registering, you will be sent a confirmation email. In your confirmation will be further information about how to indicate which sessions you and your family are most interested in attending.

While all students are welcome, we believe that students aged 9 and above will be able to experience the workshop sessions most fully.

Schedule for the Day:

10 – 10:30 a.m. – Check In

10:30 – 11:15 a.m. – Session 1

11:20 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. – Session 2

12:05 – 1:45 p.m. – Lunch Break

1:45 – 2:15 p.m. – Session 3

2:20 – 3:05 p.m. – Session 4

3:15 – 3:45 – Family Trivia

Families are welcome to enjoy lunch in the Stardust Terrace Café, bring their lunch to enjoy on the grassy knoll or in the classroom, or take advantage of the Indiana History Center’s convenient location to explore Indianapolis.

The Indiana Experience will be open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Families are encouraged to explore our exhibits during lunch, in between sessions, or at the end of the day.

Participants will be able to choose between two workshops each session.

Session 1 – 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

• Surprise! You’re Researching!: An Introduction into the INPSIRE Databases for Kids and Parents
  • Did you know that Indiana residents have free access to a suite of high-quality databases and resources through the Indiana State Library’s INSPIRE portal? Rosetta Stone Language software, ACT and SAT Test Prep, and many vetted research databases are available to Hoosiers young and old. Join Suzanne Walker, the Indiana Young Readers Center Librarian for an interactive demonstration centered around dinosaurs! INSPIRE is so easy to use, you’ll be researching any topic of your choice before you know it.?
• Caspar and Catherine Move to America
  • Casper and Catherine Move to America is a story that was passed from generation to generation by the author’s family.  Everyone has memories and stories to share.  In this session families will explore their own family history through oral tradition while learning about immigration using census documents.

Session 2 – 11:20 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.

• Spies for George Rodgers Clark
  • The year is 1778, George Rodgers Clark has his orders to go West and capture Kaskaskia. Work as one of his spy teams to provide accurate information about the people and places in the area.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will include using eye– witness accounts written in 1777 to assist George Rodgers Clark in his task to provide him with accurate intelligence about the people and places of the Wabash-Illinois country.
• Preserving Family History
  • Explore the importance of preserving the physical objects that represent your family stories and learn how museums work to preserve the objects entrusted to them. See examples of the kinds of objects the Indiana Historical Society holds, what can damage those objects, and the materials and techniques we use to prolong the life of the objects. Then get hands on with real tools from the History Lab. 

Session 3 – 1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

• Curating a Curious Gallery
  • Museums use image, colors, words, artifacts and more to tell all kinds of stories. But, how do they decide what to use in a gallery? In this session we will go through the process of using primary sources to tell a narrative of history by curating your own mini museum gallery. 
• Critical and Creative Thinking: Using Visual Thinking Strategy with Primary Sources
  • Visual Thinking Strategy is a research-based teaching method that encourages a deeper level of thinking and sharing of multiple perspectives. These strategies are useful for almost any subject! Work with IHS Educators to discover clues and make inferences while analyzing a primary sources to solve some of the mysteries of our histories just like Historians do here. 

Session 4 – 2:20 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.

• Paper and Textile Conservation: The Importance of Observation
  • Tide Lines, Capillary Action, and Foxing- Oh my! Join IHS conservators to learn about the science behind the history and what it takes to be a Conservator.  Become a detective yourself with hands on science experiments and demonstrations for the family.   
• Primary Sources and National History Day in Indiana
  • How do we read Primary Sources? What makes something a primary source?  Learners aged 9-18 will explore different types of sources, how to check for credibility, and ways to learn from sources. Participants will also learn about opportunities with the National History Day in Indiana curriculum.