Education Programs

Plan to book your Group Tours for children and adults soon to secure desired dates and times. Contact Caitlin Treece: caitlin@historycenter.org or call her at (319) 362-1501, ext. 16. 

For Preschools, Elementary, Junior High School, Churches, Clubs, Organizations, etc. for both children and adults. We offer Scouting Programs, Civil War, Prairie Life & Farming programs and more. Speak to Caitlin about other classes and workshops available or coming soon.




Pre K-1st Grade Programming: 

NEW!!!!!- different tour for 1st

Length: 1-1.5 hours

Group Size: max. 20-25

Tour Days: Tuesday and Wednesday mornings by appointment (additional scheduling if needed)

Cost: Admissions currently FREE through a grant from Alliant Energy Foundation

Description: Join our rabbit puppet, CeCe, as she engages young learners through gallery tours, hands-on activities, exploration of their own history and hers, as well as story time.  Utilizes concepts from Cedar Rapids and Prairie Public School Curriculum: "Bringing History Home."

Kindergarten explores: Homes, Transportation, and Toys from the past, and what is history?

First Grade explores: Clothing, School, Communications, and Transportation and the Community of Cedar Rapids then and now.





Second-Third Grade Programming: 2012-2013 School Year
Length: 1-1.5 hours

Group Size: max. 50

Tour Days: Tuesday-Friday by appointment

Cost: Admissions currently FREE through a grant from Momentum Fund of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (2nd), Funded by RuffaloCody (3rd)

Description: Explore historical topics of Linn County including:
Immigration: Who came, where did they come from, why did the choose Linn County, how did they get here, and what did they do when they arrived?

Prairie Life: How did the Native Americans use the land?  What did settlers find when the came to Iowa through the years? How did they adapt and survive here in Linn County?  What was life like?  How did they impact the prairie; what changes did settlers bring?

Artifacts: Put on your detective hat and practice your critical thinking skills to uncover what and how these artifacts from the History Center's collections were used in the past.

Toys: Today, most of our games and toys require power or batteries.  What did children in the past have to play with?  How were their daily lives different than children today?   


Third Grade Programming: 2012-2013 School Year
Length: 1-1.5 hours

Group Size: max. 50

Tour Days: Tuesday-Friday by appointment

Cost:Funded by RuffaloCody (3rd)

Description: Explore historical topics of Linn County including:

The Civil War: How did the Civil War effect Linn County?  Who went to fight and why? What were their reasons?  Explore primary source documents from Linn County soldiers to answer these questions.

Industry: How did Cedar Rapids and Linn County expand after the Civil War? What business settled here and why?  How did the immigrant community contribute?  What industries are still around today?

Artifacts: Put on your detective hat and practice your critical thinking skills to uncover what and how these artifacts from the History Center's collections were used in the past and what they can tell us about History.

Discovery Room: Explore the how the lives of actual children from Linn County changed over time.  Examine the lives of eight Linn County children:

• Isaac Kramer: pioneer from New York who traveled to Linn County, 1830s
• Heinrich Kelsey: grew up during the Civil War, 1860s
• Sadie Smulekoff: Daughter of Russian-Jewish Immigrant, 1890s
• Grant Wood: Farm boy who moves to the big city, 1900s
• Ellen Douglas: Daughter of captain of industry, lived at Brucemore, 1915s
• Bill Aossey: Muslim, Lebanese American during the Great Depression, 1930s
• Betty Auchard: WWII Homefront, 1940s
• Leilah Harris: daughter of first African American Doctor in CR, 1960s

Seventh Grade Programming:
The Civil War
Length: 1.5 hour- 3 hour blocks

Group Size: max. 50 (per 1.5 hours)

Tour Days: March-May or by appointment

Cost: Admission and transportation currently FREE through a grant from Alliant Energy Transportation

Description: Using primary source material from the archives of the History Center, explore topics related to life during the Civil War:

Camp Life: What was life like when they weren't fighting battle?  Explore the diaries of Private Josiah Sanborn of the 31st Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment to discover the answers.

Transporation: How did the Iowa volunteers get to the thick of the battle?  Explore the letters of Sam Spaulding, a Linn County soldier, to investigate.

Medicine: What were the conditions like? Who lived and who died?  Discover the answers in the logbooks of Dr. John Ely of the 24th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

Communication:  How did soldiers communicate in the days before radios and phones?  What special skills did these soldiers need to know?  Find the answers and learn some of the skills needed to communicate during the Civil War with the actual codes taught to these brave volunteers.