Workshops
We offer a variety of in-depth, engaging learning experiences for all ages. Choose from Learning Safaris for preschoolers, or workshops designed for school-age students, scouts, and adults. All workshops are 30- 45 minutes and come with teacher resources, including Pre- and Post-Visit activities, recommended reading, Educator’s Guide, and a list of applied Iowa Core Concepts. Looking for something you don’t see listed below? Let us know!
To schedule your workshop, fill out the form below or contact the Museum Educator at Click here to view email address or 319-862-2101 x222.
Learning Safari: The Spider Weaver
Recommended for Grades: Preschool, K
This folk tale from Ghana tells the story of how an artistic little spider created kente, the cloth of kings. We’ll make beautiful webs to match the multicolored creations in the book, and then “weave” our own webs.
Learning Safari: Happy Kwanzaa!
Recommended for Grades: Preschool, K
Learn all about the African American celebration of family and togetherness—Kwanzaa! Preschoolers will learn a bit of Swahili, practice counting and colors, and even create an edible Kwanzaa candle.
Learning Safari: A Whole New Ball Game
Recommended for Grades: Preschool, K
Take a look at one of baseball’s heroes–Jackie Robinson! Join us as we learn about his amazing life and explore the sights, textures, and even smells of the game for ourselves. Play Ball!
Learning Safari: Unwrapping Egypt
Recommended for Grades: Preschool, K, 1
Read a story about some rambunctious mummies and then make a mummy of your own. There’s even a mummy game to get “wrapped up” in! A super-fun way to learn about the cool—and occasionally yucky—process of mummification!
Learning Safari: The Oldest Finger-Paintings in the World
Recommended for Grades: Preschool, K, 1, 2
Scientists discovered the oldest cave drawings in the world in the African country of Botswana. See pictures of these cool paintings and figure out what stories they tell. Then you get to pretend to be one of the ancients and write a picture-message for the future.
Learning Safari: Martin’s Big Words
Recommended for Ages: Preschool, K, 1, 2
Who was Dr. King? Why do people today still think his words are so important? Preschoolers will work together to create a project to keep Dr. King’s dream alive while they learn cooperation and service.
Learning Safari: A Rainbow of Us
Recommended for Ages: Preschool, K, 1, 2
Discuss multiculturalism and diversity in a nonthreatening manner that’s easy for preschoolers to relate to—food! Our story for the day will compare children’s skin colors to caramel, peaches and espresso to prepare us for making a self-portrait of our own.
Kwanzaa Celebration
Recommended for Grades: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Explore a holiday that focuses on unity, community, creativity, and faith—Kwanzaa! Learn about Kwanzaa’s origins and meanings in this hands-on workshop.
Explore Africa
Recommended for Grades: 1, 2, 3, 4
Share the wealth of Africa’s culture and history with your students. Focusing on West Africa, students will play African instruments, try-on traditional clothing, and immerse themselves in a truly multicultural experience.
Dr. Carver’s Lab
Recommended for Grades: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
George Washington Carver influenced people all over the world, but he considered himself to be a “cookstove chemist”, using household materials to complete most of his experiments. Students will hear about Dr. Carver’s accomplishments then assist with some cookstove experiments of their own.
Iowa’s Underground Railroad
Recommended for Grades: 2, 3, 4, 5
There’s no Harriet Tubman in this workshop—this is all about Iowa’s Underground Railroad. Students make their own daring escape from slavery, but not before common Underground Railroad codes and learning how to navigate using the stars.
The Timeline: Stepping Stones of African American History
Recommended for Grades: 2, 3, 4, 5
Beginning with the first Africans to arrive in the United States in 1671 and ending with the present day, students will examine the stepping stones of African American history in this interactive workshop.
Mysteries of Ancient Egypt
Recommended for Grades: 3, 4, 5
Egypt is filled with mysteries that can only be solved with clues left by the Ancients. Pyramids, mummies, and hieroglyphics are just a few of the topics covered in this workshop.
Dig This! Archaeology
Recommended for Grades: 3, 4, 5, 6
What do you get when you cross history with CSI? Archaeology! Students will explore an archaeologist’s tool box, practice excavation techniques, and complete a garbage excavation of their own to piece together the past. Can you dig it?
Meet the Inventors
Recommended for Grades: 4, 5, 6, 7
What do a biscuit cutter, fire truck ladder, and Super Soaker have in common? They were created by African American inventors. Learn about these and more before working in groups to design an invention of your own.
First in Flight: The Tuskegee Airmen
Recommended for Grades: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Under the ominous title of “The Tuskegee Experiment”, in 1941 the first African American pilots from across the United States, including Iowa, began their Air Force training. Not only did they earn their wings, but they became one of the most renowned divisions in the United States military.
Buxton: A Black Man’s Utopia
Recommended for Grades: 5, 6, 7, 8
Buxton was a coal mining town at the turn of the 20th century where there was very little discrimination or segregation. See pictures and artifacts from the amazing piece of Iowan history.
Behind the Beat
Recommended for Grades: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
This workshop uses music to explore African American history, from the African beats brought to the colonies during slavery and spirituals used to communicate on the plantation, to the jazz of the Harlem Renaissance or the popular music of the Civil Rights movement. To see the full story, you just have to look “Behind the Beat”.
The Harlem Renaissance
Recommended for Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9
African Americans flocked to Harlem during the 1920’s and 30’s, creating some of the most amazing music, art, and literature in US history. Listen, look, and learn about this incredible time period.
Don’t Follow the Drinking Gourd
Recommended for Grades: 6, 7, 8
Freedom Seekers escaping slavery by traveling through the state of Iowa traveled East, not North. Find out why and other important information you’d need to make your own escape to freedom. Just remember: when traveling through Iowa, Don’t Follow the Drinking Gourd !
Juneteenth and the End of Slavery
Recommended for Grades: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
The Emancipation Proclamation ended African American slavery throughout the United States in 1863… Or did it? Discover the origins of Juneteenth.
Guide for Educators
Wondering what to expect on your field trip? Download our “Guide of Educators”
