Immerse yourself in Virginia's history by visiting one of our exhibitions.
We are dedicated to serving as the state-wide hub for the teaching of Virginia history through providing engaging learning resources, educational online tools, and meaningful multimedia content for educators, students, and history lovers of all ages.
Student Activities and Primary SourcesMuseum of You: This activity allows visitors to learn the basics of curating an exhibit by developing an exhibition about themselves! Download the Museum of You packet below to find examples created by staff at the VMHC and activity guides for both elementary and secondary students.
You Be the Curator!: This activity is designed for students to explore the role of a museum curator further and learn about the role objects play in storytelling. Using a pre-curated packet of collections objects, students are asked to curate a mini-exhibition about the chosen topic. This flexible activity can be adjusted to include content and standards for public, private, or homschool classrooms and is scaleable for grades four and up. Secondary students can go beyond simple object selection by creating exhibit labels and titles using the worksheets in the instruction packet or looking on our website to find content from different time periods.
I Spy: Virginia's Hidden History: Explore the history of espionage in the Commonwealth and train to become one of Virginia's top secret agents with these activities, which are geared towards spies in grades four through twelve. This packet includes instructions for spies-in-training to practice breaking codes, sending hidden messages with homemade invisible ink, and inventing their own spy gadgets.
"Away, I'm Bound Away": Virginia and the Westward Movement: Between the end of The Revolutionary War and the outbreak of The Civil War, more than a million Virginians left the state. This lesson plan uses the journal of a young woman from SW Virginia to bring to life a personal account of that type of journey and analyze a broader look at the westward movement in the first half of the 19th century. The interdiscplinary packets below incorporate english language arts, history, science, math, critical thinking and decision making skills and are designed with fourth - sixth grade VDOE standards of learning in mind. However, many of the activities can be scaled to work with a variety of grade levels and classroom styles.
Virginia State Symbols Craft Packet: Learn a little about Virginia’s state symbols with this craft packet. Fun for all ages, even our youngest Virginians!
Collections in the Classroom: These thematic resource kits are designed to help students analyze and interpret primary source material from our collections. They contain context, guiding questions, and digitized primary source material to provide an avenue for integrating museum collections into the classroom
The Story of Virginia Digital Timeline: Explore Virginia's history through an interactive timeline of primary sources from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and Library of Congress.
Educational Videos: Our educational videos are designed for a K-12 Audience. These videos are based on the Standards of Learning (SOL) and include animated primary source documents.
Virginia History Explorer: The Virginia History Explorer is full of illustrated articles about Virginia history including primary sources, secondary sources, past exhibitions, and hidden treasures from the collections.
Notable Dates in Virginia History: Turn back the pages of the calendar and learn about notable dates in Virginia history.
Online EXHIBITS & Virtual ToursExplore the VMHC digitally by taking a 360-degree tour of the exhibitions and reading the online exhibition text or narrative. The following exhibits are available online:
360-Degree Tour | Online Exhibition Narrative |Recommended student activity: VMHC Virtual Visit Find & Sketch
Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality:
360-Degree Tour | Recommended student activity:
Determined Pre- and Post-WorksheetAgents of Change: Female Activism in Virginia from Women's Suffrage to Today
360-Degree Tour | Recommended student activity: Equal Suffrage League Membership Card
360-Degree Tour |Recommended student activity: Landscapes Detective Worksheet
WEBINAR ARCHIVEMaking Broadway History: An Interview with the Actors (All Ages)
Sign of the Times: Activism in the Suffrage Movement (Middle & High School)
Fresh Paint: Murals Inspired by the Story of Virginia (Upper Elementary & Above)
Use this workbook to create your own mural inspired by Virginia history!
Barbara Johns Day: The Legacy of Student Activism in the Civil Rights Movement
FUN AND GAMESColor Our Collections: Download coloring pages created from the VMHC collections and unleash your creativity!
Games of the Past: Explore how kids played throughout history! Each video provides a quick history of a game and provides instructions to create the game at home.
Pieces of History Online Puzzles: Enjoy these online puzzles from the collections of the VMHC. Keep checking back for more!
Did you use one of these resources in your home or classroom? Tag us on social media @vmhceducation. Have questions or want to book a live program? Contact Hailey Fenner, Manager of Digital Learning, at hfenner@VirginiaHistory.org or 804.342.9689.
The museum entrance may be impacted by construction. Click here for up-to-date information about where to enter the building.
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