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  Digging Up the Past: What is Archaeology?

  This program helps students understand how archaeologists select a site for study. Students will use artifacts to piece together their best explanation of who might have been in a particular place in the past and what they might have been doing at that particular place in the past.

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  Betsy Ross' "Ps and Qs"

  Patriotism and Quilts introduces children to a symbol of the American Revolution. Through quilts, students learn about Betsy Ross and the first American flag. Students will make individual paper quilt designs which can be combined into a group project in the classroom.

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  Hidden in Plain Sight: Quilts as signs Along the Underground Railroad

  Heading north towards freedom, bold slaves fled the south and slavery. Many of their routes and means of escape were kept secret; recently revealed is how quilts may have contained hidden messages aiding runaways in their escape.

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  Pioneer Art

  Pioneer Art introduces students to the art and culture of the early German settlers of our region. Students help "pack" traveling trunks bound for the New Land and consider what they would have to leave behind, such as a written record of the family's history. Students will then make a "fraktur", a personal birth celebration or a house blessing.

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  Native American Games

  Native American Games gives students the opportunity to play Native American children's games, which developed the life skills needed in a society based on hunting and growing crops. Students will identify the homes of the Eastern Woodland Indians, the Lakota and the Pueblo, talk about their daily lives and then play a variety of games.

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  Jamestown's First Years

  Jamestown's First Years: Land of Plenty, Time of Starving Arriving in the New World, English gentlemen, craftsmen, laborers and soldiers alike struggled to survive, sometimes aided by the Powhatans, sometimes attacked. Consider the basics: food and water, clothing and shelter, transportation and communication: could the Adventurers provide these things for themselves? Students will handle artifacts, look at reproductions, and decide the fate of the colonists through an interactive game.

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  X Marks the Spot

  We'll look at colorful copies of original maps made by the first settlers of the Lost Colony and Jamestown in the 1600s and examine a newer map showing what Roanoke looked like when settlers first came to live here in the 1740s. Then we'll compare those maps with modern-day maps of Virginia and Roanoke. Then, students will determine cardinal directions using compasses and create their own directions using the skills they have learned.

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  When in Roanoke, Do as the Romans Do: Greek and Roman Inspired Architecture in our Area

  With this program, students discover Greek and Roman architecture from the Parthenon to the Colosseum and how those styles influenced architecture in their own surroundings of Western Virginia. We will discuss specific local buildings to demonstrate column orders, arches, and pediments. Then, the students will use those same architectural motifs to create their own imaginative constructions.

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  Rivets, Rations, and Rifles: World War II at Home and on the Front

  Students will learn about World War II and how Western Virginia was affected both overseas and on the home front. They will engage in hands-on activities, games, and media provided by the museum to grasp a deeper understanding of this significant event in United States history.

History Museum of Western Virginia

Historical Society of Western Virginia

P.O. Box 1904
Roanoke, VA 24008

© 2011 History Museum of Western Virginia, All rights reserved.