Home > Education > Outreach

Outreach programs

The VHS is proud to offer a variety of outreach education programs for your students. These presentations are delivered in a hands-on fashion using artifact reproductions. We welcome and encourage student/teacher participation. Each program is creatively designed around the Virginia SOLs.

Pocahontas and the Powhatan Nation

Students' attention is captured right away as the presenter unpacks replicas of artifacts used by the Powhatan Indians nearly 400 years ago. It is nearly impossible to keep students in their seats when they see the bow and arrow, stone hatchet, furry deer hide, and antler rake among many other tools. Students are encouraged to identify the various natural resources used by Native American men, women, and children to make their tools and clothing. Volunteers will be chosen to demonstrate how a tool might be used in order to discover its purpose in the Powhatan community. Students will also engage in a discussion about Pocahontas and the myths and truths associated with her. The class will experience a thrilling moment when they view an image of what Pocahontas actually looked like, as compared to what they've seen in the movies. This is an extremely interactive program and is wonderful for all ages.
• Maximum 30 students | 45–60 minutes
• Request this program | FAQ

An African American Experience

This classroom presentation discusses the African American experience in Virginia from the early 17th century through emancipation. The students will discuss tobacco ( the labor intensive, cash crop of early Virginia), indentured servitude, and the start of slavery in our country. The students will explore the daily lives of slaves through the use of primary sources in the form of letters, inventories, and advertisements. The students will learn about the types of foods and clothing issued to slaves, their living conditions, and their work conditions in the fields. Students will learn about African traditions, and consider the politics and controversies associated with slavery. The presenter may discuss several famous names associated with slavery and abolition such as James Armistead Lafayette, Harriet Tubman, Henry "Box" Brown, and president Abraham Lincoln. Volunteers will be chosen to demonstrate various instruments from West Africa that greatly influenced American music, and to participate in African cultural traditions such as "broom jumping," a traditional wedding ceremony performed by slaves and still incorporated into weddings today. This program is intended grades 4 and up.
• Maximum 30 students | 45–60 minutes
• Request this program | FAQ

Virginia and the Westward Movement

The Westward Movement program covers the time period of exploration and migration from the Louisiana Purchase to the years immediately before the Civil War. Letters and diaries from the VHS's collections are used to guide students' imaginations to a time of adventure and hope, as well as hardship and fear. The students will begin to develop an intimate portrait of a person from the past through his/her written words and connect that image to objects similar to those used by that person while traveling in a Conestoga wagon. The students will identify objects and their uses through hands-on exploration. They will discover that, what at first appeared to be a cheese grater, is actually a lantern or that a small stick was the equivalent to today's toothbrush. The students will discover the roles that men, women, and children were expected to play on the wagon trails or when they finally settled west of Virginia. This program is geared for grades 4 through 6.
• Maximum 30 students | 45–60 minutes
• Request this program | FAQ

The Civil War Soldier: A Common Man

This program involves the active participation of the entire class as students investigate the trials and hardships of a Civil War soldier. Students will be chosen to model for the class a uniform worn by a typical soldier from Virginia, as the class examines similarities and differences of equipment used by the Union and Confederate soldiers. The class will have an opportunity to feel the textures of the fabrics and the weight of the gear, and draw their own conclusions of what it may have been like to carry these items during the four seasons of the year without modern transportation. This program is geared toward older students, grades 4 and up. Students will examine facsimiles of letters written and discuss the effect the war had on Virginians and the country. Students will explore the contributions made by women, slaves and children, whether they worked side by side with the soldiers or helped to maintain the homefront while the men were away.
• Maximum 30 students | 45–60 minutes
• Request this program | FAQ

Virginia at the Turn of the 20th Century: Teaching with Photographs

Using turn-of-the-century photographs, this program is designed to allow students to examine changes in Virginia's society and politics. The students will explore context clues from these primary source photographs to develop an awareness of the changes that occured across the commonwealth during the early 1900s. The students use their knowledge of urban and rural development and the different regions of Virginia to identify where the photographs were taken. By applying what they have learned in the classroom about Jim Crow laws and segregation, the students will have an opportunity to discuss how the photographs reflect the society of the day. The students will identify items that were new inventions and how they influenced Virginia's industry, lifestyle, and social climate. Students will be encouraged to work in smaller groups in order to have the opportunity to examine photographs closely, and promote an exchange of ideas and knowledge. This program is well suited for grades 4 and up.
• Maximum 30 students | 45–60 minutes
• Request this program | FAQ

428 North Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia 23220 Mail: P.O. Box 7311, 23221-0311   |   Phone: 804.358.4901 Tuesday–Saturday 10–5   |   Sunday 1–5 (galleries & shop only)