Field Trips & Outreach
Schedule a K-12 Program Today!
Delaware History Museum programs foster inquiry and build historical and critical-thinking skills while connecting local history to the broader story of the United States. We offer a variety of educational experiences for students in grades K-12. Our student programs are designed to support and enhance classroom learning while engaging students as they investigate Delaware’s past through hands-on, primary-source activities.
We currently offer dedicated Museum field trips for students in grades K-8. To book a curated experience for students in grades 9-12, please email education@dehistory.org.
Onsite Programs
Ahoy Matey! Pirates on the Delaware
Travel back in time to the great age of sail. A time of merchants seeking their fortune in the Americas. A time of pirates! Students will explore the lives of pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy in Delaware (1650s and the 1730s); discovering one of the earliest forms of democracy in the Americas and famous pirates who sailed the Seven Seas! Grab your eye patch and raise your pirate flag! This program engages students in a popular topic, while encouraging them to use their critical thinking and imagination skills through hands-on activities and role-play.
Recommended Grades: K-3
Length: 180 minutes
First People in the First State
Long before European colonizers arrived, indigenous communities thrived in what is now Delaware. Through hands-on activities, students will investigate artifacts to discover the society and culture of Delaware’s First People. Topics include natural resources, early people, culture, clothing, diet, and more!
Recommended Grades: 1-4
Length: 90 minutes
New Sweden, Life on the Atlantic Frontier
In 1638, Sweden established themselves in present day Delaware. What will the Swedish need to survive and thrive here? Students will learn about life on the frontier of Colonial Delaware through artifact analysis and hands-on activities.
Recommended Grades: 3-4
Length: 90 minutes
First Contact
In 1638, Sweden established a colony in present day Delaware. Upon arrival, Swedish colonizers encountered the Lenape, who had been living here for centuries. How did the Lenape and the Swedish interact? Was there conflict or did the two cultures find a way to work together? Students will learn about the lifestyles of the Lenape and the “first contact” with Swedish settlers through discussion, artifact analysis, and hands-on activities.
Recommended Grades: 3-5
Length: 90 minutes
Choosing Independence and Fighting for Freedom
Delaware played an important role in the political and military events that helped shape the outcome of the American Revolution. Students will bring the history of Delaware to life by stepping into the roles of important Delaware political figures and soldiers, and by re-enacting the only battle that took place in Delaware during the Revolutionary War.
Activities include:
- Reenactment of the 2nd Continental Congress through a narrative play performed by students.
- Civilian Perspectives Role-play: How did civilians react when the Revolution came to Delaware.
- Military Dress and the life of a Revolutionary War soldier: Students will discover what a Revolutionary War soldier wore and carried with him into battle. One student will dress up as a Revolutionary War soldier.
- Reenactment of the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge
Recommended Grades: 4
Length: 180 minutes
Journey to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in Delaware
During the 19th century, enslavement shaped daily life across the United States—including here in Delaware. As a result of this injustice, many brave individuals took action to resist injustice and support people seeking freedom through a secret network known as the Underground Railroad. Through hands-on activities, students will discover how the Underground Railroad operated in Delaware. Students will examine primary source evidence to better understand the choices, risks, and courage involved.
Activity stations include:
- What a freedom seeker might carry on their journey.
- The conditions that influenced decisions to self-emancipate.
- How everyday actions—such as boycotts—were used to challenge enslavement.
This interactive experience encourages curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking while connecting students to Delaware’s role in the fight for freedom.
Recommended Grades: 4-8
Length: 90 minutes
We currently offer dedicated outreach programs for students in grades K-8. To book a curated experience for students in grades 9-12, please email education@dehistory.org.
Outreach Programs
Ahoy Matey! Pirates on the Delaware
Travel back in time to the great age of sail. A time of merchants seeking their fortune in the Americas. A time of pirates! Students will explore the lives of pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy in Delaware (1650s and the 1730s); discovering one of the earliest forms of democracy in the Americas and famous pirates who sailed the Seven Seas! Grab your eye patch and raise your pirate flag! This program engages students in a popular topic, while encouraging them to use their critical thinking and imagination skills through hands-on activities and role-play.
Recommended Grades: K-3
Length: 60 minutes
First People in the First State
Long before European colonizers arrived, indigenous communities thrived in what is now Delaware. Through hands-on activities, students will investigate artifacts to discover the society and culture of Delaware’s First People. Topics include natural resources, early people, culture, clothing, diet, and more!
Recommended Grades: 1-4
Length: 60 – 90 minutes, length of program can be modified to suit classroom needs
Revolutionary Espionage
At the outbreak of the American Revolution, the British had the bigger and better army. How would the Americans prevail? Spies! Discover famous spies, including one Delawarean who wreaked havoc on the British. Explore and practice cloak-and-dagger techniques of the Revolutionary Era as students join spy groups, write coded messages, and spy on their adversaries.
Recommended Grades: 4
Length: 30-60 minutes, length of program can be modified to suit classroom needs
Congressional Chaos
You have been chosen as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. In this interactive program, students will explore the efforts and challenges involved in establishing a new nation in 1776. What decisions and compromises had to be made? Grab your gavel, dust off your debate skills, and get ready to explore the important questions that faced the delegates to the Second Continental Congress.
Recommended Grades: 4
Length: 30 minutes
Blue Hens & Bugbears, Dawn of Revolution (RPG)
The Revolutionary War is about to erupt in the colonies. Colonists are taking sides. How did the early stages of the war affect Delaware? Join an adventure across Delaware where students are given a seemingly simple task: deliver goods to Chestertown, Maryland. But will you make it? Will the bugbears stop you? And who are you siding with in this impending war? Roll the dice in this tabletop roleplaying game and find out! In this module based on Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, students will travel to March 1775, right as the American Revolution is about to begin, and explore a historic event as well as the causes of the war.
Recommended Grades: 9-12
Length: 180 minutes
Virtual Programs
100,000 Words: Child Labor in Delaware
In 1910, the National Child Labor Committee sent photographer Lewis Hine to Delaware on a mission to expose the truth about child labor. With his camera, Hine captured compelling images that revealed the lives of working children and helped ignite calls for reform across the country. In this program, students will analyze primary source photographs, taken by Hine, to explore the history of child labor in Delaware and the United States.
Recommended Grades: 6-12
Length: 45 minutes
Duty & Dissent: World War I in Delaware
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Delawareans reactions were mixed. Some Delawareans rushed to serve their country, many were drafted, and others found ways to serve on the homefront. Several Delawareans even questioned the war and chose a different path. In this program, students explore how people in Delaware experienced World War I from multiple perspectives. By examining primary source letters, documents, and sketches, students uncover the stories of two soldiers, a Red Cross nurse, an artist, and conscientious objectors—each revealing a different view of the war and what it meant to live through a time of national crisis.
Selected primary sources are provided prior to the program for more in-depth exploration and to help facilitate the program.
Recommended Grades: 6-12
Length: 45 minutes
Civil Rights in Delaware: Southbridge Medical Activities Center, A Community of Care
The Southbridge Medical Activities Center (SMAC) opened to the public in September 1970. Conceived in 1968 during the months-long National Guard occupation of Wilmington following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., SMAC was the first privately owned community health center in Delaware. In this program, students will discover the extraordinary history of the Southbridge Medical Activities Center, investigate the pivotal events that led to the 1968 civil uprising in Wilmington, examine the root causes of civil unrest, and gain insight into how community collaboration and resilience shaped the response during such transformative times.
Recommended Grades: 6-12
Length: 45 minutes
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