Kentucky Historical Society

Virtual Field Trips (K-8)

Can’t visit the museum?

We will bring Kentucky history to your classroom through a live video stream. Our museum educators tailored the below programs for different grade levels to meet the Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies.

Grades K-8: Hands-On History Center

Experience a live tour of museum exhibits! Learn about history, civics, economics, and geography through the lens of one of the four options below. Museum educators engage students with artifact analysis and a dynamic Q&A session. Then you can lead a hands-on activity in your classroom with lesson plans straight from the Kentucky Historical Society. Each activity is designed for students to practice skills in critical thinking and problem-solving by creating a bill, invention, political platform, frontier journal, or a map of early Kentucky. Connect your experience to the Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies here.

Looking for high school virtual experiences? Check out our Host a Historian program here.

Logistics 

  • Audience: K-8 students
  • Live Tour Duration: 60 minutes: 45-minute live tour and 15-minute image analysis
  • Post-tour Activity: 45 minutes (self-directed, not museum led)
  • Date/time: Available Tuesday-Friday, 8 am – 3 pm EST
  • Cost: $75 per session, up to 100 participants (scholarships available)
  • Payment: Due one week before the session.
  • Platform: Virtual Conferencing (Zoom, Google Hangout/Classroom, Teams, etc.)
  • Scheduling: All visits must be scheduled no less than three weeks in advance
  • School Representatives: KHS requires each group to designate a representative from your group, school, or booking agency. When scheduling, make sure the “point of contact” information is for that designated representative who will be representing your group on the day of your visit.
  • Booking Requests: Scheduling is based on a first-come, first-served basis. Your registration is not guaranteed until you receive an email confirmation of your reservation. Confirmation emails are sent to the designated school representative.
  • Registrations: All field trip requests must be submitted through the website inquiry form (below).
  • Recording: You may record sessions for students who are absent. We do not suggest reusing recorded material outside of the current school year as it may not represent current exhibits or academic standards.
  • Sharing: Please obtain written permission from the Kentucky Historical Society prior to sharing any links or resources related to your virtual field trip.
  • Questions: Submit them to KHSeducation@ky.gov

Choose your theme!

Click for a printable flyer of the options below.

Old State Capitol: Civics in Action 

Start your civic journey here! Tour the OlOld State Capitol vestibule in Frankfort, Kentucky.d State Capitol and learn the basics of Kentucky’s government.

Post-Tour Activity: Learn civic action and discourse by writing your own proposal and then debating your platform with your class! KHS provides the lesson plan for this interactive experience.

Materials Needed: Paper and writing tool and/or digital platform.

 

Innovation & Industry

Spark ideas with a tour of the Great Southern Exposition. Learn how social and economic changes in Kentucky at the turn of 20th century inspired innovation and fueled industrial momentum.

Post-Tour Activity: Get inspired! Design your own invention patent, model, and sales pitch. KHS provides the lesson plan.

Materials Needed: Paper, writing tools, and materials to make an invention such as straws, recyclables, or craft supplies.

 

Exploring the Frontier 

Enter a new world and learn how people migrated to the Kentucky frontier along the Wilderness Road. See a flatboat, log cabin, and hear how colonial settlement affected Kentucky’s Indigenous Communities.

Post-Tour Activity: Write a journal entry as a new settler or map out your very own settlement! KHS provides the lesson plan.

Materials Needed: Pencil and notebook paper, large sheets of butcher or craft paper (about 2ft x 2ft), and markers. Maps can also be designed using a digital platform such as Paint or PowerPoint.

 

Hall of Governors: Leaders of Kentucky

Walk beside greatness and tour the Hall of Governors to learn how the characteristics and challenges of Kentucky’s highest elected office have changed over time.

Post-Tour Activity: Be engaged and run for office! Create your own platform for an elected position by writing a speech and designing a campaign poster. KHS provides the lesson plan.

Materials Needed: Construction paper, notebook paper, glue, markers, and writing tool. Graphics can also be created with digital applications such as Paint or PowerPoint.

 

Virtual Field Trip Registration (K-8)

  • Please note we are closed on Mondays.
  • NOTE: All bookings are scheduled by Eastern Standard Time.
  • Tell us if there are special needs we should consider to better prepare to work with your students.
    How should we expect your payment? Payment is due one week before your scheduled event. If you choose to pay by card, a link to our online payment portal will be included in your confirmation letter. If you choose to pay by check, you will receive an invoice in your confirmation letter.