Programs and Activities

Below is a description of the different programs offered at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum. Included are approximate lengths, appropriate ages of the audience, and a description of the experience and learning.

PLEASE NOTE: Most programs can be modified to fit different age ranges and time frames.

 

Guided Tours and Talks: Learn from an expert. Programs in this section will be led by a gallery guide and provide additional information about galleries or themes beyond what is written in exhibit text.

Hands-on Activity: Bring history out from behind a museum case. Programs in this section will include using objects or artifacts to learn about a particular theme or historical event. These programs vary with group size and content and may take place in either a gallery or classroom setting.

Self-Guided Worksheet: Pace yourself and place yourself at the center of learning. Programs in this section are intended to be used by individuals or small groups to allow for more introspection and connection with the gallery.

Games and Play: Both children and adults alike enjoy playing. Programs in this section will include a brief history of the game’s relevance to North Dakota and the instructions on how to play. The rest of the time will be spent playing with the toy/game.

Power of Wind

This program takes place in a classroom setting and the Inspiration Gallery: Yesterday and Today. Learn about various forms of energy in North Dakota. Study wind turbines, their usage, and form. Engineer and create a wind turbine and test out your design.

Length: 1 hourAge: 8 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Modern Times (1980s to Present)
Raising the USS North Dakota

This program takes place in the Hall of Honors and a classroom setting. Listen to a presentation on the USS North Dakota exhibit and a brief discussion of the ship, which began active duty in 1910. Next, the USS North Dakota nuclear submarine will be introduced with a hypothetical that the submarine has sunk. Use engineering principles to come up with a way to raise the USS North Dakota and save its crew.

Length: 1 hourAge: 10 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Military in North Dakota
Scavenger Hunt

This worksheet covers three State Museum’s galleries. Enjoy a guided tour of highlights of the Adaptation, Innovation, and Inspiration galleries. Progress through the permanent galleries with a scavenger hunt in hand. Answer questions such as “What year is on the boundary marker?” or “What is the last step in making pottery?” Focus on the broad themes of each gallery and learn a few neat details along the way.

Length: 1 hourAge: 10 and upCategory: Self-Guided WorksheetTheme: Multiple Galleries (Covers Many Times and/or Events)
Settlers Lawn Games

This program requires outdoor space. Learn about and try a combination of lawn games played by settlers. These include lawn bowling, croquet, hoop trundling, and more.

Length: 1 hourAge: 8 and upCategory: Games and PlayTheme: Entertainment
Smallpox

This program takes place in the Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples. Listen to a presentation on smallpox. Learn how the disease came to the continent and spread, in addition to the impact it had on Indigenous peoples.

Length: 15 minutesAge: 14 and upCategory: Guided Tours and TalksTheme: Early Peoples
The Sound of Music

This program takes place in a classroom. Learn about and play some of our favorite historical instruments. Experience a hurdy gurdy, accordion, and bagpipe, all of which are culturally significant to different settlers of North Dakota.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 8 and upCategory: Games and PlayTheme: Turn of the Century (1900s)
Then and Now

This worksheet covers content in both the Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples and the Inspiration Gallery: Yesterday and Today. Using the worksheet, see an example of a modern-day object. Find the historical equivalents in the galleries. Many of the modern-day objects have more than one example in the State Museum. Write the name of the historical object and describe or draw it.

Length: 45 minutesAge: 6 and upCategory: Self-Guided WorksheetTheme: Multiple Galleries (Covers Many Times and/or Events)
USS North Dakota

This program takes place in the Hall of Honors. Listen to a presentation about the USS North Dakota, a dreadnought in the U.S. Navy. Learn about its adventures from when it set sail in 1910. View a model of the ship along with its bow plate and bell, which were saved prior to its disassembly.

Length: 15 minutesAge: 6 and upCategory: Guided Tours and TalksTheme: Military in North Dakota
What Killed Dakota the Dinomummy?

In the Adaptation Gallery: Geologic Time, learn about one of the most unique fossils in the world, Dakota. Act as detectives to determine which other prehistoric animals may have killed Dakota. Learn about different time periods, fossils, herbivores, and carnivores.

Length: 1 hourAge: 10 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Dinosaurs (Paleontology)
Would You Rather?

This worksheet covers the three main galleries of the museum: Adaptation, Innovation, and Inspiration. Using the worksheet, guide your journey through the museum, pondering several “Would You Rather?” scenarios. Make a choice and defend it based on what you have learned from the artifacts. Examples of questions might include: “Would you rather be a T.rex or a Triceratops?” or “Would you rather farm in the 1920s or raise cattle?”

Length: 45 minutesAge: 6 and upCategory: Self-Guided WorksheetTheme: Multiple Galleries (Covers Many Times and/or Events)