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.

 

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.

100 Years of Family Life

This program takes place in the Inspiration Gallery: Yesterday and Today. Handle artifacts that showcase what life has looked like through a 100-year time frame in North Dakota. Learn about common objects from daily life, including a shaving set, teacups, and aprons.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 4 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Multiple Galleries (Covers Many Times and/or Events)
A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words

This program can take place in any portion of the ND Heritage Center. Look at photos from various time periods and describe your observations. Ponder the scene with peers. Discuss with a group your observations. Develop an understanding of the multiple stories captured by a photo.

Length: 15 minutesAge: 10 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Multiple Galleries (Covers Many Times and/or Events)
Archaeology Context

This program takes place in a classroom. Become an archaeologist excavating a historic site and examine the remaining artifacts. Determine what was happening at this site by learning about the people who originally lived here.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 14 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Early Peoples
Archaeology Sorting Activity

This program takes place in the Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples. Sort objects, such as bones, shells, modified objects, etc., into categories. Discuss what the different objects are and how they were used. Understand their relevance to archaeologists.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 4 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Early Peoples
Art Inspired by Music and Nature

This program takes place in the North Dakota Artist Gallery. Study a piece of art by Lauren Giago (Hidatsa/Arikara/Blackfeet/Plains Cree) and create an artwork piece in a similar style. Listen to flute music by Keith Bear (Mandan/Hidatsa).

Length: 15 minutesAge: 4 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Modern Times (1980s to Present)
Backgammon

This game can take place at any location. Play the only game mentioned in the journals of Lewis and Clark, backgammon. Learn the rules and play a round to relive the fun from an early exploration era.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 10 and upCategory: Games and PlayTheme: Entertainment
Beacon Island

This program takes place in the Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples next to the Bison antiquus. Learn about the world class dig that took place in North Dakota, a bison hunt, and how prehistoric people lived 12,000 years ago.

Length: 15 minutesAge: 6 and upCategory: Guided Tours and TalksTheme: Early Peoples
Bison: The Great Provider

This program can be held in the Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples or in a classroom setting within the State Museum. Handle items derived from or related to a bison. Learn what the objects are and how they were used by the early peoples of North Dakota. There are many objects and uses; extend the time of the program up to 1 hour by request.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 4 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Early Peoples
Breeching Frontiers (IDM)

This program takes place in a classroom setting and the Inspiration Gallery: Yesterday and Today. This program is based on a National History Day prompt that encourages primary source analysis. Learn what a frontier is and identify frontier items in the different galleries. Debate the question “Is North Dakota a leader in taking on new frontiers?” Support your argument with evidence from the gallery.

Length: 1.5 hoursAge: 14 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Multiple Galleries (Covers Many Times and/or Events)
Bunnock

This game must be played outdoors. Learn the rules of the German-Russian game of bunnock. Find out what the pieces were historically made of. Play a round.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 8 and upCategory: Games and PlayTheme: Entertainment
Can We Understand What North Dakota Was Like Prior To Written Record? (IDM)

This program takes place in the Adaptation Gallery: Geologic Time and the Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples. Learn how geologists and paleontologists understand events and environments from prehistoric times. Study rocks and fossils to understand how scientists gain an understanding of the past before the written word.

Length: 1.5 hoursAge: 14 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Fossils/Geology
Can You Find an Artifact?

This program takes place in a classroom setting. Sort through a dig site. Learn the techniques an archaeologist uses in their job. Find artifacts and learn about their historical use.

Length: 15 minutesAge: 4 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Early Peoples
Cornhole

This game must be played outdoors. Learn about the Midwestern classic game of cornhole. Contrast the differences from the early game to the modern sport.

Length: 15 minutesAge: 6 and upCategory: Games and PlayTheme: Entertainment
Could You Survive?

This program will largely take place in a classroom setting rather than in the galleries. Receive raw materials from the North Dakota Plains, and assuming you have a home and basic clothing for a day, design other objects needed for survival. Engage in conversation about the objects created for daily life on the plains. Explore similar objects in the galleries if time permits.

Length: 1 hourAge: 10 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Early Peoples
Curling

This game requires a large indoor space. Learn the rules of the state sport of North Dakota, curling. Play using an indoor floor curling set.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 6 and upCategory: Games and PlayTheme: Entertainment
Dakota the Dinomummy

The program takes place in the Corridor of History next to Dakota the Dinomummy. See one of the rarest finds in the world, a dinosaur with skin. Learn about how paleontologists conduct a dig and the history of Dakota.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 4 and upCategory: Guided Tours and TalksTheme: Dinosaurs (Paleontology)
Earth’s Age

This program takes place in the Adaptation Gallery: Geologic Time and the Corridor of History. Make predictions about when events happened on Earth, such as the first signs of plant life or when the dinosaurs appeared. See on a large-scale timeline when these events happened. Handle artifacts from significant events in the state’s geologic record.

Length: 15 minutesAge: 8 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Fossils/Geology
Energy of North Dakota

This program takes place in the Inspiration Gallery: Yesterday and Today. Handle various artifacts and products related to the energy industry in North Dakota. Learn the use of tools and view models of the different energy sources. Ask questions about the vast energy industry of the state. Wind, coal, oil, and hydroelectric power are all addressed.

Length: 30 minutesAge: 10 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Modern Times (1980s to Present)
Entertainment Technology Through Time

This program takes place in the Inspiration Gallery: Yesterday and Today. Play with technology from two different time periods. Learn how magic lanterns and stereoscopes work. Compare them to an Atari and NES. Handle these historical technologies and enjoy a short game on an Atari/NES.

Length: 1 hourAge: 8 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Entertainment
Erecting a Tipi

This program takes place outdoors. Using 15-foot wooden poles and rope, work with a group to assemble a three-pole tipi. Learn about significant steps in the process and their cultural connections. Practice a few etiquette tips.

Length: 45 minutesAge: 8 and upCategory: Hands-on ActivityTheme: Early Peoples