Littleton CO
Home Menu2022 History Adventure Sessions
All History Adventures Sessions are now full. You can sign up for the wait list and if a spot opens we will email you.
All sessions are from 9 am - 3 pm and cost $50 per child.
This summer the Littleton Museum will be running five History Adventures that will occur on the second and fourth Tuesday of June and July, and the second Tuesday of August. These day-long activities are open to 12 kids per session and require prior registration to attend.
History Adventures help our participating “Explorers” understand the various experiences of people from the past who have called Colorado home.
History Adventure Sessions are available on a first-come, first-served basis. While snacks will be provided, all participants will need to bring a lunch for the session they attend.
Join waitlist for History Adventure sessions.
Tuesday, June 14: Discovering Nature - FULL
Discover the natural wonders of Littleton at the museum’s Nature Day. Explorers will discover the beautiful flora and fauna that surrounds the Museum, from the nearby wetlands, to the inhabitants of Ketring Lake, to the wild and domestic creatures that call the area home. Explorers will learn to identify many plant and animal species on the Museum grounds and record their new discoveries in their own, personalized nature journals. Join us an learn about what wildlife ecologists do and take part in projects and crafts designed to deepen your understanding of the natural world.
Ages: 7 – 11
Learn more about our prairie nature with these books, available from our neighbor, Bemis Library:
Tuesday, June 28: Life on the Farm - FULL
Explorers will discover about the day-to-day work that went into running a 19th century farm. From the early settlement in the Kansas Territory in the 1860s to the family farm of the 1890s in Littleton, children will step back in time to learn about the skills needed for farm life in Colorado.
Explorers will work with the historic interpreters to care for the animals, prepare an historic recipe, build a fire, and attend a lesson in Littleton’s first schoolhouse. Participants will record their thoughts in their pioneer journals and come away with a greater understanding of a child’s life in the 1800s.
Ages: 8 – 12
Learn more about life on a prairie farm with these books, available from our neighbor, Bemis Library:
- A pioneer farm girl: the diary of Sarah Gillespie, 1877-1878
- A pioneer sampler: the daily life of a pioneer family in 1840
- Farmer boy: Little House Series, Book 2
- Prairie days
- A little prairie house: adapted from the Little house books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Tuesday, July 12: Art and History - FULL
Step into the role of an historic artist as the Littleton Museum combines art and history. In this session, Explorers will learn about some of the most important artists who visited Colorado in the 19th century. As we discover the stories surrounding these artists, kids will participate in a related art project. Painting, drawing, and crafting will be the skills needed for this journey into Colorado’s past.
At the end of the day, Explorers will take home a portfolio of their work as well as short biographies of the artists that inspired their projects.
Ages: 7 – 11
Learn more about art, history, and the west with these books, available from our neighbor, Bemis Library:
- John Fielder in focus: Colorado nature photographer and environmentalist
- Do you see what I see?
- Maria's mysterious mission
- Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the one-armed explorer
- John Wesley Powell: American hero = John Wesley Powell : héroe de los Estados Unidos
- Under the wild western sky
Tuesday, July 26: Military Day - FULL
It is 1860 and Explorers have been pulled back through time, to the beginning of the Civil War. During this session children will learn about the rigors of military life in the 1860s. Explorers will learn about the material culture of the Union Army, how to march, set up a tent, build a fire, and make camp biscuits.
This camp will focus heavily on military drills, as well as soldier games to help participants understand a little of the soldier’s experience. Selected excerpts from journals will be read and participants will have the opportunity to keep their own journals.
Ages: 9 – 13
What was the Civil War like? Learn more with these books, available at Bemis Library:
- Civil War on Sunday: Magic Tree House Series, Book 21
- Heroes who risked everything for freedom: Civil War
- Charlotte spies for justice: a Civil War survival story
- I survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863: I Survived Series, Book 7
- Pink and Say
- The silent witness: a true story of the Civil War
Tuesday, August 9: Cow Camp - FULL
Saddle up for the last adventure of the summer season! This session will focus on western cattle culture and the jobs that cowboys, cowgirls, and vaqueros have done for hundreds of years. Not many people realize that one of the major cattle trails runs through Colorado. The Goodnight/Loving Trail, established by Texas cattleman Charlie Goodnight, passed through Pueblo and Denver.
This adventure will teach Explorers the skills that cowboys had to learn in order to manage a large herd traveling across the open plains. Explorers will learn to rope, cook camp biscuits, compose cowboy poetry, sing cowboy songs, and even ride in a barrel race with a stick horse they make themselves.
Ages: 8 – 12
Cowpokes were the backbone of the west in many ways. Learn more with these books, from Bemis Library:
- The true West: real stories about black cowboys, women sharpshooters, Native American rodeo stars, pioneering vaqueros, and the unsung explorers, builders, and heroes who shaped the American West
- Who were the American pioneers?: and other questions about ... Westward expansion
- Cowpokes
- Real cowboys
A few general rules for these sessions:
- Participants must wear closed-toed shoes to prevent possible injury from nails, wires, and other debris often found on the farmyards.
- Clothing: Sunburn. Insect bites. Rusty nails. These are just a few things you might encounter during your visit. Please remember that clothing and shoes help to protect us from the environment around us. We want you to be safe, so while visiting the museum you must always be fully clothed and wearing shoes.
- Livestock: While we will be looking at and talking about the livestock, it is important to remember that all our animals can bite, peck, or scratch you, possibly causing injury. And although they might look hungry to you, our livestock are fed a balanced diet and feeding them something you found on the ground (yes, even a handful of grass), can make them sick. So, please look at the livestock, and learn about the livestock, but do not feed the livestock.
- Wild Animals: As you walk around outside you will see an abundance of wildlife. We have geese that make the museum their home year around; and if you’re lucky, you’ll see a bald eagle or hawk. On very rare occasions you might see a fox or coyote. Please remember approaching any wild animal, especially if they appear sick, can cause you injury. If you see an animal in distress, please alert a member of the museum staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should my child bring their lunch?
Yes, please send a lunch with your child. We do have a refrigerator to store their lunches in. Please make museum staff aware of any food allergies or other pertinent allergies prior to your child’s participation.
What should my child wear?
Close-toed shoes are required. We strongly recommend a hat, as many areas on the farms are in direct sun.
When and where is drop off and pick up?
Drop off is at the Education Gate on the eastern side of the museum, near the windmill.
Please arrive by 8:45 am.
Pick up is in the same spot, at 3 pm.