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Scout and Family Programming
Historic Alexandria offers programming and resources for all ages to learn more about Alexandria’s history. Whether you are looking for something to do at home or want to bring your family, scout, or youth group to visit, Historic Alexandria has something for all ages.
Education Resources in Historic Alexandria include:
Learning from Home
Girl Scout Programming
The Office of Historic Alexandria is a premier program partner with the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital.
Tavern Overnights
Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts spend the night at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum after working on journeys through the lens of history.
Junior Girl Scouts jumpstart their “It’s Your World—Change It” Leadership Journey by using the story of how Gadsby’s Tavern Museum was saved as a case study for creating their own community-changing project. Girls work on the Power of One and Power of Team sections of the journey and begin planning their community project for the final Power of Community section. Download the overnight information packet here.
Cadette Girl Scouts jumpstart their “It’s Your Story—Tell It” Media Journey. Evening activities complete the monitor award and begin the influence and cultivate awards using the collection of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum to explore media, its effect on us, and how we can use media to make our voices heard. Download the overnight information packet here.
Overnights are offered select evenings during the school year, starting 7 p.m. Friday evening and ending 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Tickets are available through the online store.
Cadette Media Journey Jumpstart
Through this Saturday evening program, Cadette Girl Scouts jumpstart their “It’s Your Story—Tell It” Media Journey. Evening activities complete the monitor award and begin the influence and cultivate awards using the collection of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum to explore media, its effect on us, and how we can use media to make our voices heard. Download the information packet here . The program completes the same activities as the overnight, but troops are responsible for showing their project (a public service announcement) to family or another troop after the event.
Jumpstarts are offered select Saturday evenings during the school year, 6-9 p.m. Tickets are available through the online store.
Scout and Youth Group Private Programming
Interested in bring a troop or youth group to visit Alexandria? Consider booking a private tour and activity at one of the museums. The following were designed with scouts and families in mind.
Potions and Lotions
Groups 2nd grade and older can book a special one-hour program that includes a tour of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum and the making and packaging individual vials of hand lotion. Topics can be tailored to the interest or area of study of the group. Cost is $10 per participant, regular group tour rate applies to additional chaperones. Minimum charge of $60 during regular hours and $100 outside of regular hours. Special rate for scout groups, schools, and day camps: $6 per participant and $3 per additional chaperones. Minimum of $30 during regular hours and $100 for outside hours. Please contact the Curator of Education to book this program.
Citizen Firefighters in Early Alexandria
Come join the bucket brigade! Volunteerism is an essential part of community life and citizenship. Through their service, volunteers help our communities function, making them better places to work and live. This one-hour program explores how citizen-volunteers were important in early Alexandria. Participants will see historic equipment used for fighting fires and, through role play, learn colonial firefighting techniques. Through these hands-on activities and conversation, students decide what makes a good citizen and how consider how they can help their community today. Minimum charge of $40, $3 per person with up to 5 adults free. Limit of 25 people per group. To book a tour, telephone the Education Coordinator (at The Lyceum) at 703.746.4994, or through Alex311.
Family Programs
Junior Docents
During the summer, every Sunday between 2 and 5 p.m. students grades 4 and up provide tours and activities for visitors to Gadsby’s Tavern Museum. It’s a fun afternoon for the entire family as kids learn from their peers! Students between grades 4 and 6 are welcome to apply to be a Junior Docent. Applications are due in March every year and includes a brief audition. Click here for more information about applying.
Annual Friendship Firehouse Festival
The first Saturday of every August, the entire 100 Block of South Alfred Street becomes a festival to celebrate Friendship Firehouse’s birthday! Enjoy hands-on activities, craft booths, and live music while exploring modern and antique fire equipment.
Story Time with the Black History Museum
This program is a partnership between the Alexandria Black History Museum and Beatley Central Library. Explore the history of Alexandria’s local African American community through books, stories, and songs. All are welcome and the event is free, but geared towards children ages 3-6. Visit the Alexandria Library’s event calendar for more information.
Summer Camp
Alexandria Archaeology offers an annual Archaeology Summer Camp. Children ages 12-15 can help Alexandria’s City archaeologists excavate a real archaeological site! Learn professional excavating, recording, and artifact processing methods while uncovering Alexandria’s buried past.
Learn From Home
Historic Alexandria offers printable activity sheets covering a wide range of topics and ages. From preschool to high school, crafts to physical activities, there is something for everyone. For families with children interested in firetrucks, check out Friendship Firehouse Museum’s home activities page.
- Journaling Activity: What people in the past wrote about their life helps historians today. Students can document their experience to create a primary source. Then, they can read documents from Nicholas Cresswell to compare life in Alexandria just prior to the Revolutionary War to life today.
- Patriotic Civil War Stationery: Explore patriotic symbols while creating a patriotic envelope based on objects in Fort Ward’s collection.
- Create an exhibit from items in your home to tell a story of your choosing. Practice categorizing and writing labels.
- Chamber Pot Puzzle: Archaeologists sometime put objects that they find back together to learn more about the object and people who used it. What can you learn from the pieces others leave behind?
- Cockade Ribbon: Throughout history, special emblems, symbols, and colors have been used to show support for a cause or country. Create a cockade ribbon, an example from the Civil War of an item worn to show support.
- Cardboard Columns: Columns are a basic structural element in buildings, but they are often hidden from site. Be an engineer and test this structural element and explore historic architectural styles that use columns.
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Map Skills: Maps can show more than just where towns and cities are. Examine this map from 1751 to learn more about early Virginia. See the original map in the Library of Congress’ collection.