The Fredericksburg Area Museum offers educational programs conducted in the museum’s galleries, schools and libraries. FAM’s programs cover the history of our region including the Virginia Indians, 18th-century life, the American Civil War, Civil Rights, the importance of the Rappahannock River to our community, and archaeology.
The FAMs Early Adventurers program encourages preschoolers to use their instinctive nature to investigate and explore the world around them in an environment designed for this age group. Our Museum on the Move traveling program brings our educators to you! Our Past, Our Present programming allows students to explore our ever-changing galleries to discover the treasures of our collection!
Contact:
Rachel Carder
Interim Outreach Coordinator & Collections Assistant
540-371-3037 x138
Costs:
$3.00 per child • FREE for Fredericksburg City School Students
Early Adventurers (Pre-school, Head-Start)
The Powhatan People
Using artifacts and pictures, Early Adventurers will use their senses to learn about the Powhatan Indians. Incorporating hands-on activities, students will learn about traditional Virginia Indian food ways, shelter and clothing.
Life in a Port Town: 18th-Century Fredericksburg
What would life have been like for George Washington and others growing up in Fredericksburg? Using interactive hands-on activities, this program teaches students about the development of Fredericksburg as a port town and the lives of those that lived here.
Money Matters!
This program takes young minds on an imaginative trip through a bank! Built around the museum’s PNC Legacy Collection (banking objects from PNC Bank) students will count, weigh, and process money.
Museum on the Move (K-12)
Money Matters! (K-3)
This program takes young minds on an imaginative trip through a bank! Built around the museum’s PNC Legacy Collection (banking objects from PNC Bank) students will count, weigh, and process money. Mathematic SOLs: K.1, K.2, K.3, K.6, 1.1, 1.6,1.7, 1.9. 1.10, 2.1, 2.4, 2.10, 3.8
The Powhatan People (K-5)
Through discussion of artifacts, photographs and drawings, students learn about the Powhatan Indians’ reliance on natural resources. Using interactive hands-on activities, students will learn about traditional Virginia Indian food ways, shelter and clothing. History SOLs: K.1, K.2, K.7, 1.7, 1.8, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.7, VS.1, VS.2, VS.3, USI.1, USI.3, USI.4
Life in a Port Town: 18th-Century Fredericksburg (K-5)
What would life have been like for George Washington and others growing up in Fredericksburg? Using interactive hands-on activities, this program teaches students about the development of Fredericksburg as a port town and the lives of those that lived here. History SOLs: K.1, K.3, K.4, K.7, K.8, K.9, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.10, 1.11, 2.10, 2.11, 3.11, VS.1, VS.5, VS.6, USI.5, USI.6
The American Civil War: The War Comes Home (4-5)
This program teaches students about the Civil War as experienced by the civilians of Fredericksburg. Using primary source materials from diaries, photographs and newspaper articles, students will explore the differences between northern and southern states that divided the country and led to secession and ultimately war. History SOLs: VS.1, VS.7, USI.1, USI.9
The Civil War and our Founding Fathers: A Constitutional Crisis? (8-12)
The cause of the Civil War was a culmination of many issues: slavery, westward expansion, the balance of power between state and federal governments. Using primary source documents and critical thinking, students will examine the causes of the war as debated by the Founding Fathers. History SOLs: VS.1, VS.7, USI.1, USI.7, USI.8, USI.9, USI.10, VU.6, VUS.7
Think Water! (5-7)
This program uses artifacts, primary sources, and inquiry-based activities to discuss the importance of geography, agriculture, shipping, the slave trade, and industry in the colonization and growth of the Fredericksburg region and the American colonies. History SOLs: USI.8, USII. 2 Math: 5.7, 6.1, 6.7, 7.1, 7.4, English: 5.3, 6.1, 7.1 Science: 6.5, 6.7, 7.1 English SOLs: 7.1, 8.2
FAM Gallery Programs
These programs are held on-site at the FAM
Our Past, Our Present (K-5) This program is held on-site at the FAM
Students will become time travelers as they explore the history of the region on this tour of the museum. Incorporating components of The Powhatan People, Life in a Port Town, The American Civil War: The War Comes Home, and Money Matters! students will explore the museum’s galleries to create a timeline of our history! Mathematic SOLs: K.1, K.2, K.3, K.6, 1.1, 1.6,1.7, 1.9. 1.10, 2.1, 2.4, 2.10, 3.8; History SOLs: K.1, K.2, K.3, K.4, K.7, K.8, K.9, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.7, 1.8, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.7, 2.10, 2.11, 3.11, VS.1, VS.2, VS.3, USI.1, USI.3, USI.4
A Walk in Their Shoes (5-12) This program is a walking tour
The Civil Rights Movement played out on the streets of Fredericksburg. Young and old participated in rallies and sit-ins right here in our streets! This WALKING tour takes students to areas in downtown Fredericksburg where these activities played out. From the property action block of pre-Civil War era, to where students participated in Sit-Ins on Caroline Street, this tour explores this turning point in our country’s history. History SOLs: VS.1, VS.9, USII.4, USII.9, VUS.8