What will my students do?

Visit the History à la Cart stations to experience history like never before. Build a skyscraper, trace the route of the Great Fire, visit the world’s fair of 1893, measure prairie plants, and much more. Look for the stations throughout the Museum.

Facilitated by trained volunteers and staff, these activities are aligned with State Learning Standards. Anticipate spending 20 minutes at each cart you visit.

Bridges

Grades 3 to 5

Create, construct, and test bridges to discover how they work and why they are so important in Chicago’s history.

The Great Chicago Fire

Grades 3 to 5

Use an oversized map, icons, and first-hand accounts to trace the events of October 8–10, 1871, and collaboratively tell the story of the fire.

Prairie Landscape

Grades 3 to 5

Imagine the vastness of the prairie. Measure and mark the height and root depth of native plants. Discuss settlers’ accounts.

Skyscrapers

Grades 3 to 5

Build a magnetic skyline. Create features of the John Hancock building using your whole body. Construct your own skyscraper.

Timeline

Grades 3 to 8

Travel back to the world’s fair of 1893. Use historic photographs to sequence the story of your imaginary visit.

Front Steps

Grades 3 to 12

Elementary students will talk about important news stories from Chicago’s past and create magnetic headlines of news from your neighborhood. Middle and high school students will discuss and problem-solve community issues through role-play and dialog.

New! Maps

Grades 3 to 12

Discover Chicago through maps! Learn how to use a compass and develop map-reading skills by analyzing maps that depict Chicago’s past, present, and future. Work collaboratively to map the city on an oversized floor mat.

History à la Cart Schedule

There’s something to do every day at the Chicago History Museum! To give you more flexibility during your visit, the stations are accessible on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please note: Although we try to stick to this schedule as closely as possible, we may occasionally have to substitute one station for another.

Generous support for the Chicago History Museum gallery activity stations has been provided by the Albert Pick, Jr. Fund. The Museum gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Carole and Gordon Segal and Bank of America, who made the Maps activity station possible.