The Cleveland History Center's Homeschool Field Trip Series offers high-quality history, civics, and social studies education to families who homeschool.
2025-2026 Homeschool Field Trip Series Information
Join us one Thursday a month for educator-led programs for all ages. All programs are held at the Cleveland History Center, 10825 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106.
Program Admission rates:
- Students (ages 3-18; pre-registration highly recommended): $8
- Parents/Guardians: Free
- Children ages 0-2: Free
- Parking: $8 per car, flat rate - paid onsite at CHC before leaving.
- Season Pass: $55 - each Season Pass reserves a space at all eight Homeschool Field Trip programs for one student.
- Please note: these Season Passes cannot be transferred or shared.
- Click here to purchase.
Logistical Information:
- All programs run from 10am-12pm on the program date.
- Please arrive by 9:50am to check in so we may start on time.
- Families may bring packed lunches to eat onsite after the program.
- Admission to a Homeschool Field Trip Day includes admission to the museum for the rest of the day.
- Any questions? Contact education@wrhs.org or call 216-721-5722 ext. 1503.
Please note: homeschool groups or collectives may also schedule group tours or programs at WRHS sites.
- Options for the Cleveland History Center are available here. To book, contact education@wrhs.org or call 216-721-5722 ext. 1503.
- Options for Hale Farm & Village are available here. To book, contact halereservations@wrhs.org, or call 330-666-3711 ext. 1720.
2025-2026 Homeschool Field Trip Series Programs
To purchase single program tickets, please look for the "Purchase Tickets" button under the program description for that day.
Season passes (admission to all eight programs) are available at this link.
September 18
Animals in History
This September, we’ll examine the different ways animals have impacted Ohio history, from transportation, to politics, to the environment.
- Ages 3-5 will look for animals and other beasts in our historic mansions, exploring through the eyes of Max from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are.
- Ages 6-8 will consider the relationship between animal abilities and human transportation, inspiring everything from flight to image-making brand mascots.
- Ages 9-12 will examine notable animals in Ohio history, looking at beavers, Balto, and Bessie the lake monster.
- Ages 13+ will learn about humans have impacted animals and the environment from early Ohio history to the era of environmental protections.
October 16
Libraries & Archives
What’s the role of a library and archives? How is it different from your public library, and how does it help with what you see when you visit the Western Reserve Historical Society?
- Ages 3-5 and 6-8 will explore the purpose of libraries, learning why library materials are kept and shared.
- Ages 9-12 and 13+ will tour the WRHS Library, examine how collections and archives are stored and organized, and begin a project that explores their family history.
November 20
STEM Day
The Cleveland History Center isn’t just about history! Innovations in science and math helped to create many of our artifacts, including the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel.
- Ages 3-5 will search for shapes and practice counting in our transportation collection.
- Ages 6-8 and 9-12 will learn about the engineering behind cars through hands-on activities.
- Ages 13+ will learn about the physics behind our Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel and will design their own carousel.
December 11
Curator's Choice!
In December, our popular Curator-led homeschool event returns!
- Ages 3-5 will learn about how Cleveland observed winter holidays in the past, and make a holiday craft to take home.
- Ages 6-13+ can choose between two topics for an in-depth experience with a museum professional:
- Explore the Crawford Auto-Aviation Collection’s “Treasures of Macedonia” exhibition with Aaron Warkentin, our Curator of Transportation, and uncover artifacts that haven’t been displayed for decades.
- Join Patty Edmonson, Museum Advisory Council Curator of Costume and Textiles, as she discusses her exhibit “The American Dream: Immigrants and the Business of Fashion.” This exhibit focuses on four women who built their fashion brands between the 1940s and 1980s after arriving in the United States from Europe and Russia.
January 15
Entrepreneurship
Cleveland’s business owners have changed the course of the city’s history for over 200 years. This month, we will consider common issues business owners face and how to solve them.
- Ages 3-5 will learn about one of the oldest forms of business, barter and trade, and how business owners consider the needs of their communities.
- Ages 6-8 will dive deep into how different Cleveland entrepreneurs pioneered marketing techniques to convince people to buy their products.
- Ages 9-12 will explore ties between two strongly linked American products: cars and movies. By looking into how each product gets made to attract buyers, students learn to propose their own innovations.
- Ages 13+ will examine the idea of social enterprise, focusing on companies that invest back into their local or global communities and provide entrepreneurial solutions.
February 19
Transportation
Students will learn about Cleveland’s history as a transportation hub through different interactive programs.
- Ages 3-5 will learn about Bud, the Winton bulldog, and how different vehicles operate in different environments.
- Ages 6-8 will learn about the 1911 Hupmobile Model D Touring’s world tour and plan their own route with different modes of transportation.
- Ages 9-12 will dive deep into how car brands advertise their products and will have a chance to put their own skills to the test using the cars in the Crawford Auto-Aviation Collection.
- Ages 13+ will examine the physics of flying and the aviation history of Cleveland.
March 19
Hollywood on the Cuyahoga
Lights, camera, action! In this star-studded program, students will engage with our Hollywood on the Cuyahoga exhibition to learn how Northeast Ohioans have made important contributions in movie history.
- Ages 3-5 will take flight with Superman and learn about Cleveland’s connection to the Man of Steel.
- Ages 6-8 and 9-12 will learn about notable Ohioans in the movie industry, and how Cleveland shaped the silver screen.
- Ages 13+ will examine the other side of the camera, looking at the technology and special effects behind Hollywood blockbusters.
April 16
America 250
To celebrate America 250, the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we’ll look at how Ohio and its people have shaped American history.
- Ages 3-5 will learn about the American flag, how it was made and how a flag is an important symbol for a country.
- Ages 6-8 will learn about presidents from Ohio and the basics of voting through age-appropriate interactive games and historical materials.
- Ages 9-12 will learn how surveyors charted the course of American history, how cartographers made maps in unfamiliar lands, and how pioneers like Moses Cleveland planned out cities.
- Ages 13+ will discover how museums interpret American historical artifacts through hands-on activities.
