Gain essential knowledge about history. Focus on local stories that illuminate central themes in American history. Empower students through skill-based explorations of history, social studies, STEAM, and entrepreneurship.
Plan a Visit | Program Fees | Current Program Offerings | Book a CHC School Visit
During the school year, education programs are generally available Tuesdays-Fridays, even if the museum is closed to the general public. Special arrangements may be made for Mondays and weekends with at least two weeks notice.
Details on available programs by grade level are below. Each experience aligns with Ohio’s Learning Standards in content areas including Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, Math and Financial Literacy.
For more information contact:
education@wrhs.org or 216-721-5722 ext. 1503.
Facilitated Educational Experiences
$8 / PERSON
- 1 complimentary chaperone admission per 10 students.
- Roundtrip mileage charge if the program is an outreach to your location.
- Facilitated experiences include:
- Educator-led program or tour in the museum galleries.
- Lunch space, pending availability on the day of your visit.
- A ride on the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel, pending availability on the day of your visit.
- Custom educational experiences, meaning programs or tours conducted by arrangement rather than selected from the list below, are available at the rate of $10/person, with 1 chaperone admission free per 10 students.
Self-Guided Educational Experiences
$6 / STUDENT
- 1 complimentary chaperone admission per 10 students.
- Self-guided education experiences include:
- Exploring all available galleries and exhibits at your own pace.
- Lunch space, pending availability on the day of your visit.
- A ride on the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel, pending availability on the day of your visit.
Virtual Programming
$125/session for one class of up to 30 students.
- Additional classes may be added on at an additional $50/class.
Special Programming
- Custom Program: $10/student
- Hands-On History Program additional $100/group
- History Day Information & Classroom Sessions: $50/class + mileage if outreach to your location.
- History Day & 21st Century Skills Workshops: $8/student + mileage if outreach to your location
History on the Move
Grade Level: Pre-K to K
Estimated Program Length: 1 hour
In the early 1920s, a Clevelander named Garrett Morgan saw a problem in his city: the rising popularity of automobiles caused traffic snarls that put pedestrians in danger. Surrounded by the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum collection, students will learn the problem-solving skills that Morgan used to make a safer world for travelers. Then, students will explore how transportation has evolved through stories of Cleveland’s first female flight instructor and a daring adventurer who sailed the seas in a tiny sailboat named Tinkerbelle.
Getting Around
Grade Level: 1-2
Estimated Program Length: 2 hours
Bikes, cars, airplanes, and boats – there are many ways of getting around, but how did travelers ensure they got to their destination in the days long before GPS? And just how did the term “Western Reserve” come about? In this program, students are invited to learn basic mapping skills by creating an oversize map of the Western Reserve and will then put their map keys and compass skills to use to develop a visitor map of the museum.
Into the Woods
Grade Level: 3-5
Estimated Program Length: 2 hours
*Also available as an 90-minute outreach to your classroom!*
Long before our city was founded, early settlers arrived in the Western Reserve and found themselves sharing the land with the Eastern Woodland American Indians of the area. Using artifacts and immersive games, students will explore the relationship between land use and daily life while making comparisons between the two cultures to discover how people have met their basic needs over time.
From There to Here
Grade Level: 3-5
Estimated Program Length: 2 hours
*Also available as an 90-minute outreach to your classroom!*
Unfold the story of an immigrant, migrant, or refugee family’s journey to Northeast Ohio from overseas and other regions of the United States. Students use kits of age-appropriate primary documents and artifacts to examine when and from where each family came, why they left their home country, and what their hopes meant for a future in Cleveland. Stories range from the 1840s to the 1980s and include European, Asian, Latinx, African-American, and Appalachian groups.
*new* Building Black Community in Cleveland: 1900-1940
Grade Level: 4-5
Estimated Program Length: 2 hours
Explore the city of Cleveland during the era of the Great Migration, when around 6 million African Americans moved from the rural South to industrial centers across the country. Using primary sources, including newspaper articles from the Call & Post and images from photographer Allen E. Cole, students will learn about how migrants developed a vibrant community that continues to this day. They will also get the opportunity to learn about some of those lesser known leaders who helped the Black community thrive here in Cleveland.
Cleveland Starts Here® Discovery Experience
Grade Level: 4-6
Estimated Program Length: 2 hours
Experience the benefits of object-based learning within Cleveland Starts Here®, sponsored by the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation, a multimedia experience that tells the stories of Cleveland through the people, families, communities, and cultures that made the city what it is today. Students will be immersed in this space in order to practice skills that historians use. At the end of their visit, students will be able to describe how Cleveland has changed over time, and what factors caused that change.
*new* Every Four Years
Grade Level: 6-12
Estimated Program Length: 2 hours
Please note: this program is only available from September to November 2024.
Every four years the United States elects a president, but how does our political system make this happen? In this program, students will explore historic presidential elections to learn how candidates make choices about their platforms and persuade voters to their side. After investigating primary sources and artifacts from past elections, students will have the opportunity to reenact the elections of 1860 and 1960, as well as practice using their right to vote!
*new* Solidarity Now!
Grade Level: 6-12
Estimated Program Length: 2 hours
Please note: this program is only available between September 10, 2024, and April 18, 2025.
From September 2024 to April 2025, the Cleveland History Center will host a Smithsonian traveling exhibit called Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People’s Campaign. This educator-led program will help students to engage with the artifacts and information in the exhibit, as well as the ideas, people, and places that made the Poor People’s Campaign an important part of the Civil Rights Movement. Through hands-on activities and guided exploration in the galleries, students will reflect on their place in the world, and the relationship between Cleveland and these national events, by putting themselves in the shoes of the campaign’s participants.
Carl & Louis Stokes Making History
Grade Level: 6-12
Estimated Program Length: 2 hours
Through our Carl & Louis Stokes | Making History permanent exhibit at the Cleveland History Center, students will learn about the lives and legacies of two of Cleveland’s beloved sons. Through unique hands-on and kinesthetic activities, students explore the struggle for voting rights, wrestle with gerrymandering, and consider the importance of your political voice.
Cleveland Underground: Resistance and Compliance
Grade Level: 6-12
Estimated Program Length: 3.5 hours
This program was developed in partnership with University Circle, Inc., Restore Cleveland Hope, and the Cozad-Bates House Community Advisory Committee.
In this special experience, students visit both the Cozad-Bates House Interpretive Center and the Cleveland History Center. Students will investigate Cleveland’s Underground Railroad, exploring issues of personal choice and the alliances that enabled the area’s most active abolitionists. Through examining legal documents like the Northwest Ordinance and a historic local court case, students will discover how American slavery affected Northeast Ohioans, discuss concepts such as decision-making and consequences, and draw connections about the lasting impact of slavery, racism, and injustice.
Cleveland History Center Program Inquiry
Please review the program options below, and then submit this form to inquire about booking at the Cleveland History Center. A member of the CHC Education Department will be in touch as soon as possible to answer any questions and confirm your booking.
To inquire about booking a visit to Hale Farm & Village, please continue scrolling down the page.
