Field Trips

History Player in the Classroom

Having a History Player visit your class (grades K–8) is a great alternative to field trips. Using props and artifacts, costumed History Players engage students in memorable life stories.  
Book programs at your school, join with another school or gather your homeschool group.
A Lively 45-Minute Presentation
A costumed interpreter from the Minnesota Historical Society leads your class in an enjoyable interactive lesson.
Free Support Materials
Each History Player program is supported by curricular materials aligned with Minnesota State Standards. Simply download the materials you’d like for your class – free.  Student activity books can be provided for a $1.00 per student fee.

Field Trip Options

Harriet Bishop

St Paul's first public school teacher

1817-1883

Show your students how their classroom compares to Bishop’s. They’ll learn about:

  • The role of women on the American frontier
  • The differences and similarities between school then and now
  • The diverse peoples who lived in St. Paul during Minnesota’s territorial years
  • The mid-19th century experience of leaving one’s home behind to move to a new territory

More about Harriet Bishop's History Player in the Classroom

Northern Lights connection: Chapters 6 & 7

SCHEDULING 

NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

William de la Barre

Chief water engineer for Minneapolis

1849-1936

See how Minneapolis became world famous for its flour. Students will learn about:

  • The milling disaster that brought him to Minneapolis
  • How industry changed St. Anthony Falls and the Mississippi River to benefit business
  • His experiences as chief water engineer for Minneapolis
  • The rise of Minnesota and establishment of Minneapolis as the flour capital of the world

Northern Lights connection: Chapter 10

SCHEDULING

NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

Virginia Mae Hope

World War II Women Airforce Service Pilot

1921-1944

Engage your students with stories about:

  • Hope's childhood during the Great Depression
  • The bombing of Pearl Harbor and its national impact
  • The changing roles of women during World War II
  • What life was like as a Women Airforce Service Pilot

More information about Virginia Mae Hope History Player

Northern Lights connection: Chapters 15 & 16

SCHEDULING

NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

Frederick McKinley Jones

African American inventor and self-taught engineer

1892-1961
 

Jones, the inventor of refrigerated trucking, will leave your group with some big ideas. They'll hear:

  • How Jones, although orphaned, became a highly influential engineer
  • What it was like to be alive when cars, radios, and movies were first introduced
  • How Jones's many inventions - from a portable x-ray machine to a movie ticket dispenser - reflected changes in American society.
  • The impact of Jones's innovations on industry, the home, battlefield, and even outer space.

More about the Frederick McKinley Jones History Player

Northern Lights Connections: Chapters 10, 17, 18, & 19

SCHEDULING

NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

Maud Hart Lovelace

Author of the Betsy-Tacy series of children's books

1892-1980
 

When students meet Maud Hart Lovelace, they will learn about:

  • What it was like to grow up in Minnesota 100 years ago
  • How Lovelace's friends and family helped her pursue her dream of being a writer
  • The rise of the middle class and how technology changed everyday life in the early 1900s

Northern Lights connections: Chapters 12 & 14

More about the Maud Hart Lovelace History Player

SCHEDULING

NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

Thomas Lyles

African American community activist, entrepreneur

1843-1920

Thomas Lyles broke a number of barriers. Your students will learn about:

  • The migration of African Americans to Minnesota following the Civil War
  • St. Paul's African American community at the turn of the last century
  • Lyles' fight against racial discrimination
  • His work running businesses, including a barbershop, funeral home and newspaper

More about the Thomas Lyles History Player

Northern Lights connections: Chapter 13

SCHEDULING
NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

George Nelson

Fur Trade Clerk

1786-1859

Your fur trade lessons will come alive when students learn about:

  • Nelson's life as a fur trade clerk for the XY, North West and Hudson Bay companies
  • The roles of traders, clerks, voyageurs and Indian suppliers in the Great Lakes fur trade
  • The cultural and economic exchange between the Dakota, Ojibwe and Europeans
  • Trade goods from around the world and their value in beaver pelts

More about the George Nelson History Player

Northern Lights connections: Chapter 5

SCHEDULING
NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

Mary Dodge Woodward

Domestic manager of a bonanza farm

1826-1890

Bring sodbusting lessons to life. Your students will learn about:

  • Changes in farming from themid-19th century to today
  • Woodward's role as the domestic manager of a bonanza farm
  • How changing seasons affect every aspect of farm life
  • What it was like to move to the Red River Valley from Wisconsin

More about the Mary Dodge Woodward History Player

Northern Lights connections: Chapter 10

SCHEDULING
NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

Charley Goddard

Teenage Civil War soldier 

1846-1868

AVAILABLE SPRING 2013

What was it like to be a teenage soldier during the Civil War? Your group will learn about: 
 
• Goddard’s childhood in the frontier town of Winona, Minnesota
• Tensions leading to the start of the Civil War in 1861
• Goddard’s experiences on and off the battlefield, told through his many letters home
• The impact of the Civil War, both nationally and in Minnesota

More about the Charley Goddard History Player

Northern Lights Chapter 8

SCHEDULING
NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

Toni Stone

First Woman to Play Baseball in the Negro Leagues

1921–1996

Stone overcame discrimination and made history. Your students will learn about:
• Growing up in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood during the Great Depression
• How WWII opened doors for women in the workforce
• The gender and racial segregation of baseball and how players like Jackie Robinson and Toni Stone overcame those barriers 
• The challenges Negro League baseball players faced on the road in the 1940s and 50s

More about the Toni Stone History Player

SCHEDULING 

NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

Wanda Gag

Storybook Author and Illustrator

1903–1946
 
Give your students the chance to explore their artistic sides. They’ll also learn about:
• How Gag as a child helped to raise her family of eight, despite poverty and loss
• Daily life and modern technology in New Ulm, Minnesota, at the turn of the century
• Her dream of being an artist and work as a catalogue illustrator
• Gag’s success in art and literature, including the publishing of the award-winning book, Millions of Cats

Northern Lights connection: Chapters 12 & 14

SCHEDULING

NOTE: History Players must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance. Availability of specific characters may be limited and is subject to change. Additional fees for mileage and lodging reimbursement apply to travel outside of the Twin Cities metro area.