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Learn at Home from Ohio History Connection

Find activities to engage your child in Ohio's history from home!

By By Ohio History Connection March 18, 2020

While Ohio's students are on an extended spring break, we are providing you with content you can use with your child at home to keep them engaged and learning!  Check back regularly for new content and learning opportunities!

Be a Historian!

History Happened Here (Grades K-12)

Ohio has a rich history stretching back thousands of years, and it is all in your backyard! Pick an Ohio Historical Marker about a historical person, place or event in your county and be ready to learn more about what makes Ohio so historic!

Collect and Connect (Grades K-12)

Help your student understand how individuals and communities experienced the events in history by recording oral histories! Not only is this a great way for your student to work on soft skills like interviewing, it’s also a great way to connect to the older adults in your life!

Videos and Video Lessons

We will continue to upload new videoes as often as we can. Check back regularly for new content, including related activities to keep the learning going after the videos are over! 

Crafting Through the Ages: Quilting (Grades K-8)

Join our curator Becky Odom to see how quilting has changed over time and what intricate designs were created. Afterward, check out this activity from PBS where you can learn about the geometry of quilts and make a paper quilt of your own!

Making the "Jesse Owens Project" (Grades 4-12)

Ohioan Jesse Owens astounded the world when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Get a look at the making of a comic about his life that appeared in Echoes Magazine, our publication for members. Then, read the comic here. After watching and reading, think about a historical figure or prominent figure today. How would you share their story? Research their life and achievements, then create a short comic about them!

Scientific Discoveries of the Victorian Era (Grades 4-8)

Join interpreter Christina Beargie to learn about some of the many scientific advancements of the 19th century. When you're done check out this video that shows you a fun experiment you can do at home with electromagnetism. If you want to dive deeper into this topic, take a look at this activity, build a wiggle bot, make electric dough or build a battery

Flesh-Eating Beetles (Grades K-12)

Learn more about dermestid, or flesh-eating beetles, from our curator Dave Dyer, and see how these insects help clean animal bones for the display or study. 

Other Activities and Lesson Plans

Ohio Memory's Activities, Lesson Plans and Resource Guides

Visit Ohio Memory to find short activities, full-length lessons and guides for self-directed research suitable for students in 6th-12th grade. 

Ohio Women Vote: 100 Years of Change Student Activities and Lesson Plans

Created to compliment the traveling exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, this collection of activities and lesson plans dives into women's history in Ohio and around the country. Click the link above to find out more about this exhibit and check out these Significant Ohio Women Biographies to learn more about suffragists and activitsts in Ohio! 

Suffrage Activity 1 Grades 6–12

Children learn about soapbox speeches, a style of speech made popular during the Women's Suffrage movement, analyze speeches, and write and deliver speeches of their own! 

Suffrage Activity 2 Grades 6–12

Children read Lucy Stone's famous speech "Disappointment Is the Lot of Women," then analyze the speech using visual imagery and artwork. 

Suffrage Activity 3 Grades 6–8

Children become museum curators in this activity! Focusing on one woman of significance of their choice, children curate a small collecion of primary sources that they would include in an exhibit on that woman. You can even make an exhibit at home! Check out the list of Significant Ohio Women Biographies above to help you choose your subject. 

Suffrage Activity 4 Grades 9–12

Children will interpret and analyze provided images of suffrage-related flyers, posters and political cartoons. Then they will create a political cartoon or other form of suffrage propaganda. 

Suffrage Activity 5 Grades 9–12

Children will interpret and analyze a policital cartoon from the era of the Women's Suffrage Movement using guided questions. 

DBQ 1 Grades 9–12
DBQ 2 Grades 9–12
DBQ 3 Grades 9–12

 *Caregivers are responsible for reviewing external content to ensure it is appropriate for your child. Ohio History Connection is not responsible for any content found on external links.