Education

Explore New-York Historical’s galleries in person with your students! Each inquiry-driven field trip is led by one of our highly trained educators who will ignite curiosity and engage students in critical conversations about our nation’s past. To learn more and to book, email schoolprograms@nyhistory.org.
 

Permanent Collection History Programs
Available year-round to enrich and expand your classroom studies.

Civics for All (grades 2-12)
Study the many ways activists in the United States have affected change throughout American history. 

Women & the American Story (grades 4-12)
Learn about the diverse women who shaped 400 years of American history. 

Life in New Amsterdam (grades 2-12) 
Learn what it was like to live in the Dutch settlement that laid the foundation for New York City. 

Slavery in New York (grades 2-12)
Uncover the central roles enslaved people played in the history of New York. 

New York, New Nation (grades 3-12) 
Consider the challenges that New York and the United States faced in the early years of the republic. 

New York and the Civil War (grades 4-12)
Investigate New York City’s complicated relationship with the Union cause. 

Industrialization (grades 4-12)
Consider how life was transformed— for better or worse—by the innovations of the Industrial Age. 

Immigrant City (grades 2-12)
Study immigration from 1609 through the 20th century to learn how newcomers helped create the city we know today. 

NYC Then and Now (PreK- 5)
Discover how the city of New York has changed over time and the infrastructure developed to keep it running.
 

Skills Building Programs
Give your students the skills they need to analyze the world around them.

Curious Curators (All grades)
Learn how museum curators assemble artifacts, images, and documents into an exhibition that  tells a compelling story. 

A Day at the Museum (grades PreK-2)
Tour the museum to learn what museums are, why they exist, and how museum staff keep them running. 

Picturing the Past (All grades)
Practice analyzing and interpreting the symbols and themes in paintings for clues about the past. 

Objects Tell Stories (All grades) 
Learn to make inferences about life and people long ago from the artifacts they left behind. 

Being a Historian (grades 3-12) 
Get introduced to the basics of studying objects, works of art, and documents in this highlights tour of our collection.

History Detectives (grades K-5) 
Play your way through DiMenna Children’s History Museum and learn how historians use the skills of a detective to uncover the past. 
 

Tech Commons @ New-York Historical
In this suite of programs students are empowered to become the next generation of historians, writers, scholars, and history-lovers by using technological tools that promote interdisciplinary humanities and STEM learning.

Tiffany Illuminated: Electricity and Circuits (grades 3 - 8)
Explore how electricity and incandescent light changed New York, then create your own light-up Tiffany lamp using paper circuits.

Research in the Digital Age (grades 4 – 12)
Learn to effectively conduct online historical research and identify valid sources of information in an increasingly polarized society.

Measuring the Impact of Immigration (grades 6-12)
Learn about immigrant contributions to New York, then create your own population-growth graphic using GIS technology.
 

Special Exhibition Programs
Exciting new content from our award-winning curatorial team!

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (grades 4-12)
October 11, 2021 - January 23, 2022

Explore the life, career, and impact of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the exhibition Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This tour focuses on Ginsburg’s contributions to the expansion of civil rights and on the role models who preceded and inspired her.

Holiday Express: Playing in the Past (grades PreK-5)
November 18, 2021 - March 13, 2021

This winter, the New-York Historical Society will be transformed by an enchanting exhibit of model trains and toys. Students will learn about the lives of children long ago and the history of toys and play through a hands-on, inquiry-based exploration of this perennial favorite. All aboard!

Generous support for school group visits provided by Con Edison, the Pine Tree Foundation of New York, and Maggie & Robert Boroujerdi.