School Tours
If desired, two or three of the below tour options may be offered concurrently to accommodate up to 100 students. This allows for a large number of students to experience a guided tour. Please plan for a 3-hour tour, including lunch, if visiting with more than 60 students. The picnic pavilion will be automatically reserved for your group. This structure and your transportation may have to serve as shelter during inclement weather. Please dress accordingly.
Public or Private Schools: $4.00/student up to grade 12. Minimum of 10 students. Teachers, bus drivers, and one chaperone are admitted free.
Home or Cyber Schools: $4.00/student up to grade 12. Minimum of 10 students. Group organizer admitted free. All other adults $5.50.
Reservations required: All school group visits must be scheduled with a minimum of two weeks’ notice, and be comprised of 10 or more people; subject to staff and volunteer volunteer availability.
Museum Tour
Start the tour with our orientation DVD, "Answering the Call: Pennsylvanians in Service to the Nation". Two hundred and fifty years of Pennsylvania military history are condensed into this twelve-minute movie. From the Colonial Period to Operation Iraqi Freedom, the class will understand the importance of Pennsylvanians in the armed services. The exhibit, ADVANCE: The Tactics and Logistics of Warfare, shows the development, organization, and function of the armed services in the 20th century. As technology improved, tactics on the battlefield evolved as well. Discover why a tank is called a “tank” and how evacuating a patient off the battlefield changed so drastically in less than 50 years. (Approximate time allotted, 1 hour. Maximum comfortable attendance, 25-35 students.)
Shrine Tour
Prepare the students for a ¼-mile walk amidst the monuments of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division Shrine. Learn about the Boal Troop, the Guard’s first horse-mounted machine gun cavalry unit that trained on these very same grounds, and the history of the division as it fought in two World Wars. Discover the relationship between Boalsburg, the shrine, and the museum, and how the convergence of the Purple Heart Highway and the 28th Division Highway became the home of Pennsylvania’s 20th-century military history. (Approximate time allotted, 1 hour. Maximum comfortable attendance, 25-35 students.)
Understanding the Armor
Size yourself up against a World War II era tank and compare that to other armored vehicles from the 1950s and 60s. Students will learn about the development, function, and design of armored vehicles as a means of protecting the troops and influencing the battlefield. Guides will interpret many physical characteristics of the vehicles for a unique educational experience. (Approximate time allotted, 1 hour. Maximum comfortable attendance, 25-35 students.)
History Reconnaissance
History RECON Missions are based on the concept of the treasure hunt. The visiting school is divided into three platoons, squads, or fire-teams and issued “orders” to answer a list of 12 questions based on the exhibit labels. What makes the mission interesting is that only one set of questions are issued to each group and pencils or pens are not authorized for use. The class is then mustered together as a whole at the end of the exercise for a “debriefing." RECON Missions exist for the museum exhibits, the 28th Infantry Division Shrine, and the armored vehicles on the grounds. This exercise fosters leadership and encourages teamwork. RECON Missions need to be coordinated through the office of the Museum Educator with three-week advance notice.
Visiting Educator Program
Can't make a visit to the museum for a school group tour? Let the Museum come to the classroom. Some lecture presentations are accented by objects from the museum's for-use collections, specifically designated for educational purposes. Schools will be informed of the items for their approval. The Visiting Educator opportunities are available year-round. For additional information, please contact the Museum at 814-466-6263. Call for availability.
Below is a listing of standard offerings, however it may be possible to offer programming that fits within your marking period, semester, etc.
The King of Battle: Civil War Artillery
The American Civil War was a turning point in history. Military tactics used were based on the 18th-century Napoleonic method. Battles were fought at close range. The only long-range weapon was artillery. Cannons and mortars were used to bombard fortifications, terrorize cities, and disrupt troop movements. This presentation discusses the different types of artillery used throughout the war by each side and how they were implemented in battle.
The World at War Part Two
Twenty-one years after the First World War, the world went to war once again. This presentation discusses Japan and Germany's rise of militarism and nationalism through the early 21st century, ending with the attacks against Poland and Pearl Harbor.
GAS! The Terrible Weapon of the Great War
This presentation discusses the use of chemical warfare in World War One when your lungs and skin were your own worst enemy.
Of Men, Mules & Machines
How America Entered World War One - World War I was the dawn of modern warfare, yet despite the invention of the automobile, tank, and aeroplane, horses and mules were used on the battlefields of France. Archival film footage of the Pennsylvania National Guard in France highlights this discussion on the mechanization of war.
The Rise of the Beast
How the Nation Changed for Our Entry into World War One - Americans were evenly divided or unconcerned about the combatants on the killing fields of France in 1914. This presentation discusses America's slide into a war on the decks of sinking merchantmen.