Educational Groups

Educational groups can participate in educational activities such as Load Your Wagon, an activity which puts you back in pioneer times and shows you how difficult the task of moving a family to a homestead was, forcing careful planning and tough choices that required them to prioritize about what they needed versus what they wanted. It’s like Oregon Trail in real life. This educational activity requires major teamwork and teaches skills such as attention to detail, math calculations, and spatial relationships. We also have a variety of museum scavenger hunts that allow students to take a closer look at our museum and put their critical thinking to the test, making the museum come to life in a way they’ve never experienced before.

Please call (605) 394-6923 one week in advance to schedule. Visit our Hours and Admissions page for rates and our Plan Your Event page for more details on customized experiences for your group. The Journey Museum & Learning Center loves to teach the next generation about generations past to help them learn how their community is shaped and formed. Educational groups brings history to life.

School Tours (3rd & 4th grade aligned activities)

Welcome Teachers!

Click the links below for teacher/class resources.

Museum Manners

3rd Grade Program - Pioneers
We cover the following school standards:

Standard: 3.H.1.1
Demonstrate knowledge of the obstacles and successes of the early settlers and in creating communities.

Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Connectors 6: SOVEREIGNTY & TREATIES
Federal policies and treaties put into place throughout American history have affected Oceti Sakowin people adversely. Tribes as sovereign nations have the authority to enter into government to government relationships. Currently, the relationship between each tribe, their state(s), and the federal government is not the same for each tribe.

For third grade, we do an activity called "Load Your Wagon: An Old West Adventure."

• Students work in small groups and use problem-solving skills to pack their wagon for the trip out west.
• Students use critical thinking and cooperative learning, digging deeper into the big question - what obstacles and successes did people face during the Westward Expansion?

Click the links below for teacher/class resources.

• Homestead PowerPoint Slides - For Teachers
  
• The Great Dakota Boom
• Suggested Resources for Pioneer Tours

4th Grade Program - Lakota
We cover the following school standards:

Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Connectors 1: LANDS & ENVIRONMENT 
The original land base and natural resources of the Oceti Sakowin were under communal stewardship prior to immigrant settlement. Oceti Sakowin have a distinct and unique interrelationship with the environment that is essential to South Dakota.

 Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Connectors 2: IDENTITY & RESILIENCY 
There is variety and resiliency among individuals within the Oceti Sakowin Oyate (people) as identity is developed, defined and redefined by entities, by organization, and by people. A continuum of tribal identity, unique to each individual, ranges from assimilated to traditional lifestyle. There is no “generic American Indian.”

For fourth grade, we teach about Lakota culture.  

• Students get a first-hand look at the tools and methods historically used by the Oceti Sakowin.
• This is an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of culturally significant objects of study, like the bison.
• Students also use creative thinking to craft art that tells a story, known as ledger art.

Click the links below for teacher/class resources.

• Oceti Sakowin
• Sioux Indian Museum Resources
• Traditional Uses of Bison - Classroom Poster
• Traditional Uses of Tatanka

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