Goldie’s Kids Club
The State Historical Society of Iowa hatched a program called Goldie’s Kids Club to introduce children aged 12 and under to Iowa history—starting with Goldie the eastern goldfinch, the state bird. Goldie’s Kids Club members have exclusive access to select museum programs and events. All Goldie's Kids Club programs are free for members.
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Interested in Goldie’s Kids Club? Join Today! |
Join Goldie at the Museum
Goldie's Kids Club provides a variety of family-friendly programs year-round, such as collection tours, pop-in exhibit tours, day camps, and the History Mystery program. For most in-person programs, advance registration is encouraged.
Mornings at the Museum
Join us on the first Saturday for a morning of family fun at the State Historical Museum of Iowa. At 10 a.m., kick off your day with our interactive History Mystery program, designed to engage curious minds of all ages. Then at 11 a.m., register to explore the museum's lower level with a guided 30-minute tour. Young historians (ages 9 and up) and their families can discover a small sample of the museum's 80,000 objects.
Family Museum Collections Tours
Sign up today to step inside the State Historical Museum of Iowa’s collections storage for a behind the scenes look at objects from Iowa’s past. The Family Museum Collections Tours takes young historians (ages 9 and up) and their families on a 30 minute guided tour through the museum collection vault as we explore a small sample of the museum’s 80,000 objects. Advance registration is requested to attend this program.
History Mystery Program
What is that?! Join museum staff for the popular Goldie’s Kids Club's “History Mystery” program. Young historians (recommended for 8-12 years old) with their adults can examine objects from Iowa's past. Help your young historian become a history super sleuth!
Day Camps & Student Workshops
Young historians can learn about Iowa history with unique educational experiences only available at the State Historical Museum of Iowa. Offered during school breaks, explore future day camp programs and student workshops dates and programs
School Break & Special Programs
Join Goldie's Kids Club for seasonal break & special programs throughout the year. Plan ahead for future school breaks and register your young historian to attend a workshop and day camp at the museum. There are lots of fun (and educational) things to do at the museum throughout the year!
Goldie's Digital Programs
Goldie's Kids Club offers a wide variety of online activities for all ages of historians. Whether you are looking for a storytime or finding a way to make history come to life with hands-on activities, the online archive of past Goldie's programs makes learning about Iowa's past fun!
Innovative Iowans
Looking for fun activities that connects history and STEM? Innovative Iowans involves interactive activities with easy-to-follow instructions that connect history with STEAM education – science, technology, engineering, art and math. A library of past programs and activity videos are available online.
Storytime Program
Iowa is full of colorful characters! Meet a few with Goldie’s Kids Club’s storytime program. A library of past programs and activity videos are available online.
At-Home Expeditions
Explore the state’s history together through curated collections of educational materials and activities to bring history alive from the comfort of your own home! With the At-Home collections, historians of all ages can learn more about State Historic Sites, National Historic Landmarks and Iowa history topics through Innovative Iowans activities, crosswords, coloring sheets and more!
Additional Activities
The activities listed below can be downloaded and printed out at home for children to use immediately and independently.
| Downloadable Activity | Activity Description |
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| Goldie’s Kids Club Activity Book | This illustrated activity book contains fun games and activities like connect-the-dots, word search, artifact mazes and more. |
| Goldie’s Home Scavenger Hunt | Create your own museum collection by discovering artifacts like photographs, postcards, quilts and more from home. |
| Museum Exhibit Guide | Visit the State Historical Museum of Iowa from the comfort of your own home. Check out exhibits and artifacts that teach about Iowa history. |
| Visual Literacy with Goldie | You can read a book, but did you know you can also read a photo? Use these instructions to search for clues and better understand a historic photo. |
| Goldie’s Movie Recommendations with an Iowa Connection | Looking for a movie to watch? This list includes recommendations from animated films, specific Iowa directors, and much more for your movie night. |
| Goldie's Movie Bingo | Can you get a movie BINGO? Using Goldie movie theme suggestions, try to fill all the squares with this fun Goldie activity. |
| Blank Goldie's Recipe Card | Use this blank recipe card to write favorite (and delicious) family recipes. |
| Spring Break Coloring Sheets | |
| Winter Break Coloring Sheets |
Help Us Improve Our Programs
The State Historical Museum of Iowa is always looking for ways to improve Goldie’s Kids Club programs. Please take a short survey and tell us how we are doing.