Camp Life Trunk: The activities in this trunk will allow students to gain an understanding and realistic image of what Civil War camp life was really like for soldiers, as well as the health hazards they faced in camp.

Optional Activities:
Activity #1: Students will read several examples of letters written by a Civil War soldier describing his camp conditions. The students will then compose their own letters using the actual letters as models.
Activity #2: The students will keep a record of their daily schedule and compare it to that of a typical Civil War soldier.
Activity #3: Prepare several Civil War-era meals that the soldiers cooked for themselves while they were stationed in camp.
Activity #4: Allow students to compare and contrast a daily ration of a Civil War soldier to that of a modern-day soldier.
Activity #5: Using encapsulated models, students will study different species of insects and learn how they spread disease throughout different Civil War camps.

Recruiting & Enlisting Trunk: The activities in this trunk will allow students to gain an understanding of the excitement and patriotism that swept across the North and South, especially at the outbreak of the Civil War. The activities are designed to take students through the experience of enlistment, from the notice of recruiting posters to the enlistment exam to the donning of a uniform. They will also help students determine what impact medicine had in the process of enlistment.

Optional Activities:
Activity #1: Allow students to design recruitment posters for soldiers or medical personnel based upon images of Civil War originals.
Activity # 2: The students will compare Civil War recruitment posters with those of later wars and analyze their differences and similarities.
Activity #3: The students will re-create a recruiting station by filling out examination papers and passing before a medical examination board comprised of their peers.
Activity #4: The students will read the Civil War pamphlet "To the Volunteers" and evaluate how effective the advice given to the soldiers would have actually been.
Activity #5: Allows students the hands-on experience of trying on reproduction Civil War uniforms.

Other trunks available are Battlefield Medicine, Home-Front, Caregivers, Children's Experience and Triage, which also provide teacher resources and optional activities for an enhanced, hands-on educational experience.
Trunks can be rented for $35.00/1st week, $10.00/each additional week. Trunks can be shipped via FedEx or picked up at the Museum. Shipping and Handling costs are $20.00 for one trunk, $25, for two and $30 for three, when being rented for the same time period. For more details or to book one of these vary popular kits please call or email education@civilwarmed.org

Homeschool Programs

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine can help you enrich your homeschool curriculum with the specialized Homeschool Lectures offered through the Educational Department. The lectures combine history-themed presentations with activities to encourage thought. A wide variety of programs are available which explore life during the Civil War for soldiers and their families.

Lecture programs can be scheduled for groups of 10 or more and can be tailored to students of all grade levels. At least two weeks advanced registration is required. Pricing is $5.00 per person for students and their parents. Siblings under the age of 5 will be admitted at no charge. The cost of the lecture includes a self-guided tour of the NMCWM.

Questions, information and registration: Please call the Education Department at 301-695-1864 or email education@civilwarmed.org

School Tours