Plan A Field Trip at Valley Forge

 

Valley Forge National Historical Park offers ranger-led, curriculum-based education programs for students in grades 3 to 12 in the form of in-park field trips and virtual online distance learning programs. Homeschool students may take advantage of the annual Homeschool Day held in October, where students participate in unique hands-on learning experiences at the park and rotate through multiple stations.

 

General Information About Ranger-led School Programs

UPDATED AUGUST 2024:
Field trips for the 2024-25 school year are temporarily paused while we focus on training new staff. Reservations will open as soon as we are able to continue offering our high quality education programs. Thank you for your patience.

In the mean team please check out the lessons that can be found at Lesson Plans - Valley Forge National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) and Self-Guided Homeschool Activities (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).

The park film and a series of short vignettes can be viewed at Videos - Valley Forge National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).

If you don't want to lead a self-guided tour of the park, you may opt to reach out to our partner, The Encampment Store, at Private Tours at Valley Forge National Historical Park (encampmentstore.org) to book a private tour.

Eating Lunch in the Park

If your group is planning to visit Valley Forge over the lunch hour, we suggest packing a picnic lunch as there are no full-service concessions on the premises nor indoor dining facilities. The Wayne's Woods and Varnum's picnic areas are best suited to accommodate school groups because they are both situated along the main tour route.

Help protect the ecosystems and habitats at Valley Forge by practicing Leave No Trace principles. If a garbage can is full, please take your trash with you to dispose of properly outside of the park.

Make Your Field Trip a Green Field Trip

Bring reusable bottles, lunch bags/boxes, and food containers. Water filling stations and water fountains are available throughout the park. Print visit materials double-sided or use electronic copies — recycle whenever possible. Review and share the seven principles of Leave No Trace with students. Bus idling is prohibited.

 

In-Park Field Trip Programs

The National Park Service: For Future Generations

Grades: Elementary grades 1-5, Junior High grades 6-8, High School grades 9-12
Duration: 45-90 minutes depending on age and whether in person or virtual
Class Size: 65 maximum/15 minimum*

Join Valley Forge park rangers to discuss the founding doctrines of the National Park Service, the current mission, and who makes a park work. There are three options for this lesson: elementary school, junior high, and high school. Each progressive level delves deeper into laws and acts that govern all federal lands. This lesson can be done as a field trip to the park or as a distance learning lesson.

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Riding Through History

Grades: 6 - 12
Duration: 2 hours
Class Size: 65 maximum/15 minimum (1-2 buses)*

Park Rangers will lead students in discussions and debates as they Ride Through History at Valley Forge. Your bus will stop at the Muhlenberg Brigade Huts, the National Memorial Arch, and Washington's Headquarters as rangers help the students discover how history impacts their lives. The school is responsible for providing a bus for this program. Rangers will board the bus at the Visitor Center at Valley Forge, ride with the students for the duration of the program, and will be dropped off back at the visitor center at the conclusion of the program. You and your class are welcome to eat lunch in the park at one of our picnic areas after the program.

Meets Pennsylvania State Standard:

• 8.2.6.A: Identify and explain the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to PA history.

Meets Common Core Standard:

• CCSS.ELA 6-8.8: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

*Exceptions to the class size requirements may be granted to special needs classes.

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Soldier Life

Grades: 3 - 6
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Class Size: 65 maximum/15 minimum*

Join the Continental Army to learn about Valley Forge through hands-on interactive activities exploring the diversity, sacrifice, and perseverance of the encampment's participants. Park rangers dressed in period clothing will take students on an exploration of the landscape, people, and history of Valley Forge. Students and teachers will join the ranger on a .25 mile walk from the visitor center to the reconstructed huts at Muhlenberg's Brigade.

Meets Pennsylvania State Standards:

• 8.2.4.D: Distinguish between conflict and cooperation among groups and organization that impacted the history and development of Pennsylvania.

• 8.3.5.B: Illustrate concepts and knowledge of historical documents, artifacts, and places critical to United States history.

*Exceptions to the class size requirements may be granted to special needs classes.

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Washington's Leadership

Grades: 3 - 6
Duration: 30 Minutes (plus approx. 15 min driving time)
Class Size: 65 maximum/15 minimum*

Extend your learning and take full advantage of your educational trip to Valley Forge by adding a thirty-minute program at Washington's Headquarters to learn about the unique leadership qualities of General Washington that helped to keep the American Revolution alive. A park ranger will meet your group at the Historic Valley Forge Station and invite students to learn about Washington's leadership through dialogue, questions, and answers. The program includes a tour of Washington's Headquarters.

Meets Pennsylvania State Standard:

• 5.2.5.C: Explain why individuals become involved in leadership and public service.

Meets Common Core Standards:

• CC.1.2.4.E: Use text structure to interpret information (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution).

• CC.1.5.5.D: Report on a topic or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly with adequate volume, appropriate pacing, and clear pronunciation.

*Exceptions to the class size requirements may be granted to special needs classes.

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Distance Learning Program

Distance Learning programs are live online programs using Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Valley Forge: A Turning Point

Duration: 45 min to 1 hour

When the Continental Army marches into Valley Forge on December 19th, 1777, there have already been two and a half years of the American Revolutionary War. The most recent, mostly unsuccessful Philadelphia Campaign led to the British capture of the American capital, Philadelphia. Learn why the Americans choose Valley Forge as their strategic winter encampment, what happens during the six months after marching in, and what the reorganization, resupply, and rest do for the Continentals as they continue the war for another five years.

Meets Pennsylvania State Standards:

• 8.3.3.D Identify conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in United States History.

• 8.3.6.A Identify and explain the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to United States history from Beginnings to 1824.

 

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