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 programs are free for Goldie's Kids Club members.
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Jump into summer with Goldie the Goldfinch and the State Historical Museum of Iowa with an assortment of seasonal activities and programs! Goldie's Kids Club members will have access to digital activities, summer camps, in-person tours of the Iowa State Capitol Grounds and a virtual program with Kendra Vander Vliet, a Disney artist and Iowan.
Explore the state virtually with Goldie the Goldfinch and At-Home Expeditions! Throughout the summer, 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! New activities will be released online every other week during the summer.
The activities listed below can be downloaded and printed out at home for children to use immediately and independently.
The History Mystery program will return in the fall of 2021. But don't worry, there are many other Goldie's Kids Club offerings to keep young historians busy throughout the summer!
The State Historical Museum of Iowa has a variety of virtual offerings for Goldie's Kids Club members to enjoy the museum and historic artifacts. Join Goldie the Goldfinch virtually on the first Saturday of every month to learn about Iowa history and help solve some of its mysteries!
Register to join museum staff on Zoom for a live version of Goldie's Kids Club's "History Mystery" program this fall. The digital format brings the museum and thousands of objects from Iowa history into any home. This virtual program provides participants unique access to artifacts and historic images from the State Historical Museum to determine how they were used and who might have used them. Help your young historian become a history super sleuth!
This program is free to attend, but space is limited and advanced registration is required. Please register by 4 p.m. on the Friday before each program. While attending this virtual program, each child (recommended for ages 8-12) must be accompanied by an adult for its duration.
New Innovative Iowans activities will return in the fall of 2021. Check out past Innovative Iowans activities for a fun, hands-on approach to Iowa history from home!
Goldie's Kids Club: Innovative Iowans is another digital "First Saturday" program for families to do together at home. Innovative Iowans involves interactive activities with easy-to-follow instructions that connect history with STEAM education – science, technology, engineering, art and math.
The digital storytime program will return in the fall of 2021. Make sure to check out our collection of past storytime activities and demonstration videos to keep young historians busy throughout the summer!
Iowa is full of colorful characters! Meet a few on the third Wednesday of each month with Goldie's Kids Club's digital storytime program. Each month, a new book recommendation with an Iowa connection and a fun activity will be digitally released. This at-home program is recommended for young historians (ages 3-7).
Join Goldie's Kids Club for seasonal break programs throughout the year. To help commemorate the upcoming 175th anniversary of Iowa statehood on Dec. 28, 2021, the museum has a variety of Iowa-themed programs and activities to guide young historians as they explore the history of the state from home.
The State Historical Museum of Iowa is looking for ways to improve Goldie’s Kids Club programs. Please take a short survey and tell us how we are doing.
