Back-to-school extravaganza at ALPLM
Battleships and disguises, golf and origami – it’s all part of the fun Aug. 4 at Lincoln Presidential Library

 

[July 28, 2018]   It will be a day of dueling ironclads, disguises and battlefield operations Aug. 4 when the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum presents a morning of free back-to-school activities for children.

Many of the activities are drawn from the presidential library’s popular Civil War Tech program, which lets children explore the intersection of history and technology. Projects include sending telegraph messages in Morse code, designing bridges and building ironclad ships.

Kids can play a giant game of Operation on a Civil War solder, dress in disguises to snap selfies and put together a Gettysburg Address word puzzle.

Two activities at the Back to School Bash will honor children of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Robert, loved golf in his later years, so there will be a mini-golf course. And Thomas was nicknamed “Tad” because his father thought he looked like a tadpole as a baby, so children will learn how to make an origami frog.

The free event takes place at the ALPLM’s library building (112 N. Sixth St., Springfield) and runs 10 a.m. to noon. Activities are designed to appeal to kids in grades 1-8.

“The Back to School Bash gives children the chance to start focusing on learning just before they head back into the classroom. The event is an opportunity to learn about history and science while playing games and conducting hands-on experiments,” said Genevieve Kaplan, the presidential library’s director of education. “Where else can families experiment with physics by building bridges or discover how quickly germs spread using special glowing lotion?”

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is dedicated to telling the story of America’s 16th president through old-fashioned scholarship and modern technology. It also serves as the Illinois historical library. The library maintains an unparalleled collection of Lincoln documents, photographs, artifacts and art and also has some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history.

Learn more at www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov

[Christopher Wills]