Each Friday from 1:00 – 4:00 PM, youth can join us to dig into a different historic topic through games, presenters, and guided house tours. Sessions will be jam-packed with exciting multidisciplinary activities. The goal is for our elementary age campers to have so much fun they won’t realize how much they’re learning.
How It Works
Each session takes place from 1:00 – 4:00 PM at either the Alexander Majors House (8201 State Line Rd.) or the John Wornall House (6115 Wornall Rd.), dependent on theme. Please see descriptions below for individual locations. Sessions are open to children who have completed kindergarten through age 12.
Camp is $25 per session. Wornall/Majors members can register children or grandchildren for $20 per session.
Sessions will be limited to 20 children to allow for social distancing. Pre-registration is encouraged to ensure your child has a spot.
Drop-ins will be allowed if space is available. If dropping in, please be prepared to provide your child’s health information, including date of most recent tetanus vaccination and emergency contact numbers. Day-of registration may take five to ten minutes.
Day-of Logistics
Please send children with a refillable water bottle labeled with their name. Water refills will be provided, along with a healthy snack. Children should dress for comfort in clothes they can move in and get dirty. Closed toe shoes strongly recommended.
Masks are required for all registrants. For the safety of staff and campers, children who are experiencing any signs of illness or have been exposed to COVID-19 should not attend.
Upcoming Sessions
June 4 – Life on the Frontier
From chores to play, experience what life was like for Missouri’s frontier children.
Location: Alexander Majors House (8201 State Line Rd., KCMO 64114)
Step back in time to see what life was like on the Missouri/Kansas border in the nineteenth century. Were chores harder without plumbing and electricity? What did people eat? Most importantly, what did children do for fun? The day will include candle dipping, yarn dolls, and frontier games.
June 11 – Wild Wild West
Let out your wild side exploring the lives of cowboys and western businesspeople.
Location: Alexander Majors House (8201 State Line Rd., KCMO 64114)
Saddle up for an exploration of the wild west! See how people moved, communicated, and lived in the western United States while in the home of famed frontier freighter Alexander Majors. The day will include stick horse races and Morse code lessons.
June 18 – Behind the Scenes at the Museum
Spend the day as a junior museum staff member learning about museum jobs, archaeology, and exhibit creation.
Location: John Wornall House (6115 Wornall Rd., KCMO 64113)
Ever wonder what is behind closed doors at museums? Meet people who work in a variety of museum roles, then become a junior staff member of the Wornall House! Learn how to handle historic objects, think critically, and create an exhibit.
June 25 – Myths, Mysteries & Secrets
Debunk myths and legends to discover how we learn about history.
Location: Alexander Majors House (8201 State Line Rd., KCMO 64114)
How do we know what we know about history? Become a history detective to debunk common historical myths. See if you can discover answers to your burning questions!
July 9 – The Frontier and the Environment
Explore the interaction between farmers and the environment, from the days of frontier farmers to today.
Location: John Wornall House (6115 Wornall Rd., KCMO 64113)
When settlers arrived on the frontier, they made a significant impact on the local ecosystem. Discover the environment as the Wornall family would have interacted with it – from water management to observing native plants and animals.
July 16 – A Day in the Civil War
Encounter the Civil War through the eyes of nine-year-old Frank Wornall.
Location: John Wornall House (6115 Wornall Rd., KCMO 64113)
The Civil War impacted everyone in the United States regardless of age, gender, or location. For nine-year-old Frank Wornall, the war even invaded his bedroom, when his house became a makeshift hospital during the Battle of Westport. Investigate what the day was like for Frank.
July 23 – Native People of Missouri
Discover what made the original inhabitants of Missouri unique, as well as where they are now and why they left.
Location: Alexander Majors House (8201 State Line Rd., KCMO 64114)
Uncover the unique original inhabitants of Missouri, see how white settlement radically altered their way of life, and the steps their descendants have take to preserve it. Activities will include trying Native language, exploring dance styles, and writing a land acknowledgement.
July 30- Underground Railroad
Escaping slavery was a perilous task. The Underground Railroad was one of the few ways for enslaved people to receive help on their journey.
Location: Alexander Majors House (8201 State Line Rd., KCMO 64114)
From conductors to station managers, the Underground Railroad was a complex undertaking. Delve into the work of the brave people who helped enslaved people escape. The day will include writing coded messages, hearing about Harriet Tubman, and route planning.
August 6 – Gold Rush
See how you would have fared during the California gold rush of 1848 – where a few made a fortune and many failed.
Location: Alexander Majors House (8201 State Line Rd., KCMO 64114)
A fever began in 1848 when gold was discovered in California. Thousands rushed to the territory for their chance to make a fortune. The results forever changed the history of the United States. To help grasp the craze, children will learn about how people traveled to and lived in California during the rush.
Cost & Registration
Sessions are $25 each or $20 for children and grandchildren of Wornall/Majors members. All sessions are stand-alone. Attend as many or as few as you’d like!
Read our General Policies and Assumption of Risk Waiver here.
Questions? Call 816-444-1858.
COVID-19 Safety Precautions
For your child’s safety, Wornall/Majors will observe the following procedures during Drop-in History Fridays:
- Staff and children are required to wear masks at all time except when eating or drinking. They may be allowed to remove masks outdoors when appropriately spaced from others during select activities.
- Parents and guardians are asked to wear a mask during drop off and pick up.
- Activities will take place outdoors whenever possible.
- Doors will remain open during indoor activities whenever possible to encourage airflow.
- Children will be required to wash hands or use hand sanitizer at minimum hourly, or whenever there are shared surfaces.
- Children will be encouraged to use social distancing (an “airplane arms” length apart), particularly when indoors.
- Shared surfaces will be sanitized frequently, and single-use items will be used whenever possible.
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