Museum School

The Grout Museum District's "Museum School" is an innovative program that invites local third grade students to attend "school" at the Grout Museum District for four days. The program is the only one of its kind in the state and is aligned to the Iowa Core.

During the week, students experience living history presentations by Mary Hanna, one of the first pioneer women to the area and Lillian Russell Lampson from the Victorian era. They view a short film about Jesse Bess, a Waterloo resident who helped make positive changes in the early 1900s for the African Americans in the Cedar Valley. Students also practice the footwork involved in Native American dances, learn about simple machines and discuss the rich history of immigration and migration in the area. An interactive mapping activity and a One-Room Schoolhouse experience wrap up each week!