EdGuide

Educator’s Guide

We are delighted to present the 2023-2024 Educator’s Guide!

Our professional IKEducators are excited to work with you and your students. Find the program that best meets your learning needs and follow the easy steps to book your spot now!

Every IKEducation program is designed to utilize primary sources, meet state and national standards, and teach about the life or times of Dwight D. Eisenhower. We provide students with a hands-on experience they'll never forget!

Scroll below to see available programs or click here to view the Educator's Guide. To receive a print copy of the Guide, please submit your request here.

MEET IKE

These programs introduce our youngest historians to artifacts and the life of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Our lively IKEducators use the alphabet and a correlating "Go Fish" game to encourage students to begin getting to know Ike.

Students are introduced to artifacts and Dwight D. Eisenhower through many of the hats he wore throughout his life.

This monthly online story time will keep students engaged while exploring a new adventure with an Ike connection.

Ever wonder what it would be like to live at the White House? Heidi will show you around the famous house where President Eisenhower worked and lived. Who was Heidi? Heidi was the First Dog of the U.S. and a beloved member of the Eisenhower family.

ATTIC ARTIFACTS

Americans kept souvenirs of their childhood, lost loved ones, or their time in the war. Many of these artifacts were stored in boxes or trunks and then tucked away in attics, basements, and garages for decades. This series explores sets of artifact-filled boxes to make historical connections to the past.

In this hands-on program, students explore artifacts from Ike’s home, work, play, or school days in Abilene in order to get a glimpse of what life was like for “Little Ike,” as he was then called.

Eisenhower’s 1952 presidential campaign had the most iconic slogan in history. What makes an effective campaign slogan? In this program students will study Ike’s winning campaign and have the opportunity to get their hands on primary source artifacts.

Students learn what qualifies as an artifact, and how important artifacts are as sources of information. Students handle and evaluate images, documents, and a variety of artifacts from World War II.

Students critically evaluate images, documents, and a variety of artifacts from the Easy Co. 101st Airborne’s journey from the D-Day invasion to the liberation of Europe.

IKE'S HOBBIES

Studies have shown that hobbies can make individuals happier and more relaxed. Ike enjoyed several hobbies that helped him balance the enormous stresses of being a world leader.

Fishing was a hobby of Ike’s all his life. As a boy, he walked to nearby fishing holes and as an adult was able to use more sophisticated gear. Students will make their own DIY casting gear and try their hand at basic casting skills.

An avid golfer, Ike was always asked what he scored, causing him to joke, "There ought to be a law against asking a person what he shot." Students will practice their own putting skills and apply basic geometry to create their own putt-putt holes.

This hands-on lesson combines Eisenhower, history, and art. Students learn about the effort to minimize the damage to art during WWII, will view several of Ike's works, and will "paint like Ike" to complete one of his unfinished landscapes.

CIVICS EDUCATION

These programs are offered throughout the year and can be done separately OR pick any four of them for a three-hour Constitution & Citizenship Day experience. Can't make it to Abilene? Sign up for our Online Constitution Day on Sept. 17!

Pick any four programs for a three-hour onsite Constitution & Citizenship Day experience.

Learn about the three branches of government — Executive, Legislative, and Judicial — and its system of checks and balances.

Follow the steps a bill must go through in the legislature, from creation to committee to floor debate, all before arriving at the President’s desk.

Analyze primary source letters written to President Eisenhower by kids, noting their purpose and topics of the 1950s — from Elvis’ haircut to civil rights.

What does it take to become the President? This program will look at the Constitution to find the requirements to run for office and when you are eligible to take a seat in the Oval Office.

The President is the leader of the Executive Branch of our government. Students will become familiar with the Commander in Chief's roles and how President Eisenhower demonstrated them.

HOLOCAUST

The following programs inform students about the Holocaust through primary source documents and the stories of those who witnessed, endured, and rose above the prejudices targeted at them.

Students will learn about the Holocaust through the voices of survivors and will also view primary sources created by General Eisenhower to make certain those war crimes were documented so those responsible would be held accountable.

As Nazis terrorized minority groups, other brave individuals found ways to bring solace to those being persecuted. Students will paint a ceramic butterfly as part of an international initiative to honor the 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust.

General Eisenhower had the unimaginable experience of touring a Nazi concentration camp and witnessing the horror that occurred there. Students will analyze various types of primary sources that give first-hand accounts of what they witnessed.

WORLD WAR II: At home and at battle

WWII marked the establishment of a program to which families donated their dogs to serve in the U.S. military. Students hear the story of Chips, a real Hero Hound who left the family sofa, entered the battlefield, and returned home a hero.

When America's men left to fight with the Allies in World War II, women were recruited to work at non-traditional jobs in defense plants and factories. These “Rosie the Riveters” proved their abilities to America and have not looked back since.

Code Talkers were Native American men who served in the U.S. military and used their native languages to create codes that were never broken, even after the end of the war. Students will learn to cypher messages using the basics of this secret code.

During World War II everyone was asked to do their part to support the troops. In this program, students will examine primary sources and play a board game that immerses them in the rationing and recycling programs.

It is said that the defeat of Nazi Germany was sealed on Omaha Beach. 160,000 troops landed within 24 hours on a 50-mile front. Students are introduced to the overall objective of D-Day and how its story is preserved through primary sources.

STEM

These programs engage students through innovative educational programs that combine history and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) topics. Each offers hands-on, cross-curricular learning opportunities through historical and real applications of scientific discoveries and their lasting impact.

This program introduces Ike's enactment of America's Interstate system and gives students the opportunity to try their hand at transportation innovation.

Playing off the Flat Stanley movement, students will learn about the Great Seal of the United States, the Ike Jacket, map reading, and the features of the campus while creating photo souvenirs of their visit with their own Flat Ike.

During WWII, post offices were flooded with mail and its bulk was competing with the space needed for necessary military supplies. Students will learn how American ingenuity solved this problem through the invention of V-Mail.

As president, Eisenhower passed The Federal-Aid Highway Act, the largest infrastructure project in U.S. history. Students will analyze primary sources and explore use their engineering skills to design and test their own bridge.

The Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite marked the start of the space race. Students examine primary sources, race to generate a timeline of key events, and test engineering skills as they create and launch a straw rocket.

PRESIDENTIAL DECISIONS

These programs encourage students to take on the role of the President of the United States and make complex decisions based on real situations faced by Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The Soviet’s detonation of an atomic weapon in 1949 cast a shadow on America’s sense of security. How can President Eisenhower help promote a sense of calm and preparedness when faced with possible catastrophe?

Eisenhower was faced with how to confront Soviet Communist expansionism. Students recreate Project Solarium to analyze primary sources, discuss & debate the merits of three options, and advise the president of their recommendations.

The Rosenbergs were convicted of passing secrets to the Soviet Union and sentenced to death, but controversy surrounded the case. Students examine primary documents from the case to decide whether to grant executive clemency to the Rosenbergs.

What should President Eisenhower do when an American spy is captured in the Soviet Union just weeks before a potential peace summit with Premier Nikita Khrushchev? Students will use primary sources to act as presidential advisors.

COLD WAR

Students can explore the enduring impact of the Cold War era as they step into the intriguing world of espionage, nuclear tensions, and political complexities. These programs are paired with the temporary Cold War exhbit.