President Eisenhower played a significant role in the flag we see today. He was, in fact, the only U.S. President to serve under three different flags! As our country unites to celebrate America 250, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Eisenhower Foundation and IKEducation are proud to support educators with meaningful classroom resources through the Our Flag, Unity for All program.
Our IKEducation team has been hard at work preparing new programs for the upcoming school year. One of the newest additions to our civics education series is โPath to Naturalization,โ which is offered to grades 4-12. Approximately one million people become naturalized citizens of the United States each year, and the program gives students the opportunity to learn about the steps and requirements of the naturalization process. Like many of the other IKEducation programs, โPath to Naturalizationโ will be available to students onsite, online, or as part of our classroom outreach program.
The Eisenhower Foundation continues to make significant progress towards our ๐ผ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ Capital Campaign goal. Thanks to recent generous gifts received from the Anne C. Eagles estate, the William T. Kemper Foundation - Commerce Bank, Trustee (Kansas City, MO), and numerous Friends of the Eisenhower Foundation, we are thrilled to announce we have now raised $12.6 million - 74% of our $17 million fundraising goal. This tremendous progress is made possible by your continued support.
Join us for loads of educational fun with an online storytime and lesson. One program will target Kindergarten-1st graders and the other 2nd-3rd graders.
FEBRUARY 11, 2026
K-1st (9 am Central): Pete the Cat & the Family Road Trip
Pete the Cat and his family are ready explore all the many wonderful American landmarks on their fun family road trip! They visit many famous sights, including Niagara Falls, New Orleans, Savannah, and more. The Eisenhower Interstate Highway System makes family road trips like Peteโs a memorable possibility. Students will be introduced to many landmarks of America as they enjoy this book and the correlating map activity.
2nd-3rd (10 am Central): The Relatives Came
In a rainbow-colored station wagon that smelled like a real car, the relatives came. When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room. All summer they tended the garden and ate up all the strawberries and melons. They plucked banjos and strummed guitars. When they finally had to leave, they were sad, but not for long. They all knew they would be together next summer. Today it is difficult to imagine our country without the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System. It was not until 1956, when President Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act, that interstate highways began to meet the challenge of the growing number of automobiles on the nationโs highways. That growth spurred more growth that completely transformed the United States. Students will be introduced to map reading skills and take their own road trips across America.
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MARCH 11, 2026
K-1st (9 am Central): Mousetronaut
Astronaut Mark Kelly flew with โmice-tronautsโ on his first spaceflight aboard space shuttle Endeavour in 2001. Mousetronaut tells the story of a small mouse that wants nothing more than to travel to outer space. The little mouse works as hard as the bigger mice to show readiness for the mission . . . and is chosen for the flight! While in space, the astronauts are busy with their mission when disaster strikesโand only the smallest member of the crew can save the day. With lively illustrations by award-winning artist C. F. Payne, Mousetronaut is a charming tale of perseverance, courage, and the importance of the small!
2nd-3rd (10 am Central): Samuel Morse, Thatโs Who
Back in the 1800s, information traveled slowly. Who would dream of instant messages? Who imagined a system that would use electric pulses to instantly carry coded messages between two machines, rain or shine? Long before the first telephone, emails, or tweets, who changed communication forever? Samuel Morse, thatโs who! All soldiers, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, learned Morse code during Army training. It was key to communication across distances during World War I. Rather than taking weeks to be delivered by mail, critical pieces of news could be exchanged almost instantly. Students will be introduced to this great ancestor of todayโs communication technologies and try their hand at Morse Code.
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APRIL 8, 2026
K-1st (9 am Central): Heidi @ the White House
Ever wonder what it would be like to live at the White House? Heidi will show you where President Eisenhower worked and how he traveled. You will meet members of the President's family at a party in the residence. Who was Heidi? Heidi was a much-valued member of the Eisenhower family, even though she was a dog! Using primary source photographs and activities, students will explore President Eisenhower's White House.
2nd-3rd (10 am Central): Sophia Valdez, Future Prez
Every morning, Abuelo walks Sofia to school . . . until one day when Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill, and he can no longer do so. Sofia misses her Abuelo and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore. Through the story of Sofia, this book imparts essential lessons about community involvement, civic responsibility, and the democratic process.
Children will learn that they can not only help their community, but even one day become President of the United States!
Program Length:
50
Program Group:
Meet Ike
Roberto Innocenti, artist and illustrator, used his childhood memories of World War II to create the award-winning book "Rose Blanche." The story follows a young German girl who discovers a nearby concentration camp, leading to a tragic outcome. Students will analyze the bookโs illustrations to explore symbolism, make inferences, and compare the story to real events from the war.
Program Length:
50
Program Group:
Holocaust
After World War II, Americans enjoyed increasing prosperity. This included the rise of a new technology, television. Dwight Eisenhower led the way by embracing television as a means of communicating his ideas to the voters and became known as the โTV President.โ Students will look at different methods of persuasion by analyzing and comparing campaign ads from the 1950's to more recent times. A follow up activity will give students the opportunity to develop their own campaign ad.
Program Length:
50
Program Group:
Presidency
*๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ* Exhibit exploration with an escape room twist! In this program, students will solve puzzles, follow clues, and engage with primary sources to answer the question, "What did President Eisenhower do to 'wage peace' during the Cold War?"
Program Length:
50
Program Group:
Presidency
President Dwight D. Eisenhower played a pivotal role in founding NASA as a civilian agency devoted to space exploration. Under his leadership, space became a new frontier not of military dominance, but of scientific discovery and peaceful progress. Students will travel along the timeline of NASA's creation, learning about the history of the space program and its impact on our lives today. Inquiry and critical thinking will be used to analyze primary sources, such as photographs, documents, and artifacts from the time of NASA's creation.
Program Length:
50
Program Group:
Presidency
Through his military experience, President Eisenhower recognized the strategic and economic advantages of a strong national highway system. As a result, he championed and signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 โ the largest infrastructure project in U.S. history. In this program, students will analyze primary sources to explore the history and lasting impact of one of Eisenhowerโs most transformative initiatives.
Program Length:
50
Program Group:
Presidency
The Allies laid the foundation for success on D-Day months in advance, not only through training but also through large scale deception. Students will examine a variety of primary sources โ physical, audio, and visual โ as they learn about the Allies bold, unlikely, and ultimately successful deception of Nazi forces.
Program Length:
50
Program Group:
World War II
