Jr. Historian After-School Program
The Coachella Valley History Museum’s popular after-school program, Jr. Historians, has received a grant from the Anderson Children’s Foundation to fund its day-to-day operations for the upcoming season. In addition, the Women’s Club of Rancho Mirage has provided funding that will be used for one-time purchases and to refresh Jr. Historian’s collection of old-fashioned games. These funds provide a cost-effective educational program. Each session includes outdoor physical development, a healthy snack, and engaging child-centered activities that promote a healthy lifestyle.
The Jr. Historian Program is for children in Grades 3, 4, and 5. They meet after school on Mondays and Wednesdays until 5:30 p.m. This year they will offer two separate sessions, each with a different focus. The Fall 2022 Program begins on September 26 and continues to November 9. Titled Election Mania, students learn about the voting process, elect their own city council, create campaign speeches, and explore the branches of government. They visit Indio City Hall, meet a City Council member, and conduct a Junior Historian City Council meeting in the Chambers to hear “public” testimonies and vote on resolving issues with skateboarding at a local park.
A former Jr. Historian group visits the Indio City Council Chambers
The focus of the Winter 2023 session will be on Coachella Valley History. Students will portray a local historical figure at the Living History Festival to be held on Saturday, March 18. They will tackle our local history to analyze how it has changed over time, learn about the diverse individuals who built our community and develop pride in our community’s history.
A Jr. Historian portrays Bob Hope at the 2022 Living History Festival.
Blair Karp, Director of the Jr. Historian Program, will be joined again by Armando Bolanos, Assistant Director, and Austin Perez, a volunteer who is a history major at the Palm Desert Campus of California State University, San Bernardino. Dr. Priscilla Porter continues as the Volunteer Program Coordinator.
Jr. Historians attendees at the Tourism and Hospitality session show-off sunglasses the Greater Palm Springs Tourism Bureau gave to them.
The museum campus provides a unique opportunity to immerse children in onsite historical exploration activities. Children are engaged in hands-on projects, creative activities, and active outdoor physical activities, including old-fashioned games such as horseshoes, croquet, relay races, hopscotch, jump rope, and more! We provide "boots on the ground" experiences for young children.
Jr. Historians visit the many exhibits on the museum's campus, including a 1909 schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, a Desert Submarine, the Date Museum, antique agriculture equipment, special exhibitions, and an original adobe home of the 1920s. Students learn to "read" maps, photographs, graphs, advertisements, and other primary sources.
A positive social and emotional outcome of our program's diverse, multi-age groupings is that students develop respect and patience for one another. Children work in collaborative groups as they support each other while engaging in meaningful activities. These mixed-grade level groupings celebrate diversity and equity for all students.
To register your child for the upcoming program, visit cvhm.org/education.
We welcome volunteers to help us with the Jr. Historian Program, too. If interested, please email us at jr.historians@cvhm.org.
