Homeschool week at National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will hold its first Homeschool Week in mid-February.

Center exhibitions open to visitors include Signers Hall and the theatrical production Freedom Rising, plus tours and workshops led by the center's education staff. The center's first homeschool week , from Feb. 11-15, will highlight the American presidency. A second homeschool week is planned for June 17-21.

Admission costs $10 for students, $6.50 for parents and chaperones, and $5 for members of the National Constitution Center. Preregistration is recommended. For more information or to register, call (215) 409-6800 or email groupsales@constitutioncenter.orggroupsales. Morning and afternoon programs are available.

The week's activities are designed for students 6-14 years old.

Daily programs and workshops include:

• "Hail to the Chief," recommended for children 6-9 years old, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Led by a member of the center's education staff, students will learn about the role of the president and the history of the Executive Branch during this interactive quiz game. Participants will race against the clock to answer questions from a variety of categories including: "Before They Were President," "Elections and Inaugurations" and "Presidential Pets." This program is paired with the Becoming the President tour.
• Becoming the President tour, recommended for students 6-9 years old., from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., following "Hail to the Chief." Ever wonder what it was like for George Washington growing up on Pope Creek Estate in Virginia? Or what life was like for Lincoln in that log cabin in Kentucky? Children can dress up like their favorite American presidents and experience growing up, president style! This is a guided tour of the center's main exhibition, "The Story of We the People," and is paired with the Hail to the Chief program.
   
• Headed to the White House, recommended for children 10-14 years old, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. During this program, a member of the center's education staff will guide children through the ins and outs of a presidential campaign, from naming a candidate and building a platform to creating unforgettable campaign ads. This program is paired with the Presidential Leadership Tour.
   
• Presidential Leadership Tour, recommended for children 10-14 years old, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. In this tour of the center's main exhibition, The Story of We the People, a member of the Center's education staff will lead students on a discovery tour of the leadership styles of George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. This tour also includes discussion activities and a workshop and is paired with the Headed to the White House program.

Parents also may visit constitutioncenter.org/education  for standards-based teaching materials, including interactive games and lessons, and the center's web series "Constitution Hall Pass."

Located on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the U.S. Constitution. The center strives to illuminate constitutional ideals and to inspire active citizenship through a state-of-the-art museum experience, including hundreds of interactive exhibits, films and rare artifacts; feature exhibitions; and Signers Hall, where visitors can sign the Constitution alongside 42 life-size, bronze statues of the Founding Fathers.

As America's forum for constitutional dialogue, the center engages diverse, distinguished leaders of government, public policy, journalism and scholarship in public discussions and debates. The center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, the national hub for constitutional education, which offers civic learning resources both onsite and online.

For more information, call (215) 409-6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.
>.