Come Experience Life 100 years ago. 

Learn the History of Michigan's Capital City                  
Your students will develop an interest in the history of our capital city and the people who lived here through learning about the lives of the Turner-Dodge House families.  Students can experience what it might have been like to live in this interesting era, the gracious life-style, the chores and simple pastimes.  Apply your learning of local history towards developing skills in the Social Studies State Standards. A two week advanced reservation is requested.  One leader/teacher and motor coach agent  receive free admission.  See the Site Map for resources to use in the classroom.  We will be a glad to implement suggestions from classroom teachers.

Our unique experiences feature a costumed interpreter who will guide students as they explore the three floors and fifteen rooms of the house.  Our History Experiences are especially useful for meeting standards from Strand One (Historical Perspective), including:
1) Chronological sequencing, 2) Narratives about the past, 3) Using primary source materials and artifacts, and 4) Analyzing decisions made in the past.

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The Turner-Dodge House staff has developed school tours that correspond with the social studies curriculum. Our tour and hands-on activities make a field trip to the Turner-Dodge house a fun and unique way to supplement school learning. Your students will be having so much fun they will barely realize how much they're learning!
When you register, we will send you a Turner-Dodge History brochure, suggested pre- and post-visit activities and a comparative time line. Some classes like to dress up in old-fashioned clothes for their visit. Please consider us for an interesting, fun field trip! Thank you very much, and we hope to hear from you soon.
You can use a field trip to the house to fulfill various benchmarks from Strand One (Historical Perspective), namely Soc I.1 LE3-4, and Soc I.2 LE1-4, which focus on chronological time and learning from the past.

PRE K - 1st GRADE:  Introducing History
Our hands-on approach is great for introducing young minds to the concept of history.  We'll use out families, neighborhoods and community to help your kids begin to connect to the past.  Games, stories, music, theater - with our creative approach you'll see the spark of history in their eyes. Suggested activities: Victorian Toys, Washday Blues, Old Town Story Time, Pioneer Games.

2nd GRADE - 4th GRADE:  The Tools of History
Once students have an understanding of history, its time to start learning about the tools that historians and archaeologists use to reconstruct the past.  We'll become history detectives as we put together our 'tool kits' and explore documents, artifacts and other physical remains from the past.  Your students will discover first-had how life has changed in the past 150 years.  Suggested activities:  Washday blues, Candle making, Victorian Manners, History Detectives, Restoration Exploration.

5th GRADE - 6th GRADE:  History in Action
Upper elementary students are familiar with both the concept of history and the tools we use to explore the past.  Now, they are ready to put that knowledge into action.  We'll use this knowledge to help your students think critically about the meaning of history and the historic resources in their community.  They'll be well on their way to becoming our next generation of history stewards!  Suggested activity:  History Detectives, Restoration Exploration. 

A Unique Learning Experience
We have developed curriculum using the Turner-Dodge House and the Old Town  community to show  how the geography, history, economics and government of early  North Lansing impacted the development  of the community.  Students can actually  see how the community developed along the river.  They will learn how the early  pioneers came to the area and helped build a city in the forest by learning about the  pioneering Turner and Dodge families who contributed so much to the development  of the community and state.

Guided Tours
$40/youth group/class (maximum of 25). 
It is an additional $2 for each child over 25 and $3.50 for each additional adult. 

Adult tours:  $3.50/adult, non res. $5.00 (minimum of 10).
Call  517/483-4220 to make arrangements today.

Call for a Reservation at least 2 Weeks in Advance 517-483-4220