“The curriculum was excellent! By the time we finished the materials, my kids thought Job Carr was a rock star!!”
– Elementary school teacher
“I had a blast. It was really fun. You guys taught me some new things I didn’t know. I like when we made butter and had gunny sack races. I can’t wait to come again. It was a really awesome field trip.”
– Third grade student
“The tour of the museum and subsequent tour of the neighborhood was wonderful! Students are still full of impressions and excitement”
– High school teacher
PRESCHOOL FIELD TRIPS
“Thanks again. It was a fun well-timed field trip. I look forward to doing this again next year. I will certainly tell other preschool co-ops how much fun we had.”
– Preschool Coordinator
HOMESCHOOL FIELD TRIPS
“Thank you so much for the outstanding visit today for our homeschoolers! You exceeded our expectations in a grand way. The kids and parents are all bragging about the great day. Bravo!”
– Homeschool parent
Downloadable Lesson Plans
Bring the Museum to Your Virtual Classroom!
Interdisciplinary Lesson Plans
Resources for Schools
We've adapted a growing set of interdisciplinary lesson plans from the Museum's award-winning traveling trunk curriculum for students who are participating in remote learning and virtual schooling. Teachers and parents can use these comprehensive resources to engage students in learning about the Oregon Trail, daily life before Washington statehood, and the development of the city of Tacoma.
Enhance the learning experience with a virtual field trip visit and videos from our Cabin for Kids YouTube playlist.
Additional educational resources are available on our Learn At Home webpage.
What Was Job Carr's Life Like Before He Moved West?
Designed for 3rd and 4th grade students, this lesson plan includes reading, social studies, writing and art. It provides students with an opportunity to learn about Job Carr's life before he traveled west along the Oregon Trail. Students conduct a close reading of a first-person historical narrative, complete a timeline of sequential events, and create an illustrated storyboard of these events.
Where Was The Oregon Trail?
Designed for 4th grade students, this lesson plan includes math, reading, writing, and social studies. It provides students with an opportunity to learn about important landmarks along the Oregon Trail. Students use a grid map to plot a route across the western United States, complete a close reading activity about Oregon Trail landmarks, and write an opinion paragraph about which landmark was most important to the pioneers.
What Did Job Carr See And Do When He Arrived In Puget Sound?
Designed for 4th grade students, this lesson plan includes reading, social studies, writing and art. It encourages students to think critically about what the Puget Sound area looked like when settlers first began to arrive. Students compare and contrast primary and secondary historical sources.
What Would It Be Like For Job Carr To Travel Through Puget Sound?
Designed for 4th grade students, this lesson plan includes social studies, P.E., math, and writing. Students learn about daily life and transportation in Washington territory for the era prior to statehood.
- In Part A, students increase their knowledge of local geography, maps, and trip planning to understand how tribal members and early settlers traveled around Puget Sound.
- In Part B, students write a narrative story about an imagined journey during the 1860s, before the arrival of the transcontinental railroad.
How Has Tacoma Grown?
Designed for 4th grade students, this lesson plan includes social studies, reading and math. Students examine historical photographs to learn more about the development of the city of Tacoma, including the importance of the transcontinental railroad. They compare and contrast the past with the present by analyzing a historical advertisement. Students also use census data from 1870 to 2010 to graph the population growth of Tacoma.Traveling Trunks for 3rd and 4th Grade Students
Award-winning materials for schools**Please note that reservations for our traveling trunks are currently paused.**
Job Carr Cabin Museum offers a FREE hands-on interdisciplinary curriculum with everything a 3rd or 4th grade teachers needs for a fun and creative history experience.
Follow Tacoma’s first pioneer, Job Carr, as he makes his trip west with lessons that include stories, activities, art projects and more!
Our school trunks are in high-demand by educators throughout Puget Sound. The lesson plans are meticulously thought out and easy to follow. Teachers and home school groups consistently rate our trunks as outstanding and engaging.
- The 3rd grade curriculum was designed by a Tacoma public school teacher in 2004 and endorsed by the Tacoma School District.
- The fourth grade curriculum was unveiled in Fall 2014. Created in collaboration with a team of Tacoma Public School teachers, these lesson plans meet 4th grade Common Core Standards in English Language Arts and Washington State Social Studies expectations.
Additional educational resources are available on our Learn At Home webpage.
Virtual Field Trips
Customizable video visits for school groups
We are adapting the museum field trip experience for online classrooms. Our education team works with teachers to provide an engaging and customizable learning opportunity for third and fourth grade students to discover the past.
- Discover what life was like for kids traveling the Oregon Trail.
- See inside the cabin to learn about the daily life for pioneer children.
- Compare how living in a modern home is different than a 19th century log cabin.
- Find out about old-fashioned toys and games.
- Learn about the transcontinental railroad and other industries that helped Tacoma grow.
- Explore jobs in the 1800s and modern museum career paths
Social Studies Field Trips
Available for elementary school classrooms
How does it work?
- During a 1-hour LIVE video feed from the Museum, our team shares artifacts about daily life for kids in the 1800 and responds directly to questions from students.
- We offer FREE craft supplies that teachers can distribute to their students for a fun set of three at-home craft activities bringing the past to life. LIVE or recorded video instruction is available.
Contact us for more information!
We recommend that students complete at least one of the museum's learn at home lessons before the virtual field trip.
Enhance the learning experience with videos from our Cabin for Kids YouTube playlist.
**NEW** Career-Focused Field Trips
For middle school and high school classrooms
Join our team for a 1-hour LIVE video feed from the Museum.
- Learn about jobs in the 1800s through the working class experiences of the Carr family.
- Explore modern-day museum career paths.
Contact us for more information!Find out more about Job Carr's jobs with this video from our YouTube channel.Our Field Trips Are Fee-Free!
Thank you to our generous donors and sponsors!
We want every child in Tacoma to have the opportunity to experience the Cabin and learn about local history.
If your school or PTA would like to donate to support the Cabin’s education programs, please contact our staff.
- Walking Tours
Take a walk and explore the neighborhood where the city of Tacoma began to develop. Find out about the people and places there are part of the history of this area.
This printable scavenger hunt begins and ends at Job Carr Cabin Museum in Old Town Park -- 2350 N 30th St, Tacoma.
**Please note that reservations for guided walking tours are currently paused.**
Explore Tacoma history in-person with a guided walking tour for your school or community group.
Visit Old Town Tacoma’s historic sites and hear tales about the people who lived here over 100 years ago.
We can show you many of Tacoma's important firsts. Discover where Job’s cabin originally stood, the site of the first schoolhouse, first hotel, first jail, first church, first hospital, and first main street. Our friendly and knowledgeable tour guides discuss the immigrants, fishing, tall ships, timber and railroad that were all so important to the beginning of Tacoma.
We offer customized tours for elementary school, middle school, high school and college classes with areas of study including Washington state history, migration and immigration, women's stories, and the industry's that put Tacoma on the map.
History walks are best suited for ages 9 to adult.
