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Early Settlers, River Trade, and Prairie Life

Guided tour — Grinter Place State Historic Site, Kansas City

Grades — second through fourth grade

Grinter Place State Historic Site, Kansas CityA trip to Grinter Place isn't just a look inside the oldest home in Wyandotte County, it's a step back to the days of frontier life.  This guided tour provides an opportunity for students to learn the history of the area while participating in a unique educational experience.

This two-hour tour includes a visit to the Grinter's house plus a choice of three activities designed to stimulate students' multiple intelligences: dancing the Virginia Reel, washing clothes with a washboard and tub, baking biscuits on a wood-burning stove, or creating a quilt block.

This tour can be adapted for second graders who are comparing life "then and now", third graders studying community life, and fourth graders learning about Kansas and regions of the United States.

To supplement the tour, teachers will each receive a copy of a Read Kansas! lesson developed for their specific grade level:

Annie Grinter and son, Cunningham

Download PDF with tour information.

Cost per student is $6.  One adult enters free for every 10 students.  Additional adults pay $5.

Length of tour: approximately two hours

Number of students in a group: For the best experience, we recommend no more than 100 students. The students will be divided into smaller groups of approximately 25.

For registration and scheduling: Contact site administrator, 913-299-0373; email Grinter Place, kshs.grinter@ks.gov. Tours must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance.