Littlest Ike Story Time

Each month will feature a different children’s book and lesson with an Ike connection. IKEducators will read a book, play, and create with students. Click here to learn about each month’s book.

I is for Ike

IKEducators use the alphabet and artifacts to introduce our youngest historians to the life of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Rosie the Riveter

When America's men left to fight in WWII, women were recruited to work at non-traditional jobs in plants and factories. These “Rosies" proved their abilities to America and haven't looked back since. Students will recreate their own Rosie photo, and use critical thinking to analyze primary sources.

Little Ike Artifacts

In this hands-on program, students explore artifacts from Ike’s home, work, play, or school days here in Abilene in order to get a glimpse of what life was like for “Little Ike,” as he was then called.

Constitution Day

Students learn about the three branches of government, with special emphasis on the Executive Branch and several examples of President Eisenhower's utilization of the Constitution. The program encourages students to develop habits of good citizenship for America’s future.

V-Mail

In the days before texts and email, written letters served as a vital link between loved ones. During WWII, U.S. post offices were flooded with mail & its bulk was competing with space needed for necessary military supplies. Students learn how American ingenuity solved this problem through the invention of V-Mail.

Space Race

History changed when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik I satellite in 1957, marking the start of the space race & the establishment of NASA by President Eisenhower. Students examine primary sources, race to generate a timeline of key events, and create and launch a straw rocket.

Attic Artifacts: 101st Airborne

Following WWII, Americans kept souvenirs of lost loved ones or their time in the war. Many of these articles were stored in boxes or trunks and then tucked away in attics, basements, and garages for decades. Students critically evaluate images, documents, and a variety of artifacts from the 101st Airborne’s part in the D-Day invasion and liberation of Europe.

Holocaust: From a Name to a Number

Students learn how individuals were dehumanized as their name was replaced with a number or triangle. They will learn about the Holocaust through the voices of survivors and realize that behind every number was a person with a name not to be forgotten.

Primarily Omaha Beach

It is said that the defeat of Nazi Germany was sealed on Omaha Beach. One hundred and sixty-thousand troops landed within 24 hours on a 50-mile front. Students are introduced to the overall objective of D-Day and how its story is preserved through primary sources. They then examine these documents and artifacts.

Crisis in Little Rock

By 1957, the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing. Eisenhower had desegregated Washington D.C., and Brown v. Board of Education declared “Separate but Equal” unconstitutional. That fall, nine African American students became heroes in the cause of racial justice. This program brings to life the pivotal events from the 1956-57 school year in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Spies Among Us?

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were members of the Communist Party convicted of passing secrets to the Soviet Union in 1945. Controversy surrounded the case. Students will examine primary documents from persons both inside and outside of the intelligence community, as well as stepping into President Eisenhower’s position to decide whether to grant executive clemency to the Rosenbergs.