A ranger in a union uniform presents to a group sitting or standing in front of him.

Fall Homeschool Field Trip Day

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

Special Event
  • Sep 11, 2026 at 9:30 AM
  • Free

Homeschool Field Trip is organized for homeschool students in the area.

All ages are welcome, but activities are targeted for ages five through 10 and ages 10 to 14.

Descriptions of the stations, schedules, and registration instructions can be found below. 

Activities

Location

   Activity Topic

   Ages

   Description

Soldiering at Wilson's Creek {20 minutes}

 
Visitor Center Load Nine Times: Wooden Musket Drilling 5-10

ABOUT... Face?

About what? Whose face?

When people think of Civil War soldiers, they picture battle. However, battle made up a very small percentage of a Civil War soldiers time. Learn about the camp life of a soldier and get some hands-on practice with what soldiers spent  much of their time doing, drilling!

From turning to marching to handling a (wooden!) rifle, your kiddos will learn about the importance of movement in the 1800s and today.

 

Visitor Center On the Cannon Crew 10-14

Learn how cannons worked as machines and how they were used during the battle. Then learn to work together as a team to simulate the firing of a cannon.

As you learn the job of each member of a cannon crew, imagine the pressure of firing in the heat of battle. 

 

Explore the Museum Then Travel to Ray House (30 minutes)

In Their Shoes: Families at the Battlefield (20 minutes)

 
Ray House Work and Play Like a Kid Back in the Day 5-10

Chores, school, then playing games. Does that sound familiar? The activities of kids in the 1800s are in many ways the same and also very different from kids today. Join a park volunteer to learn and try your hand at games that kids played in the 1800s.

 

Ray House "There'll Be Fighting Like Hell in Ten Minutes...": Wilson's Creek Families on the Day of the Battle 10-14 Learn about the decisions that each farm family had to make before, during, and after each battle. From the Shorts, to the Rays, to the Sharps... what did they do and what would you do if 18,000 soldiers marched through your home.

Take a Walk through the Ray House then Travel to Bloody Hill (30 minutes)

The Aftermath of Battle (20 minutes)

   
Stop 7/Bloody Hill A Hike Through History 5-10

Take a hike through history along. Along the way, learn about different people and events that took place by investigating clues. The hike will be approximately one mile on gravel and rocky substrate with some steep portions. 

 

Stop 7/Bloody Hill Civil War Medicine: Treating the Wounded 10-14

Join friends from the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network to learn about animals that live in our rivers and streams. Play a matching game to learn how to identify different types of critters. 

 

Explore Bloody Hill On Your Own (30 minutes or more)

   

 

Schedules

Schedules include about 20 minutes for programs and time for questions afterwards before self-guided and travel time. Programs start at the visitor center on the half-hour at the following times:
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00

We suggest arriving no more than 30 minutes before the start of your program.

Registration

Send an email to wicr_education@nps.gov or use the contact us link below.

Include:

1. Your contact information.

2. Age(s) of your homeschoolers and whether they'd like to be part of the activities aimed at younger learners or older learners.

3. Preferred schedule including multiple preferred start times. 

4. If you prefer to keep your children in one group or split into different age categories. If splitting into a group, please have another adult with you to chaperone them and let us know how many will be in each age group.

5. Accommodations needed for accessibility.

* Please note a responsible adult must be on site and within visual and hearing range of all children in your group.

After recieving your request, a park representative will get back to you with a confirmation, final schedule, map, and suggestions for what to bring on the day of your visit.

Wilson's Creek Education Team and partners look forward to welcoming your students out to the battlefield! 

Fees

Free

Location

Check in and start your program at the visitor center. From there, follow a provided schedules to stops 2, 3, 5, and 7 for the remainder of your activities.

Latitude and Longitude 37.115618, -93.419725

Schedule

Date:

Sep 11, 2026

Time:

9:30 AM

Duration:

6 hours and 30 minutes

Schedules start on the half-hour at 10 am. See schedule options in the description. The full program day is about 4 hours including travel time.

Contact Information

Education Team
417-732-2662
Contact Us

Event Type

  • Children’s Program
  • Guided Tour
  • Hike
Tags: field trip, homeschool education, civil war education