Plan A Field Trip at Valley Forge

 

Park rangers leading the Soldier Life program on the Mini Grand Parade.

NPS Photo/G. Purifoy

General Information About Ranger-Led School Programs

Valley Forge National Historical Park offers ranger-led, curriculum-based education programs for students in grades 3 to 12 in the form of in-park field trips and virtual online distance learning programs.

Homeschool students may take advantage of the annual Homeschool Day held in October, where students participate in unique hands-on learning experiences at the park and rotate through multiple stations.

Registration Information

UPDATED MARCH 2025:
There are no more available in-person field trips between March and May 2025. If you would like to check for openings, follow the link at the bottom of this page.

In person field trips are offered on select Tuesday and Wednesdays. Distance learning lessons are offered on select Wednesdays only.

Reservations for the 2025-26 school year will become available in late summer or early fall of 2025.

 

Eating Lunch in the Park

If your group is planning to visit Valley Forge over the lunch hour, we suggest packing a picnic lunch as there are no full-service concessions on the premises nor indoor dining facilities. The Wayne's Woods and Varnum's picnic areas are best suited to accommodate school groups because they are both situated along the main tour route.

Help protect the ecosystems and habitats at Valley Forge by practicing Leave No Trace principles. If a garbage can is full, please take your trash with you to dispose of properly outside of the park.

Make Your Field Trip a Green Field Trip

Bring reusable bottles, lunch bags/boxes, and food containers. Water filling stations and water fountains are available throughout the park. Print visit materials double-sided or use electronic copies — recycle whenever possible. Review and share the seven principles of Leave No Trace with students. Bus idling is prohibited.

Additional Self-Guided Educational Activities

Self-guided educational materials can be found on the Lesson Plans webpage and the Self-Guided Homeschool Activities page.

Watch the 19-minute park orienation film online

If you don't want to lead a self-guided tour of the park, you may also reach out to our partner, The Encampment Store, at Private Tours at Valley Forge National Historical Park (encampmentstore.org) to book a private tour.

 

In-Park Field Trip Programs

Riding Through History

Grades: 6 - 12
Duration: 2 hours
Class Size: 65 maximum/15 minimum (1-2 buses)*

Park Rangers will lead students in discussions and debates as they Ride Through History at Valley Forge. Your bus will stop at the Muhlenberg Brigade Huts, the National Memorial Arch, and Washington's Headquarters as rangers help the students discover how history impacts their lives. The school is responsible for providing a bus for this program.

Rangers will board the bus at the Visitor Center at Valley Forge, ride with the students for the duration of the program, and will be dropped off back at the visitor center at the conclusion of the program. You and your class are welcome to eat lunch in the park at one of our picnic areas after the program.

Meets Pennsylvania State Standard:

• 8.2.6.A: Identify and explain the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to PA history.

Meets Common Core Standard:

• CCSS.ELA 6-8.8: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

*Exceptions to the class size requirements may be granted to special needs classes.

---

Soldier Life

Grades: 3 - 6
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Class Size: 65 maximum/15 minimum*

Join the Continental Army to learn about Valley Forge through hands-on interactive activities exploring the diversity, sacrifice, and perseverance of the encampment's participants.

Park rangers dressed in period clothing will take students on an exploration of the landscape, people, and history of Valley Forge. Students and teachers will join the ranger on a .25 mile walk from the visitor center to the reconstructed huts at Muhlenberg's Brigade.

Meets Pennsylvania State Standards:

• 8.2.4.D: Distinguish between conflict and cooperation among groups and organization that impacted the history and development of Pennsylvania.

• 8.3.5.B: Illustrate concepts and knowledge of historical documents, artifacts, and places critical to United States history.

*Exceptions to the class size requirements may be granted to special needs classes.

---

Washington's Leadership

Grades: 3 - 6
Duration: 30 Minutes (plus approx. 15 min driving time)
Class Size: 65 maximum/15 minimum*

Extend your learning and take full advantage of your educational trip to Valley Forge by adding a thirty-minute program at Washington's Headquarters to learn about the unique leadership qualities of General Washington that helped to keep the American Revolution alive.

A park ranger will meet your group at the Historic Valley Forge Station and invite students to learn about Washington's leadership through dialogue, questions, and answers. The program includes a tour of Washington's Headquarters.

Meets Pennsylvania State Standard:

• 5.2.5.C: Explain why individuals become involved in leadership and public service.

Meets Common Core Standards:

• CC.1.2.4.E: Use text structure to interpret information (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution).

• CC.1.5.5.D: Report on a topic or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly with adequate volume, appropriate pacing, and clear pronunciation.

*Exceptions to the class size requirements may be granted to special needs classes.

Distance Learning Programs

Distance Learning programs are conducted by park rangers online using Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Valley Forge: A Turning Point

Duration: 45 min to 1 hour

When the Continental Army marches into Valley Forge on December 19th, 1777, there have already been two and a half years of the American Revolutionary War. The most recent, mostly unsuccessful Philadelphia Campaign led to the British capture of the American capital, Philadelphia. Learn why the Americans choose Valley Forge as their strategic winter encampment, what happens during the six months after marching in, and what the reorganization, resupply, and rest do for the Continentals as they continue the war for another five years.Meets Pennsylvania State Standards:

• 8.3.3.D Identify conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in United States History.

• 8.3.6.A Identify and explain the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to United States history from Beginnings to 1824.

 

Register Online

Pick from a selection of programming options and dates and book a field trip for your class today!

Book a Field Trip