At Preservation Idaho, we LOVE historic education and teaching young minds about the value of historic preservation in their communities. We have a number of programs to engage students in how they can learn and participate in the built environment and we are excited to share with you activities that can be done both in the classroom and at home! We hope you feel inspired to do some of these suggestions together and would love to see what you discover and create!

Take a picture and tag us @preservationidaho and #ThisPlaceMatterIdaho.

1. Explore your family history. Investigate places that are significant to your family. For example, where did your parents or grandparents go to school, grow up, or get married? Look at old photographs, and, if you live in the same area, visit these places if they’re still around. Talk about how they compare to the photographs and what has changed. Think about the future of these places in the community today.

2. Take a drive through a local historic district. Authentic and traditional commercial districts are centered around a street that is full of historic buildings and usually feature locally owned stores. Talk about how historic buildings provide great character for a community and are great places for local businesses and restaurants to thrive. Find a district near you with this interactive map from the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office. You can also do a virtual drive through neighborhoods using the street view on Google Maps!

3. Watch Our Video Collection on Boise’s History. Our video collection was made by students for the community! These videos were well researched and contain great information about Boise through the decade.

4. Visit a historic site virtually. Many historic sites have online virtual tours available right now. Talk about what stories are told at these places. You can often find an original map of the surrounding area at the historical society or museum. Make a project out of comparing old maps to today’s roads and neighborhoods. What’s changed? What’s stayed the same?

5. Research what makes your city unique. Read up on various aspects of your city -- architectural styles, changes in neighborhoods, stories of well-known families and political leaders, construction of important historic buildings like City Hall, and more. What about each of these elements makes your city unique?

6. Participate in a community project. Plan some summer activities by asking your historical society or local preservation organization if there are any projects that your kids can get involved in. Help clean up and repair neglected buildings when allowed, plant trees in or around historic areas, or clean headstones in a local historic cemetery.

7. Write letters to local public officials or congressmen. Let them know what historic resources are important to your city or town. Write to a member of Congress about a certain historic place and explain what make it special and worth preserving.

8. Create a historical record for a landmark on the Idaho Architecture Project. Brainstorm the items that should be included in a historical record, like photographs, construction dates, architectural styles and features, and stories of who lived there or used the building and for what. What kinds of things would someone want to know about this place in 50 or 100 years?

9. Create a historic walking tour of your city. Call your friends or teachers and ask what places they think are historic in your city or town. Draw a map of where these places are and create a walking tour that you could take a visitor to your city on. This is a great way to get kids thinking about what buildings are historic, why, and how they all tell a story of the history of their city. In what ways do these places tell pieces of the same story? Do they tell different stories from different eras? Share your passion with others by taking a photograph and posting to Preservation Idaho Instagram with hashtags #idahomatters #thisplacemattersidaho

10. Do an art project! Make a log cabin or historic barn using popsicle sticks. You could recreate Boise’s O’Farrell Cabin, the oldest home in Boise!

Inspire your student with these great stories of what young preservationists are up to!