| Through generous donations, the Discover the Wild West scholarship is available to provide FREE distance learning programs, along with supplementary instructional materials, to eligible schools nationwide that have reciprocal equipment but do not have program funding. The Scholarship includes free distance learning programs for schools that meet the criteria listed on the Distance Learning Scholarship Application.
Click here to learn more about the Discover the Wild West Scholarship program
and download an application. Find a program that fits your educational needs from over 20 options available. Life on the Prairie with Sarah Plain & Tall What are some clues that let us know that Sarah Plain and Tall takes place in Kansas in the early 1900’s? This video conference can easily be used as an extension to a literary study of this popular children’s book. Learn about what life on the prairie was like for those families who were the original homesteaders.` Charles Goodnight and the Chuck Wagon Charles Goodnight came up with the idea of a mobile kitchen which became the center of life for the cowboys on the trail. Learn more about the life of Charles Goodnight, his invention of the chuck wagon, and the lives of cowboys on a cattle drive. Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas Discover this remarkable author best known for her “Little House on the Prairie” books. This book describes why Christmas was a particularly meaningful holiday for one of our most popular Cowgirl Hall of Fame Honorees. Community Planners Join us in learning about how the contributions of Clara Brown, Henrietta King and others created communities as well as shaped the West. Coming to the United States and Finding a Life of Adventure During the 1800s, many immigrants traveled to the United States. Their reasons for coming varied, but mostly they were searching for a fresh start. This program explores what it was like to enter the U.S. through Ellis Island as well as examines some of the National Cowgirl Museum honorees, why they came to America, and the adventures they experienced when they arrived. Molly Goodnight & the Preservation of the Bison Join us as we celebrate the life of Molly Goodnight and the contribution she made to save the bison from extinction. Museum Math – Grade 1 The National Cowgirl Museum takes on a whole different meaning when viewed through the eyes of a mathematician. For instance, the bandana — which serves as an accessory and useful tool for a cowgirl or cowboy — can also be turned into a square, a rectangle or a triangle. Discover how Museum artifacts relate to geometric shapes and their distinguishing attributes. Museum Math – Grade 2 What do math and a cowgirl or cowboy have in common? Plenty. See how the National Cowgirl Museum makes the connection with a few tools of the trade and a little know-how. Kids will work with geometric shapes, divide them into parts of a whole and create families of facts. Explore these math concepts and other ideas using materials from our exhibits. Museum Math – Grade 3 Take a few important events, place them into sequence, round off a few numbers and angle in a little measurement. What do you get? A great combination of math and history rolled into one. Come experience math the cowgirl way. Museum Math – Grade 4 Reflections, rotations, symmetry and congruency all make a special appearance at our Museum. Although some lines are straight and narrow and others are crossways, they all lead to the same point – the opportunity for your students to have fun practicing with shapes, lines and graphs. Museum Math – Grade 5 A more advanced version of Museum Math Grade 5, this program also examines the reflections, rotations, symmetry, congruency and ordered pairs that appear throughout our Museum. Materials are provided prior to the program to enhance your students’ learning experience. Science – Grades K-1 A horse is a horse, of course, of course. With a keen eye, students distinguish what makes a horse unique as well as some of the other furred and feathered friends found on a ranch. Whether searching for tails and details or graphing the obvious, participants will enjoy their science quest at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. Science – Grades 2-3 Rain or sun, spring or fall, ranch life has a certain pattern and rhythm. Participants distinguish the basics while observing the connection between animals, weather and their general environment. See how wagons, weather, water and the ways of the ranch all tie in to Museum science. Science – Grades 4-5 Food, in the form of hay or hamburgers; water, from a pond or bottle; shelter, in a house or a barn – all intertwine and affect the lives of creatures large and small. Add a never-ending water cycle and diverse terrains, and students will find themselves in a middle of an adventure as they get down to eye-opening basics of life essentials. The Arts Many women of the West shared their experience and knowledge in pictures and art. Discover the world of these women as they see it, through photography, pottery and paintings. The Cowgirl The term “cowgirl” serves as an attitude, an idea and a description. Discover the story of the women of the American West during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneer spirit in their trail blazing efforts. Fact or Fiction in History Many stories of the past are handed down from generation to generation. Learn some little known facts that helped keep the Western lifestyle alive. How Artists See Nature As the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame hosts the temporary exhibit, Georgia O’Keeffe and the Faraway, the different aspects of artist interpretation of nature becomes evident. Photographers such as Ansel Adams and Elliot Porter also shared O’Keeffe’s appreciation of nature as they captured unique scenery through the camera lens instead of paint and palette. Join us as we explore how O’Keeffe and others found ways to share their work and inspiration through various forms of art medians. A Journey Through Texas Featuring the artifacts from the temporary exhibit Going to Texas: Five Centuries of Texas Maps at the National Cowgirl Museum during the fall of 2009, participants will experience a diverse collection of cartography. These rare maps range from early sixteenth-century New Spain through the Republic of Texas and statehood and into the twenty-first century. O’Keeffe: The Faraway To coincide with the Museum’s ground breaking exhibit featuring 1991 Honoree Georgia O’Keeffe, students are introduced to basic art concepts while also discovering O’Keeffe’s connection to the land and the West. This program allows students to view and examine the work and techniques of one of America’s best known Modernist. Untangling Cattle Brands The history of branding is unique on its own, and is also tied to the cattle industry in the West. Beginning with the elaborate brands of the early Spanish cowmen to the brands we use today, this program explores all facets of branding and makes connections to today’s “current branding” that students see routinely. Students will learn the history and the symbols used in branding as well as design a brand of their own. This program is a collaborative educational effort with the Texas A & M Animal Science Department. Writing through the Museum – Recommended for Grades 3-4 The National Cowgirl Museum has many honorees in the literary world. Learn about the poets, novelists, journalists and playwrights who shared their experiences and journeys. | 
