Poplar Forest Education Kits 
Education Kits are available for teachers to check out for use in their classroom for a one month loan period. There is no charge for this use as long as all of the materials are returned intact with normal wear and tear. Poplar Forest will ship kits to teachers outside of the Poplar Forest area. Due to the limited number of kits, kits are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Teachers are responsible for the return shipping costs.
For more information or to reserve a kit, contact:
Education Assistant
Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest
434-534-8109 or EducAsst@poplarforest.org
Introduction to Thomas Jefferson and Poplar Forest - Grades 1-5 
Students will be able to describe the importance of Thomas Jefferson and Poplar Forest in Virginia and United States history. The kit will include lessons that touch on Jefferson's most famous writings and political achievements. A lesson on writing during Jefferson's time will allow students to write with quill pens and slate boards. Students will be able to step into the past to learn about Thomas Jefferson and Poplar Forest through the analysis of primary sources such as reproduction artifacts, period items, copies of letters, and other documents written by Thomas Jefferson and the people who knew him. Kit materials will include lesson plans, timeline exercises, reproduction artifacts, letters, documents, books on Jefferson, quill pens, ink, slate boards, facsimiles of the Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence, assorted photographs and pictures of Thomas Jefferson and Poplar Forest, plus the book Hidden Lives: The Archaeology of Slave Life at Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest.
Hidden Lives: The Archaeology of Slave Life at Jefferson's Poplar Forest - Grades 1-6
Students will describe and analyze the lives of enslaved workers at Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest using the process of archaeology to interpret primary sources such as reproduction artifacts, letters, and other documents. After an introduction to the process of archaeology, students will be able to analyze various archaeological finds that helped shape the history of the Poplar Forest slave community. The kit will focus on the various tasks performed by the slaves on the plantation as well as discussing the lives of the slaves when they were not working. The kit materials will include lesson plans, timeline exercises, reproduction artifacts, letters, documents, archaeology tools, archaeology photos, and assorted Thomas Jefferson and Poplar Forest photos, pictures and drawings. Books included are Jefferson's Farm and Garden Book, Hidden Lives: The Archaeology of Slave Life at Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, Explore Poplar Forest: Thomas Jefferson's Retreat, and African Americans in the Thirteen Colonies.
Colonial Children and Colonial Games - Grades 1-5
After a brief introduction to the everyday lives of colonial children, students will be able to describe and demonstrate colonial games. The kit will include the following colonial games - rolling hoops, mancala, clay marbles, tabletop ninepins, cup and ball toys, game of graces, and battledore and shuttlecock. The kit will also contain lesson plans on colonial children and games, Thomas Jefferson and Poplar Forest photos and pictures, and the following books: Colonial Games: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World, Games from Long Ago, Old Time Toys, Colonial Virginians at Play.
 The Lewis & Clark Expedition - Grades 4-7
Students will relive the expedition of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery. Along the way, students will discover President Thomas Jefferson’s goals for the expedition and explore the different modes of transportation used on the journey. The scientific methods employed by Lewis and Clark will be investigated and implemented by the students. As they retrace the path of the Corps of Discovery, students will utilize and create maps and timelines. Students will also become acquainted with many of the Native American tribes that Lewis and Clark encountered as they unveiled the American West. Through the lessons in this kit, students will have an opportunity to take part in the most exciting expedition in the history of America.
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