Bringing the National Museum of the Pacific War to Your Classroom or Library!
Are you a teacher looking for historical resources to use in the classroom? A librarian searching for educational programming to offer library visitors? A school that’s unable to visit us in person? We want to make teaching WWII accessible to you.
Our Traveling Trunk Program provides original and reproduction WWII artifacts, accompanied with TEKs-aligned activities that are designed to be flexible for any schedule. Students gain hands-on experience with objects usually kept behind glass – an invaluable opportunity for history to come alive.
What’s Inside a Traveling Trunk?
Each trunk contains WWII-era artifacts and replicas from the museum’s Education Outreach Collection, along with TEKS-aligned lesson plans and activities. Depending on the trunk, you will receive artifacts like aviator goggles, ration cards, military helmets, gas masks, pamphlets, newspapers, and more.
The trunks are designed to be flexible - you can adapt the activities, or allow students to interact with the artifacts at their own pace.
Available Traveling Trunks
- Communications, Technology, and Life During WWII
- This trunk, created in partnership with the Smithsonian’s Cellphone: Unseen Connections exhibit, explores how people communicated, navigated, and stayed connected during the war. The activities use cellphones as a starting point to allow students to imagine themselves without modern technology, helping them draw meaningful connections between the past and present while examining wartime strategy, communication, and life on the home front.
- Texas and World War II
- This trunk gives students a glimpse into Texas history during the war. Designed specifically for students studying Texas history, this trunk can supplement their learning by learning how the war affected Texans. Students will investigate the economic transformation of the state during the war, and understand how wartime opportunities impacted different Texan communities.
How to Request a Traveling Trunk
Interested in bringing a trunk to your school or organization? Fill out the form below.
While this program is offered free of cost, it is currently limited to pickup in the Central Texas region. We are actively exploring mailable options, so stay tuned for further expansion of the program.