Outreach Programs
Bring history and hands-on learning to you!
Book an engaging outreach program with the Marshall Steam Museum and let history come to life in your classroom, library, or community space! Our programs blend storytelling, hands-on activities, and games to create fun, educational experiences for Pre-K to 5th graders. Explore themes like transportation, engineering, and history, with interactive lessons tailored to ignite curiosity and creativity in young learners. We bring the museum (and all the supplies!) to you.
pricing and logistics
Program duration: 60 minutes
Maximum number of participants: 30 participants per session at your school/organization/library
Price: $175 for one program at locations 50 miles or less one-way from the museum. $200 for one program more than 50 miles one-way from the museum. For destinations more than 70 miles away from the museum, an additional cost will be incurred.
We bring all the supplies and craft materials!
Our story time programs can include an engaging story, movement activity, and an accompanying craft. Our hands-on programs for older participants can include a short lesson, an engaging activity (or a game), an involved craft, and more!
current outreach programs
Stories of Scales & Steam: 2026 Library Summer Reading Program
Stomp like a dinosaur, chug like a steam train, and unearth a story! New for 2026, children will explore prehistoric giants, powerful steam machines and learn about “extinct” technologies. Activities include an interactive story time, movement games, a dinosaur skeleton puzzle, and a take‑home craft. Our goal is to help build critical-thinking skills and collaborative problem solving in a fun and exciting manner. This high‑energy program blends books, science,
and history to make summer reading an adventure kids won’t forget.
Story Time: And the Train Goes....(Pre-K to 2nd Grade)
Chugga-chugga choo-choo! Learn all about trains and the people who make them run. We’ll practice train sounds through a fun movement activity, explore different jobs on the train and play themed games that teach about working on the railroad!
Featured story time book: Chugga-chugga choo-choo or Steam Train, Dream Train
Delaware Early Learning Foundations: (Engagement & Persistence) AL35, AL37, (Receptive Communication) LL31, LL32, LL35, LL36, (Expressive Communication) LL37, LL38, LL41, LL43, (Emergent Reading) LL50, LL55, (Emergent Reading) LL60, (Sensory Awareness) SC31, (Scientific Knowledge: Non-Living Things) SC43, SC44, (Past, Present, and Future History) MM37, MM39, (Movement & Dance) CE38, (Visual Arts) CE40, CE42, CE43, (Fine Motor) PD31, PD32, (Gross Motor) PD34, PD35, PD36, (Health Awareness and Practice) PD38
Storytime: Tiny Tools (Pre-K to 2nd Grade)
Tap, tap, tap! Discover the sounds and functions of basic tools by interacting with the fun book, Tap, Tap, Bang, Bang. Then color in your own toolbox, play a matching game and test our tool skills with a colorful musical hammer activity.
Animals on the Road (K to 5th Grade)
Can animals go on a road trip? We’ll figure out what we should pack and where we should go for bringing animals on the road by playing a fun game! Additionally, discover the journey of the first dog to travel across the United States. Children will build early literacy skills through shared stories, acting, and playful participation. Games and crafts encourage vocabulary growth, problem-solving, and social-emotional development as children explore animals, vehicles, and travel.
NGSS (K–5): (Life Sciences) K LS1 1, 1 LS1 2, 1 LS3 1, 2 LS2 1, 2 LS4 1, (Physical Sciences) KPS2 1, K PS2 2, 1 PS4 1, 1 PS4 4, 3 PS2 1, 3 PS2 2, (Earth & Space Sciences) K ESS3 1, K ESS3 3, 3 ESS2 1, 3 ESS2 2, 3ESS3 1, (Engineering Design) K 2 ETS1 1, K 2 ETS1 2, K 2 ETS1 3, 3 5 ETS1 1, 3 5 ETS1 2, 3 5 ETS1 3.
Common Core ELA: (Speaking & Listening) SL.K 5, (Reading Informational Text) RI.K 5, (Writing) W.K 5.
Common Core Math Practices: (Reasoning & Modeling) MP.2, MP.4, MP.5.
Tracks and Tools (Grade 3 to 5)
Get up close with real railroad tools and play a fun tool matching game to better understand how they were used. In this hands‑on STEAM program, participants explore how railroads shaped communities through tools, teamwork, and creative design. Collaborate in a town‑building challenge, using recycled materials to design a city and plan a functional railway. Through investigation, engineering, and imaginative play, participants discover how trains connected people, supported growth, and transformed everyday life.
Delaware Early Learning Foundations: (Engagement & Persistence) AL37, AL39, (Receptive
Communication) LL35, LL36, (Expressive Communication) LL41, LL43, LL45, (Reading Comprehension &
Informational Text) LL55, LL60, (Scientific Knowledge: Non‑Living Things) SC43, SC44, (Scientific Inquiry &
Engineering Design) SC45, SC47, (Problem Solving & Spatial Reasoning) MA33, MA35, (Civics & Community
Systems) SS31, SS33, (Past, Present, and Future History) MM37, MM39, (Creative Expression) CE40, CE42, CE43,
(Fine Motor) PD32, (Gross Motor) PD35, PD36.
Cross Country Road Trip (3rd to 5th Grade)
What was travel like back in the early days of the automobile—before gas stations, rest stops, and GPS? Early automotive adventurers bounced across the country and left behind incredible stories that we can still enjoy as we cruise today’s smooth roads and highways. In 1903, a doctor, his dog, and a mechanic set out to cross the country—what could possibly go wrong? Meet other daring pioneers like Alice Ramsey, the first woman to drive across the U.S. in 1909. Together, we’ll dive into the twists and turns of these transcontinental adventures while planning your very own dream road trip! Stock up on supplies, design your ideal car, and see if you can make the journey in our fun virtual game.
DE Standards: G1.K-3a, H1.K-3a, HI.4-5a, H2.K-3a, H2.4-5a, H3.K-3a, H4.K-3a&b, H4.4-5b.
Common Core ELA: RI2.3, RI2.7, RI3.1-3, RI3.7, RI4.1, RI4.3, RI4.5, RI4.7, RI5.3, RI5.5, SL2.1-4, SL3.1-4, SL4.1-4, SL5.1-4.