April 13th was the 99th anniversary of the sinking of the unsinkable. The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA offered a homeschool day in observance, with extremely well done exhibits, activities and presentations.
We registered in advance, so when we got there, getting started with the activities was a breeze. Each child was given a “boarding pass” of a real passenger who had been on board the Titanic and was instructed to check the registry to see if they survived. Odds were much better for women and children! This was a point driven home over and over again throughout the exhibit. We were also given a mini-quiz to fill out with a few basic questions about the Titanic, as well as specific information about a key passenger. A reward of a free frozen confection insured The Daughter’s enthusiasm to get the quiz completed and turned in. (Something I need to remember!)
There was a slideshow presentation that was easy enough for the kids, but interesting enough to keep parents attention. The presentation focused on some of the famous people on board, the separation of the classes, the accommodations found in each section of the ship, as well as the history of the famous tragedy.
Well-lit and labelled displays showed various artifacts from the ship, photographs and travel posters. Hands-on exhibit tables staffed with friendly volunteers showed toys, clothes and games of the era. There was a chance to try tapping out morse code (like the Marconi operators), period music was performed, and we peeked inside a lady’s trunk to see what kind of clothes would be packed (and if you were upper class – how many outfits per day!). A big hit for The Daughter was the Passport that was stamped as we visited each exhibit.
The Mariners’ Museum is all things nautical. Displays explain the early history of sail, ship life during the “Master and Commander” period, and examples of many of the tools of sailing that we read about in “Carry On, Mr. Bowditch!” 
Mr. Garner slipped off and went quickly through the Civil War maritime area which features USS Monitor Center with sections of the USS Monitor, as well as letters and other artifacts of the historic naval battle between the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimac) and the USS Monitor.
We fell in love with The Mariners’ Museum and recommend it highly! Maybe we’ll see you there!
Rabbit Trails 
What a fantastic trip. Shame it is so far from us in the UK!