Learning

At Conner Prairie, little learners can play, explore, and grow through fun, hands-on early learning programs like Preschool on the Prairie and Playtime on the Prairie, perfect for sparking curiosity in a natural, joyful setting. For older kids and adults, our classes offer the chance to steward history and learn how the skills from the past help shape a future of innovation.

Conner Prairie Learning Philosophy

Learning at Conner Prairie is unique and personal. As we invite guests to “Step into the Story,” we also strive to step into theirs. Through observation, deep listening, and thoughtful questioning, we create meaningful connections, offering guests an opportunity to go beyond “doing” and experience “being.”

Our interactive exhibits, expansive grounds, and passionate staff provide limitless, immersive experiences, meeting guests where they are, honoring the individual needs, passions, interests, dreams, and fears of each unique human being. We offer guests the time and freedom to notice, to explore, to question, to feel, to play, and to sink into the process of learning, erasing the pressure of an expected outcome or final product.

We believe all learners, each with their own past experiences and intricate minds, have the right to construct their own knowledge, expanding through interactions with others and with their environment. History is at the core of what we do, because we must understand where we’ve been to understand where we are and look forward to where we might go. But history does not live in standards or even in research; history lives in our stories, and stories are enhanced through art, science, imagination, and nature.

Conner Prairie acknowledges the power of intertwining these concepts and ideas, inviting guests into the stories we know, the stories they bring to us, and the stories we have yet to acknowledge or discover.

K-12 Education is proudly supported by OneAmerica Financial Partners