F – Freedom Explorer

Match Moments of Freedom

Place the correct event card beneath each year.

1776
Declaration of Independence — the idea that all people deserve freedom.

1865
Juneteenth — enslaved people in Texas learn they are free.

1954
Brown v. Board of Education — segregation in schools is ruled unconstitutional.

1964
Civil Rights Act — laws passed to protect equal rights.

Supplies

• Large timeline board or table display
• 4 large year cards (1776, 1865, 1954, 1964)
• 4 event description cards
• F coin

R – Rights Ranger

Place 3 Markers Atop Map

Kansas 

Brown v. Board of Education ended school segregation ⚖️ Justice Marker

South Carolina

Major port where many enslaved Africans first arrived ⛵ Arrival Marker

Texas

June 19, 1865 – enslaved people learn they are free (Juneteenth)

⭐ Freedom Star

Supplies 

• Large U.S. map poster
• 3 large markers or magnets
• Small label cards explaining each location
• R coin

E- Every Story Matters 

Remember the Stories Around Us

Learn about Mattoon Presbyterian Church and why places like this matter in our history.

This church was built with handmade brick and constructed through the labor of enslaved people. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, churches like Mattoon also created church schools that helped educate many African-American children.

Ms. Mildred Louise Johnson Leatherwood Wolfe went to school here and worshiped here as a child.

Touch the building, look closely, and think about the people whose hands helped build it and the families who learned here.

Then write one sentence:

“Why is it important to remember history?”

Every community has stories.
Every person has a story.
Every story matters.

Supplies

• Photo or display card about Mattoon Presbyterian Church
• Short printed history card
• Notecards
• Pencils
• E coin

Goal

Help kids understand that history lives in places, people, and stories in their own community.

E-Expression Artist 

Draw What Freedom Looks Like

Freedom means different things to different people.

Use your imagination and draw what freedom looks like to you.

It might be:

• family

• music

• dancing

• friends

• school

• nature

• anything that makes you feel free.
  
  

Your art is your voice without words.

Supplies

• Small drawing cards or paper
• Crayons
• Markers
• Colored pencils
• Table covering
• E coin

Goal

Help kids express their personal idea of freedom through art.

Quick Volunteer Script

Volunteer can say:

“Freedom means something different to everyone.
Draw what freedom looks like to you.”

Once the drawing is finished → earn the Expression Artist coin.

D — Dance Champion

Celebrate Freedom Through Rhythm

Music and dance have always been a way for people to express joy, culture, and freedom.

Learn a simple rhythm or dance move with the African Dance Corps- or musicians + singers

Clap, stomp, move, and celebrate together!

When you complete the rhythm or dance move, you become a Dance Champion.

Supplies

• One drum (or rhythm instrument)
• Small open space for movement
• Volunteer or dance leader
• D coin

Goal

Help kids experience how music, rhythm, and dance are powerful expressions of culture and freedom.

Quick Volunteer Script

Volunteer says:

“Follow the rhythm!
When you complete the dance, you earn your Dance Champion coin.”

O-Our Voices Matter

Raise Your Voice for Freedom

Kids see/hear short clip 

 **"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!"**

During the Civil Rights Movement, people gathered together to demand equal rights and justice.

In 1963, more than 250,000 people came to Washington, D.C. for the March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Watch a short clip and notice the large and diverse crowd who came together to call for freedom.

Then join in a call-and-response inspired by Dr. King’s words.

Call and Response

Leader: “Now is the time!”
Kids: “Now is the time!”

Leader: “I have a dream!”
Kids: “I have a dream!”

Leader: “Let freedom ring!”
Kids: “Let freedom ring!”

Leader: “Free at last!”
Kids: “Free at last!”

When you raise your voice, you earn the Our Voices Matter coin.

Supplies

• Laptop or tablet
• Small monitor or screen
• Short 3-minute MLK speech clip
• Printed call-and-response cards
• Volunteer leader
• O coin

Key Teaching Moment

Ask one quick question:

“What did you notice about the people in the crowd?”

Expected answers:

• Many people

• Different kinds of people

• People standing together

This reinforces the idea that freedom movements involve many voices.

Mission Complete

Freedom Review Challenge

Answer the questions and complete your Freedom Experience mission.

Question 1 — Freedom Timeline

What happened in 1865?

Expected answer:
Enslaved people in Texas learned they were free (Juneteenth).

Question 2 — Rights Map

Which state is Juneteenth connected to?

Expected answer:
Texas

Question 3 — Rights Map

Which state helped end school segregation in the Brown v. Board of Education case?

Expected answer:
Kansas

Question 4 — Every Story Matters

What is special about Mattoon Presbyterian Church?

Possible answers:
• Built with handmade brick
• Built with the labor of enslaved people
• Educated African-American children
• Ms. Mildred went to school here

Question 5 — Expression Artist

What did you draw that represents freedom?

Expected answer:
Any personal answer

Question 6 — Our Voices Matter

Who gave the “I Have a Dream” speech?

Expected answer:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

When kids answer

Volunteer says:

“Mission Complete!”

Then they receive the Freedom Medallion.

Supplies

• Printed question cards
• M coin
• Freedom Medallion 

All coins 2-sided

Side 1 = Letter

Side 2 = Logo