Teaching FAQ's

What state standards are your kits based on?

Each Era kit is carefully curated to hit specific topics included in all 50 state standards and AP standards. You are welcome to find each kits's Standards Support Page that outlines all 50 state standards and AP standards that related to the kit. 

How could you use historical reproductions in the classroom?

However you would like! Our reproduction artifacts are a great tool for so many different activities such as bell ringers, DBQ support, warm up research question, pass around, primary sources for writing activities, station rotation materials, discussion starters, and much much more. Our products can be the main show, or simply an anecdote to your lesson, the choice is up to you. 

Do I have to buy a new kit every year?

Once you purchase our products, it is yours to keep! Our products come in reusable boxes that can be stored away after a lesson is taught, and brought out the following year. We encourage you to reuse your kits, and also check back for any new creations we develop.

What factors contribute to the cost of each kit?

Each kit is carefully curated with student engagement, state standards, historical accuracy and value in mind. Our kits come with an assortment of items to use to teach a variety different topics within an era, effectively covering multiple lessons. We hope that you find value in the extensive array of items that you can use to teach your students year after year.

Do you donate kits?

Kits can be purchased as a donation to a specific teacher, however their shipping information must be provided. Additionally, if you are a teach who wishes to get a kit for free, you are welcome to apply for our Teach Wish List page.

Historical Accuracy FAQ's

What is a Reproduction?

A reproduction is an item created based on an original design that is no longer available or in print. Often these products are made with modern day materials, edited for clarity or color enhancement, and used at displays or teaching tools. At Hands-on History, our products are replicated to be as close to historically accurate as possible through the details of our items. These details include, fabric material, construction, color choice, paper density, stamping, stitching, metal choice, and much more.

Why reproductions versus originals?

Purchasing reproductions has many benefits over purchasing originals of these same items. Firstly, cost plays a big factor in the accessibility of original artifacts to educators and the general public, and reproductions are often not as expensive as originals. Second, the limited quantity or rarity of the original artifact may not make the item available to all who would like one, so reproductions allow for a broader audience to have access. Some items from history may not exist at all so the only option to reproduce these items. Third if a reproduction is damaged, it can easily be replaced and does not remove limited historical items from circulation.

How do you find your items?

Our reproduction artifacts are based from originals, which takes research, knowledge, and unique networks to gain access to. We seek to partner with historical organizations to bring their collections to a broader audience. If you have an idea for an item that should be in our kits, please contact us. 

Partnerships FAQ's

Who do you partner with?

We seek to partner with museums, libraries, non-profits, and other historically focused small businesses to bring historical items to life. If you are one of these organizations, please contact us, as we would love to connect with you.

Do you make custom kits?

We would love to collaborate to create custom kits focused on bringing American history to life. Please reach out if you are interested in collaborating with us.

Do you offer wholesale?

Yes we do! Please reach out, we would love to see our products in your store. We can also white label or custom print boxes of your brand's theme.