The Washington State Historical Society has a temporary exhibit that teaches kids about the connections between Washington state’s Constitution and America’s founding documents. They explore the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the U.S. Constitution.

This exhibit is meant to be an accessible and hands-on way to teach kids about our political history and how Washington played a part in its creation. 

The exhibit starts with a display that shows people how to read cursive. As cursive is no longer widely taught in schools, it is still an important life skill. Our founding documents were written in cursive and it is important to be able to read the original material.

The child friendly nature of this exhibit continues with the large and colorful graphics lining the walls to help simply explain terminology. It makes children more likely to understand and stay engaged when information is presented in bite sized pieces. An example of this is how they explain what a constitution is and what ours is made up of (preamble, articles, and amendments).

Another example is the large timeline that explains our founding documents. It starts simple with the American Revolution and the reasons behind it, which then expands upon the politics of starting a new country and why these documents were formed.

Questions are labeled as experiments to encourage kids to explore and learn in the “lab”. In the lab, there is a wall of 75 hanging white lab coats on the wall. This is meant to be a physical representation of the members of the Constitutional Convention (1889). Visual things like these help kids understand larger numbers, which typically develops around three to seven years old. 

The laboratory has hands-on activities for children to participate with. There are varying levels of activities to accommodate children of different ages and learning levels. An example of this is the scale they use to explain why we pay taxes and what those taxes pay for. Blocks are labeled with blue for money coming into the government by taxes or fees and the red blocks represent what taxes pay for like education and health care. This is a very simple and hands on way to teach kids about taxes. Hands-on activities are known to improve understanding and engagement in children. 

Another section encourages kids to read and understand the Constitution. It has a copy of the Constitution cut into sections based on the articles alongside different activity cards to be able to analyze and understand what each section of the Constitution means. They also have trays so that kids can understand the difference between individual rights and government rights. 

It also explains how all of this is relevant to Washington. They mention how much Washington cared about the Constitutional Convention and that 17 different newspapers sent journalists to report on meetings. 

They also include a timeline of voting history in Washington. They mention how the Washington Territory is the first place in America where black women could vote, but women’s voting rights were taken away shortly after. They mention when Washington became a state (in 1889) and how they have evolved and curated their voting process within the state over the years. 

This exhibit started viewing on March 21, 2026 and will close Nov. 15, 2026. 

They are open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets average $14 a person with varying amounts due to circumstances. Every third Thursday of the month the Washington Historical Society has free admission from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. due to their sponsorship from Columbia Bank. 

Although this exhibit deals with more complex themes, like politics, it is an easy and fun way to teach kids about our government. Politics affect nearly every aspect of our lives and teaching children early will help them in the long run.