Teaching Kids New Orleans History In a Fun and Tangible Way With French Quartour Kids {Sponsored}

My family loves history. From the hundred-year-old furniture we sit on to the books we read … it’s all history. Thankfully this passion was passed down to me. But how did my parents do it? And how can I make sure my kids have the same experience? These are questions many parents ask and the very reason that I started French Quartour Kids. 

If my parents had lectured me about the importance of history or had me memorize important dates, I am certain that my love for history may not have grown the way it has. Instead of brow beating me with historical facts we learned history by experiencing it. We visited historic sites, held the old blacksmith tools and smelled the fires burning in the fireplaces.

Now kids living in or visiting New Orleans can have the same experience. French Quartour Kids is a historical kids tour company that takes kids back in time, teaching them history by having them experience it first hand.

Here is what you can expect from French Quartour Kids tours:

• French Quartour Kids packages New Orleans history in the form of tours specifically created to engage and teach children
• Kids will participate in hands on learning and can hold props from the past
• Kids will use maps to orient themselves to our evolving city and world
• The tour guide will point out historic sites in the French Quarter where pirates lived, emancipation papers were signed or slaves were sold
• The tourguide will share facts wrapped in stories that engage children
• A trained teacher will have written the tour and will deliver it as well
• Your guide will be a licensed tour guide with deep knowledge of New Orleans history
• Seasonal tours (Carnival Tour, Halloween Tour, Christmas Tour) and field trips for the whole class are available.

Tours currently being offered include:

Creole Kids Tour: Most popular tour focusing on the children who lived in 19th century New Orleans. We will compare the day-to-day lives for free vs. enslaved kids, Creole vs. American, boys vs. girls. This tour also gives a lot of historic context explaining why the 1830s in New Orleans was a period of tremendous growth.

Gens de Couleur Tour: Focuses on the “Gens de Couleur” or people of color in New Orleans, from the first slave ships arriving, to the paths to freedom and success of the free people of color in New Orleans.

Halloween History: Where did the candy and costumes tradition come from? How did the Creoles celebrate Halloween – or the next day, All Saints Day? Kids will develop a new appreciation for what is otherwise known as a delicious and fun holiday.

French Quartour Kids is only a year old but the response has been fantastic. Families and schools have come back to try out our other tours. It is an amazing gift that I now get to pass my family’s love of history to the next generation of historians.

For more information, please visit us on our website, on Facebook, or give us a call at 504-975-5355 Hope to see you in the future – or the past!

Jill Dresser

Jill Dresser grew up in Gloucester, MA, in an old fishing community north of Boston. She came to New Orleans in 1994 to attend Tulane University. Combining her love of the city and of kids, Jill taught in New Orleans public schools for many years. She began French Quartour Kids in 2012 to take her love of Social Studies on the road. Last year, Jill became the happy stepmom of 2 brilliant, spirited little ones: 7 year old Vivienne and 5 year old Gus. Together, with her new husband Curt, they live on the outskirts of the city, in Old Arabi, spending their days keeping up with the kids and the laundry, working on their new house and practicing new tour ideas on the little ones.