Hands-on History Youth Programs

Hands-on History Youth Programs include a range of activities where participants explore plant and animal fibers, learn many traditional textile skills, create beautiful Valentines, explore calligraphy styles, and learn the clever art of letter-locking used to seal secret messages. The program also offers sessions where participants make pop-up cards, create small accessory items using colorful materials, threads and buttons, hand stitch with needle and thread, create crocheted granny squares, visit the museum, view old photos in a stereoscope, and make a paper toy.

• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: One-week day camp option Monday–Friday from 9 am to 2 pm, plus multiple Saturday workshops and a one-hour walk; individual sessions generally run between one and five hours.
• Price: $5–$15 per person, with some free options for kids with an ECHO Ranger Passport accompanied by one adult.

The West Volusia Historical Society founded Hands-on History Youth Programs and related activities as part of its work researching, preserving and publicly sharing the rich history of West Volusia County. The Society was founded in 1973 and has delivered educational programming for more than 40 years. Programs and exhibits are sponsored in part by the City of DeLand, Volusia County, DeLand Breakfast Rotary, Kemp Realty Group, MBI, and the Rotary Club of DeLand, and the Society operates The Henry A. DeLand House Museum and Conrad Research Center for the City of DeLand while also curating medical and African American culture exhibits in the City's DeLand Memorial Hospital and Veterans Museum. William (Bill) J. Dreggors, Jr., a fourth generation Floridian who attended DeLand High School, served in the US Navy, worked with Florida Power for 42 years, and later became a Folk Historian, was instrumental in the restoration of the Henry DeLand House Museum and served as a leader and living historian with the West Volusia Historical Society, which he helped found.

Last updated February 16, 2026.