Hands-on fun enhances engagement .
growth of the museum , which includes artifacts from both North and South America and peoples as farflung as the Maya and the Inca , along with the tribes that called Arkansas home — the Caddo , the Osage and the Quapaw — and the Cherokee , who passed through on their forced march to Oklahoma .
For adult visitors , there are 10,000 artifacts to learn about , with the help of an audio tour guide that will bring the stories to life for you . But for youngsters , it ’ s imagination that makes their eyes dance .
Storytimes — which include first a story and then a related craft , both for free — are special at MONAH . “ We fill a unique niche in the realm of storytime sessions ,” says Sanderson . “ We feature Indigenous stories from across the Americas , ones we can all learn from . Learning diverse stories is always a recipe for success !”
All of the storytimes are free , but Sanderson does ask that parents register at monah . org , so there are enough craft supplies for everyone . The craft projects will be announced monthly .
During the week before or on Saturday just after storytime in the Event Center adjacent to the museum , families can make their way to the galleries and start their 24,000 year journey by meeting Tusker , the museum ’ s woolly mammoth . Like all of the museum artifacts , Tusker is real and would have been walking the Earth at the end of the Ice Age about 12,000 years ago — and he ’ s the perfect door greeter to get youngsters excited about their journey through time .
Handmade dolls from
Plains tribes .
Six galleries later , as your journey comes to an end , there are still two more stops for visiting families — the museum store indoors and the chance to dig for arrowheads outdoors .
The museum store features the works of modern-day Indigenous artists and brings their stories of working with silver and turquoise , clay and skill into the spotlight . There are beautiful pieces of jewelry , handmade rugs and more for adults plus gifts for kids , too , like flutes and rattles and the books from storytime , available for purchase .
But the biggest hands-on adventure awaits outdoors . Armed with tools available inside the museum , children can search for modern-made flint-knapped arrowheads in the rocks around the tipi and take one home as a free souvenir of their day traveling through time .
The Museum of Native American History is open from 11 a . m . to 5 p . m . Tuesday through Saturday , and admission is always free . Group and school tours are available by emailing info @ monah . org or calling 479-273-2456 .
On the spring schedule for storytimes , which are regularly held at 10 a . m . on the last Saturday of the month , are :
APRIL
26
“ We Are Water Protectors ,” a 2020 picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade , it ’ s the story of an Ojibwe girl who fights against an oil pipeline in an effort to protect the water supply of her people .
MAY
31
“ At the Mountain ’ s Base ,” written by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre , it ’ s the story of a family , separated by duty and distance , waiting for a loved one to return home .
JUNE
28
“ Bowwow Powwow ,” written by Brenda Child and illustrated by Jonathan Thunder , takes listeners to a magical powwow where the dogs dance .
www . OfficialKidsMag . com • APRIL 2025 • 21