A positive occurrence due to Covid-19 is that many museums have created digital access to their exhibits.  So for those of you who are not near the Walton’s 5&10 Museum in downtown Bentonville, your students can now learn about the history of the founding of Walmart.  Videos and photos engage students in the story.  Students can explore the principles that drove Sam and his team and discuss if these are still operating today. Educators of different classes can find many uses for this digital exhibit. Explore the touchstones of Walmart culture. What can you learn about their international operations?  Want to watch Sam do the hula on Wall Street?  Would your students drive this vehicle?  What did Sam do in his early years to help him develop leadership skills?  Where was Sam’s first store?  What can your students discover about the opening of the first Walmart store in ______?  What places did Sam and Bud search when they wanted to open a new store?  When did Walmart become a public company?  Learn about Walmart’s transportation fleet.  The information and stories are very well done and provide great opportunity for class projects such a creating a timeline or analyzing business practices that resulted in success.  Weather face-to-face on virtual, you can do a lot with this virtual exhibit.

Create your own activities or projects to meet your frameworks.  I am attaching a list of questions (and answers) that I created for Bentonville 3rd grade students who were touring the museum.  Feel free to add comments for other educators on how you used these resources.  A children’s book that tells the story is Mr. Sam: How Sam Walton Built Walmart.  

Print Friendly, PDF & Email