The latest exhibition at the National WWI Museum and Memorial is The Little War. When war breaks out, it’s not just the adults who are impacted. What does war look like to a child?
The Little War explores the lives of children swept up by the storms of World War I while adults were fighting on the front line and supporting the war effort.
Grown-ups everywhere saw children as key to achieving victory and legacy. Through storybooks, toys, games and scouting organizations, impressionable young minds were shaped. Nutrition and diet became key for children who would grow to be strong soldiers and nurses. Meanwhile, Propagandists and relief committees played up stories of war orphans to tug at the heartstrings and pocketbooks of millions. Molded by the first truly global conflict, the children of WWI grew into the generation that would both inflict and endure profound hardship, economic depression and world war in their turn: the Greatest Generation.
The exhibition text for The Little War will be offered at two separate reading levels to ensure accessibility and comprehension. Created for children and their grown-ups to understand the Great War from a child’s perspective, The Little War will use imaginative play, original toys and games, photos and other artifacts from the time period to reach all ages.
Guests can further engage with the themes of the exhibition in a small hands-on “living room” buildout that will feature WWI-era children’s books and contemporary literature, as well as games and puzzles for play.
Admission to The Little War is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military and $6 for youth – or just $4 when combined with a general admission ticket. The Little War is appropriate for all ages to discover a lesser-known part of WWI as they journey through childhood in wartime. A variety of engaging programs will support the exhibition. Stay tuned to theworldwar.org for more information. To learn more, visit theworldwar.org.
