School Programs

All tours last approximately 2 hours and consist of five 24-minute rotations

Then and Now

The tour takes place in the museum’s Great Hall, where students will discover how life was different in the 1800s compared to their life today.  The tour includes activities that depict life in a log cabin, examines household items used in bygone days and compares them to modern day equivalents, and teaches how to milk a cow, sew a button, write with a quill pen, and play games that children played before homes had electricity.  If the weather permits, your students will also have some time to explore the museum’s village under the supervision of your chaperones. The specific activities and number of activities in a tour is determined by the number and age of students in your group.  If you wish, one of the tour’s activities can be exchanged for a visit to our gift shop where students can purchase items from 50 cents to several dollars. “Then & Now” is an inside event offered all year in the main exhibit hall.

Village Life

Step into the 1890s and give your students a field trip they can see, hear, and try for themselves. The Village Life School Tour brings agricultural history to life through an engaging, hands-on experience in an authentic historic village. Designed for school groups of up to 60 students, this immersive program invites children to explore restored buildings, participate in period activities, and discover how families, schools, farms, and communities worked together more than a century ago. “Village Life” is an outside event offered only April, May, June, September and October in the museum’s 1890s village.  It is a rain or shine event.  Students should dress accordingly.

Barter & Trade

This program is designed for upper elementary and takes place in the museum’s authentic 1890s village.  Students learn how people in the late 1800s, when cash was scarce, were able to buy and sell locally produced goods and services by bartering and trading.   Students visit 5 village businesses where museum volunteers share the history of the buildings and explain how barter and trade provided business owners and their patrons a vital alternative to a cash-based economy.  The students will have the opportunity to barter and trade for goods and services in each building. “Barter and Trade” is an outside event offered only April, May, June, September and October in the museum’s 1890s village.  It is a rain or shine event.  Students should dress accordingly.

Pricing

There is a $5 per person (minimum $100) fee.  We can only accommodate 60 students per day.  If you have more than 60 students, you will need to book more than one day.  We require two chaperones for every 10 students.  Required chaperones are admitted free.  Each additional adult will be $5.  Students are also welcome to bring brownbag lunches and have lunch at the museum.  There is an additional $45 “set up” fee for lunch.   After lunch, if you have the time, your students are welcome to stay and explore the museum inside and out until closing time at 4 p.m.  The program is about 90 minutes to 2 hours long.  Tours generally start about 10:00 a.m.

When you are ready to schedule your school tour, please complete the form below.  Once we receive the completed form, we will work out the details of your tour.  It is highly recommended that you book at least one month in advance.

Grade Range

“Then & Now”  —  1^st to 6^th

“Village Life”  —  1^st to 3^rd

“Barter & Trade  —  3^rd to 6^th