Storekeeping in the country was hard business. It is no wonder that many country stores were partnerships. Someone always had to mind the store.

Can't make it to the museum? Looking for a pre- or post-visit experience to enhance the learning opportunity? Let the museum bring one of these programs to you.

The Animal Kingdom, Ages 3-8
Winter
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology

A museum naturalist visits your classroom and brings a group of small animal friends for your students to meet. This program focuses on animal diversity and biological adaptations.

The Ox-Cart Man, Ages 3-8
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Social Studies.

The story of a 19th-century family comes alive as our museum educator brings a cart full of objects for students to see and touch. Based on The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall.

Quilt Story, Ages 3-8
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in Art; English Language Arts; Social Studies

Our museum educator uses quilts to bring to life the touching story of a 19th-century girl and her quilt. Based on The Quilt Story written by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Tomie dePaola.

Small Folks, Ages 3-8
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

Your students will learn what a typical day was like for children more than a century ago through hands-on activities using 19th-century objects and clothing.

19th-Century Games, Ages 7-Adult
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies; Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences.

Students are highly engaged by playing with the simple toys of yesterday. They are encouraged to try jackstraws, cup-and-ball, the whimmy-diddle, buzz saw and much more. More advanced students can be challenged to identify the strategies involved in each game and the physics principles that underlie each toy. The program also provides topics for discussing and/or writing about resource use, the purpose of play, and the comparison of how a young person's time was—and is—split among work, school and play.

A Slave’s Narrative, Ages 8-Adult
Winter
Step back in time to witness an 1841 encounter between escaped slave and abolitionist William Wells Brown and a printer sympathetic to his cause. Portraying the characters in first person, two museum actors discuss whether the printer will publish Brown’s memoirs, Narrative of William W. Brown, an American Slave.

The audience learns that while there are extreme risks associated with the abolitionist stance, none is so great as the risks taken by slaves to claim their freedom. The performance is followed by a question-and-answer session. Suitable for groups in a small assembly format.

Basketmaking, Ages 8-Adult
Winter
Relevant to learning standards in Art; English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

By watching and participating, students learn what skills are needed to turn a log into a basket. What is now an art form and a leisure-time craft was once a necessary survival skill for 19th-century families. Our basketmaker can tailor this program to fit your students' needs, emphasizing natural resource use, process and product, technology and/or functions. This program provides excellent topics for further discussion and writing exercises.

Quilting, Ages 8-Adult
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in Art; English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

Making a quilt was a way to help keep a 19th-century family warm, and it was also a means for artistic self-expression. Learning about quilts is a way to understand more about 19th-century American life, art, communication and even geometry. Our quilter will share 19th-century quilt patterns and demonstrate how quilts are put together. Students will learn the importance and origins of quilting and how quilted items were used for a variety of purposes.

The Spice Box, Ages 8-Adult
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Social Studies

The quest for spices helped shape the world during the 19th century, and the story of their trade and transport is an effective way for your students to learn geography as well as history and economics. A costumed museum educator will bring to your students samples of spices along with the stories of their origins and uses. This program provides excellent topics for discussion and writing.

The Tinsmith, Ages 8-Adult
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

In this inquiry-based program, our Genesee Country tinsmith will bring some of his shiny wares as well as the tools he used to make them so your students can see both process and result. Students will be challenged to figure out how this technology was employed to solve specific problems and meet particular needs. The tinsmith will also share insights into his role in early American economies and compare it to that of his 21st-century counterpart.

The Little Red Schoolhouse, Ages 9-14
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

ArtVentures, Ages 9-Adult
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in Art; English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology

In this interdisciplinary program, a museum educator brings a new means of accessing the natural world to your classroom. S/he will introduce the basics of creating and appreciating art with a focus on wildlife, using slides of paintings and sculptures in the museum's Gallery of Wildlife & Sporting Art. The program is an excellent foundation for visit to the gallery and/or the nature center, journaling, researching aspects of the special relationship between humans and animals, and having students create their own wildlife art. See listing under "Interdisciplinary Programs" or call us for more ideas on using this concept in your classroom.

The General Store, Ages 9-Adult
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

Aided by 19th-century wares and dry goods for your inspection, our costumed storekeeper will introduce your students to this uniquely American institution that gave flavor and personality to 19th-century villages. It was a place for people to purchase supplies, barter goods and gather information about the goings-on in town. Your students will learn about the general storekeeper's multifaceted role in the community and how the general store contributed to an area's settlement. Modifiable to meet your students' particular needs, the program is an engaging way to learn about world-wide trade, household and business economics, pricing systems, profit margins and customer service — 19th-century style.

Measure Up, Ages 9-Adult
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

This interdisciplinary program provides a hands-on approach to understanding and evaluating 19th-century methods of measuring length, weight and volume. Our costumed museum educator will tailor the program to meet your students' particular needs and to address your specific curriculum goals. Together, the educator and your students will make the connections between the mathematics of measuring and the vocabulary that remains an important part of American speech today.

Objects from History, Ages 9-Adult
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in English Language Arts; Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

Our costumed museum educator brings unusual and everyday objects from the 19th century to your classroom. Students will have the opportunity to examine the objects and discover on their own how people devised technological solutions to meet their specific needs. This program provides ample opportunities to compare the tools and constructs of the past with those of today, and is an excellent starting point for further research, writing and reporting in the classroom.

Wildlife of the Genesee Country, Ages 9-Adult
Winter
Relevant to learning standards in Math, Science and Technology; Social Studies

A visit from our museum naturalist will help your students learn about the animals native to the Genesee Country and how and why wildlife populations changed with the advent of Euro-American settlement. This history-based nature program provides students with plenty of opportunities to examine animal skulls, bones and skins as well as live specimens.

19th-Century Fashion, Ages 12-Adult
Year Round
Relevant to learning standards in Art; English Language Arts; Social Studies

Costuming is an integral interpretive tool at Genesee Country Village & Museum. In this program, we bring you a sampling of clothing styles from the 19th century along with explanations of the origins and functions of costume elements. The program will be customized to suit your specific needs and time frame and may be requested in either a lecture format or as a fashion show. Pricing reflects the number of models and program length.

History in the Kitchen, Ages 12-Adult
Year Round
A museum cook shows how she uses 19th-century cookbooks, household inventories, diaries, and letters to recreate menus of the past and to understand how people prepared, stored and served their food. She’ll bring receipts (recipes) as well as examples of cookware and other kitchen utensils to illustrate this most “tasteful” approach to the past.

The Language of Flowers, Ages 12-Adult
Year Round
Learn about one of the most enchanting customs of the 19th century – communicating through flowers instead of words. From the four-leaf clover to the red rose, each was used to communicate a specific thought or feeling. Our museum staff person brings examples of flowers and teaches your group how to make 19th-century-style tussie-mussies.

Victorian Yuletide, Ages 12-Adult
Year Round
Festive holiday decorating flourished in Victorian America, and Christmas preparations began weeks in advance. A museum staff person helps you get started on your preparations by using historic documentation to recreate the spirit and charm of an old-fashioned Christmas.