These programs, tailored for homeschooled students age 4 and up, have been developed with parents’ input. Start the new school year with a week of experiences in the 19th century! On the first day of Fall Sampler, youngsters receive a loan of period clothing, which becomes their outfit for the week.

The classes below for children age 8 and older begin at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, September 8-12. The cost is $200 per week for nonmembers and $150 per week for GCV&M members. Extended care, supervised by museum staff, is available from 9-10 a.m. and from 3-4:30 p.m.. Cost is $5 per child per session.

For times and costs of classes for children ages 4-7, please see individual program descriptions.

Youth Programs Catalog

Adobe Acrobat PDF

Living a Long Time Ago Year 4 (Ages 4-5; 6-7)
Sept. 8-12
Ages 4-5:10 a.m.-noon; Ages 6-7: 12:20-3 p.m.
Experience life as our great-grandparents might have in the 19th century. Understand how things were the same and different "a long time ago." Visit a different house or business each day and follow up with role-playing fun using costume pieces and props, creating crafts and art work, learning games, singing songs and creating stories. Fee: Ages 4-5 $80/$60 members; Ages 6-7 $100/$75 members.

Performing History (Ages 8-12)
Sept. 8-12
Do you like acting, singing, and storytelling?
Explore the acting techniques used within a living history museum setting. Through examples, games and practice, you’ll learn how you can bring the past alive for an audience. A theatrical performance showcases your talent and new skills at week’s end.

Weaving (Ages 10-14)
Sept. 8-12
Explore the craft of producing your own fabric in this introduction to weaving. Prepare fabric, and weave a rag rug. Plan, weave, hem and sew your handwoven fabric into a small bag; weave the handle for it on a tape loom. Visit the spinner to see how wool is spun into yarn, and see what the weaver is making on the floor loom.

Intermediate Foodways (Ages 12-17)
Sept. 8-12
Bake soda bread in a Dutch oven, learn the art of pie baking and try sausage stuffing as you get a taste for open-hearth cooking. Fill your second receipt book with everything that you learn during the week.

Trades of the 19th Century (Ages 12-17)
Sept. 8-12
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be an apprentice and learn a trade at the side of a master craftsman? What trade would you choose? Apprentices will spend time with at least four of the following tradesmen: the blacksmith, tinsmith, printer, broom maker, the cooper or potter. At the end of the week, you’ll be able show what you have learned and decide your favorite.