Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm | Programs : School Programs

PROGRAMS
Educational Programs - Summer Programs - Special Events - Workshops

Educational Programs
Quiet Valley Educational Programs

Quiet Valley offers a variety of programs for classrooms and special tours for school groups visiting the farm fall, winter and spring, from Labor Day until June 20. We also can come out to your Senior,Nursing Home, Homeschool, Red Hat, or Historical group. See below for more information about these learning opportunities. School Teachers please also check out Teacher Resources for additional information about our programs for school groups for fall, winter and spring and available dates.

JUMP TO
Farm Tours - Farm Hand Adventure - One Room School House

Sheep/One Room School House - Sheep School Visit - Chicken School Visit

Hands on History - Homeschool Volunteer Experience - Outreach Programs - Kids & Critters

Farm Tours (New - Grades 1 and up):

Each tour lasts approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours:

The farm is an example of life on a self-sufficient homestead . "Family" guides in period clothing share the daily routine of a typical Pennsylvania German family and its descendants who lived at this location from 1765 to 1913.

There are fourteen buildings, including original and reconstructed, on the farm. Our guides take you back in time to relive the story of a family and to observe the activities typical of nineteenth century farm life.

The barnyard animals are here to watch, listen and touch. Learn about the role animals played in the daily life of the farm. A hay jump in the barn provides added fun.

Academic Standards met by our Tour:
Pennsylvania History Standards
Pennsylvania Science and Technology Standards

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
Weekdays - April 1 to June 19 & Fall
Grades 1 and up
$5.00 Children, 1 Teacher free for each 10 children, $8.00 Adults
Minimum: $100.00

We begin accepting reservations for Spring School Tours the day after Labor Day.

Farm Hand Adventure (Grades 3 and up):

This program lasts 3 1/2 to 4 hours:

Hands-on participation in small groups learning 19th century skills like bread making, butter churning, crafts and games. Program is held at the Engel Education Building at Quiet Valley.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
Weekdays - November, January, February, March
Grades 3 and up
$10.00 per person ($200 minimum)

1893 One Room School House (Grades 3 and up):

This program lasts 3 1/2 to 4 hours:

Our School Marm begins the day with the opening exercises: greeting, Pledge of Allegiance, singing and a Bible reading. Next, slate assignments are given, followed by recitation and arithmetic. At mid-day there is lunch (not included) and recess, during which the children play old-time games. In the afternoon spelling bees, history, science, geography and penmanship completes the schedule.

Our reconstructed schoolhouse is furnished with slant-top desks hand crafted at Quiet Valley and a vintage pot-belly stove, dating from 1882, stands in the center of the room. In the vestibule there is a water jar, a place for lunch pails and coat hooks. Prior to coming, instructions will be mailed to stimulate the interest of your students and prepare them for their journey back in time. Children are encouraged to wear period clothing.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
Weekdays - November, January, February, March, and Summer
Grades 3 and up
$6.50 per person ($125 minimum)

Molly/One Room School House (Grades 1 and up):

This program lasts 3 1/2 to 4 hours:

This program held on-site at Quiet Valley combines two of our most popular programs for children. Students learn about the importance of sheep and wool on the farm by meeting Molly the Sheep and taking part in hands-on activities related to spinning and weaving. Participants also take part in a One Room School experience in our reconstructed Schoolhouse.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
Weekdays - November, January, February, March
Grades 1 & up
$5.00 per person ($100 minimum)

Molly the Sheep visits You (Grades 1 and up):

This program lasts approximately 1 hour:

Hands-on demonstrations in your "Group" including wool carding, spinning and weaving. Our live sheep Molly will be there too! Great for senior citizens too!

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
Weekdays - November 1 to March 31
Grades 1 and up
$75 per group ($225.00 minimum) plus mileage @ current Federal reimbursement rate ($.50 as of 1/1/10)
Limited Travel Area

Henrietta visits You (Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grade):

This program lasts approximately an hour and a half:

Original story of the farm and a farm chicken told in your classroom with our live chicken, Henrietta! Includes games and related activities.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
Weekdays - November 1 to March 31
Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grade
$60 per class ($180.00 minimum) plus mileage @ current Federal reimbursement rate ($.50 as of 1/1/10)
Limited Travel Area

Hands on History for Home School Families

An Exciting, Interactive Way to Learn History

Throughout the school year, Quiet Valley offers several Hands on History Programs for homeschool families. These programs cover a variety of topics relating to life on an early Pennsylvania-German farm. They are interactive and allow homeschool students of all ages and their parents to learn more about our past. There are three programs scheduled for November, and additional dates may be scheduled for groups of 25 people. Minimum age - 6 years.

Fall 2009 Programs: (check back for Spring 2010 Hands on History)

Tuesday, November 17 – Simple Machines – While life in the 18th and 19th century was more primitive than today, the Pennsylvania-German farmer still had machines at his disposal. Learn about the wheel and axel, the pulley, the lever, the screw and the inclined plane. Where and how were they used? Join the scavenger hunt down on the farm as you search for these machines and try out the catapult. It will be a day of fun and learning for boys and girls of all ages.

Wednesday, November 18 – Christmas Throughout the Colonies – Learn about Christmas in pre-Revolutionary War America. Travel throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and the Southern states and learn how different Christmas was celebrated in the years before America’s independence. We will be making several different recipes from that time period, and the day will be full of other surprises. This program is for both boys and girls of all ages.

Thursday, November 19 – Clothing Throughout the 19th Century – How did clothing change from 1800 – 1900? What differences were there between the city and country? What fabrics were available to the rich and the not so rich? When did commercially made fabric become common and affordable? From the Empire style, to the hoop skirt, to the bustle, it was a century of change. Students will also learn a few basic sewing stitches that both boys and girls would have been expected to learn as they grew up (and yes, boys did learn how to sew). The program is for boys and girls ages 10 and up.

All Hands on History Programs are:
Time: 10:00am until 2:00pm, with a half hour lunch break.
Cost: $10.00 per person with a maximum cost of $50.00 per family (per session)
Deadline for registration with payment - Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Minimum age - 6 years
All materials will be provided and families should bring their own lunch.
Class size: minimum of 10 with a maximum of 25

Contact Cheryl Statham at 992-6161 or E-mail programs@quietvalley.org for pre-registration.

Homeschool Volunteer Experience 2010

Beginning Thursday, April 8, 2010 and running through Monday, June 14, Quiet Valley’s Homeschool Volunteer Experience is an educationally meaningful and enjoyable program for individual students ages 10 and up, and parents are welcome to participate with younger children. Students will have the opportunity to learn about Pennsylvania German history by experiencing it firsthand. They will become an integral part of our spring School Tour Program by working closely with our staff members in a variety of activities. The homeschool participants will bring the farm to life by coming one day per week (for either 5 weeks, or the full 10 weeks) in authentic costume for a period of 4 to 6 hours.

Children will learn about period clothing, museum etiquette and artifact handling, then assist our guides on the actual tour, helping with animals, weaving on the loom, cooking on an open hearth, assisting in a one room school “lesson” or helping during the barn/smokehouse portion of the tour. Students may even be given the opportunity to conduct a portion of the tour under supervision.

A family membership is all that is required to participate in this volunteer experience. For more information and to enroll, please contact Cheryl Statham at programs@quietvalley.org or 570-992-6161. Enrollment will continue until the program is full.

Outreach Programs
Informative and entertaining, for Senior Groups, Nursing Homes, Homeschoolers, Red Hats, Historical Groups, etc.

LIGHTING THROUGHOUT THE AGES – How did people light their homes before there were electric lights? This program shows the many different types of lighting devices developed over the centuries to light homes after dark. From whale oil to tallow to kerosene, a variety of lighting instruments were invented to meet the people’s needs. We will bring a large variety of items for people to see and hold. Wicking and beeswax sheets can be provided for the residents to make their own small candles. This program will last between one to one and a half hours.

FOOD PRESERVATION – FROM SALT TO CANNING JARS – Before the days of electric refrigerators and freezers, and a grocery store at every corner, being able to preserve enough food to last throughout the winter was a life and death proposition. Learn about the variety of food preservation methods available to the early Pennsylvania settler, including salting, drying, smoking, and storing food in root cellars and springhouses. The program will also look at the development of home canning, and how it revolutionized the diet and health of the American people. This program will last between one to one and a half hours. (Note: We would be able to pass out food samples as part of the demonstration if you would like.)

JUST FOR NICE – PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN FOLK ART – Life was hard for the early settlers in Pennsylvania, but that does not mean that they did not create works of art. This program talks about scherenschnitte, fraktur, tinwork, decorative painting on furniture and decorative fabrics. We are able to leave two different folk art projects that your residents would be able to do at a later time if you desire. This program will last between one to one and a quarter hours.

WHAT “WOOD” WOULD A WOODCHUCK CHUCK? – There were trees everywhere when the first settlers came to Pennsylvania. The Depper family settled on our farm because of the Black Walnut trees. What did people use all of the trees for, and what do we use those same trees for today? Participants will learn about the most common trees in Pennsylvania, the tree structure and the different parts of the tree that are used for identification purposes, even when they don’t have any leaves on them. What is the difference between soft wood and hard wood? What happens inside the tree as it grows? What do different woods look like? We will cover all this and more. This program will last between one to one hour and fifteen minutes.

Costs for all Outreach Programs:
Up to 25 residents - $100 plus mileage
26 – 50 residents - $150 plus mileage
51 – 75 residents - $200 plus mileage
76 – 100 residents - $225 plus mileage
Over 100 residents - $250 plus mileage

Craft supplies can be provided for an additional fee. Programs involving our farm animals are available upon request.

All programs and prices subject to change.