Fruitlands - Education
Museum ProgramsOutreach Programs |
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Museum Programs
Fruitlands has several opportunities for school field experiences. Students can visit all four museums; Alcott and Transcendentalism, Shaker, Native American, and American Art, and learn not only about the objects created in the 19th century, but also about the lives of the people who created them. Learn how the landscape shaped the ways these people lived and how they in turn, shaped the land.
For those groups interested primarily in a program on Native Americans, Fruitlands offers flexible programs which may include and extended visit to the Indian Museum, learning some Native American games and stories, a trip out to Fruitlands woodland trails to explore the Native American Hunting / Gathering site, and a classroom archaeological program.
The following educational programs have been designed to meet curriculum frameworks for particular grades but can be modified to meet the specific needs of students of all ages and abilities. Speak with the education department at Fruitlands to create a visit that best suits your needs.
Native People Long Ago and Today
This program will focus on the history of Native People throughout the United States in the past and today.
Activities will include:
- A Slide Show comparing and contrasting the way Native people and the Colonists in New England used the land. (30 minutes)
- A hands-on opportunity to explore a reproduction Native American home site focusing on the ways in which Native people in southern New England met their need for food, shelter, and clothing. Students will also learn about experimental archaeology. See a dugout canoe and learn how the staff at Fruitlands made it using the technology native people used hundreds of years ago. (30 minutes)
- A tour of the Indian Museum focusing on the objects created by Native people in the Northeast, Southwest, Plains, and Northwest Coast and how they reflect the natural resources in the different geographic regions. (30 minutes)
- An opportunity to play the Harvest Game, a classroom activity that focuses on the food resources available to the Native People who lived in New England thousands of years ago. (30 minutes)
Changes in the Land – Understanding history through archaeology and exploration
This program will focus on comparing and contrasting the ways in which the Native people and the colonists used and changed the landscape. Pick and choose from the following activities to create your ideal program:
- A tour of the Indian Museum. (30 minutes)
- A hands-on opportunity to explore a reproduction Native American home site focusing on the ways in which Native people in southern New England met their need for food, shelter, and clothing. (30 minutes)
- A mock archaeological “dig” during which students will discover artifacts from Native people and colonists. (60 minutes)
- A slide show comparing and contrasting the way Native people and the Colonists in New England used the land. (30 minutes)
- An optional self-guided tour of the Willard Site. The Willard site is located in the woods behind Fruitlands Museums. It was the site of a 18th and 19th century farm which was excavated in 1999. You will be provided with a map and other information so you can lead your students through the trails to the site. Once at the site there are a number of signs displaying information about the archaeology and the story of the farm. (30 minutes)
Overview of Primary Sources – Visit to all 4 Museums at Fruitlands
This program will provide an overview of the vast array of primary sources available that help us know what we know about the past. Choose a program from the following options:
- A tour of the Fruitlands Farmhouse where Louisa May Alcott and her family lived as part of a Transcendentalist experiment from 1842-1843. Primary sources include various artifacts, pictures, and documents. (30 minutes)
- A tour of the Shaker Museum which depicts Shaker life in the early to mid-19th century. Fruitlands Museums has a considerable library of Shaker journals, books, songs, and letters as well as many artifacts made and used by the Shakers in Harvard and elsewhere. (30 minutes)
- A tour of the Indian Museum with displays of artifacts from the Northeast, Plains, Southwest, and Northwest Coast. (30 minutes)
- A tour of the Picture Gallery featuring 19th century landscapes and portraits. (30 minutes)
- An optional archaeological exercise that allows students to partake in a mock archaeological “dig” in our classroom. Students will discover how artifacts are discovered and how they provide information about the past. This option would extend the field trip by approximately one hour. Teachers may choose to select this archaeology activity and two museum visits in order to fit into the typical 3-3 ˝ hour field trip. (60 minutes)
Shakers & Transcendentalists – Comparing and Contrasting Two Utopian Communities
This program will compare and contrast the ways of life of the Shakers and the Transcendentalists. Students will learn about the primary sources that teach us about these two communities and then participate in an activity in which they will use what they have learned.
Activities can include:
- A tour of the Shaker Museum. (30 minutes)
- A tour of the Brethren & Sisters exhibit in the Picture Gallery featuring objects and stories that tell the story of the Harvard Shakers. (30 minutes)
- A tour of the Fruitlands Farmhouse. (30 minutes)
- A marketing activity. Students will participate in a group classroom activity utilizing all of the resources Fruitlands has to offer, including a portfolio of primary sources from the Shakers and Transcendentalists. Students will play the part of an employee of a 21st century advertising firm who is faced with the task of returning to the 19th century to develop a marketing plan for either the Harvard Shaker Village or Fruitlands. Students will incorporate what they know from the tours of the museums and the portfolio of primary sources to create a marketing plan that can then be presented to the group. (60 minutes)
- An optional walking tour of the Harvard Shaker village. This walking tour begins approximately 5 miles from Fruitlands Museums at the Holy Hill of Zion. The walk continues through open meadows and fields and past the buildings and remains of buildings in the Shaker village. This tour is available for an additional $1 per student and requires transportation to the village. (1 hour, 15 minutes)
Museum Tours – Exploring Fruitlands’ collections
- A tour of the Fruitlands Farmhouse where Louisa May Alcott and her family lived as part of a Transcendentalist experiment from 1842-1843. Primary sources include various artifacts, pictures, and documents. (30 minutes)
- A tour of the Shaker Museum which depicts Shaker life in the early to mid-19th century. Fruitlands Museums has a considerable library of Shaker journals, books, songs, and letters as well as many artifacts made and used by the Shakers in Harvard and elsewhere. (30 minutes)
- A tour of the Indian Museum with displays of artifacts from the Northeast, Plains, Southwest, and Northwest Coast. (30 minutes)
- A tour of the Picture Gallery featuring 19th century landscapes and portraits. (30 minutes)
- A self-guided tour of our Woodland Trails. Follow well-marked trails through 3.2 miles of varied woodland landscapes. Visit an archaeological site, a Native hunting & gathering ground, or simply explore our natural landscape. (30 – 60 minutes)
Outreach Programs
Fruitlands offers the following outreach programs that allow us to visit your school during our off-season (November through April). Programs are one hour in length and work best when done one class at a time, a maximum of 4 programs can be conducted in one day. The first program costs $150; additional programs on the same day are $75 each. A $0.34/mile fee also applies to cover the distance to and from Fruitlands Museum.
Beans, Bones, Bark and Buffalo
Based on Fruitlands' Native American collection, this program offers an overview of four culture areas: Northeast, Plains, Southwest and North Coast. Using both genuine artifacts and modern reproductions, students will learn how each native group fulfilled basic needs of food, shelter and clothing with materials found in their own environment.
- Interactive overview of each cultural area led by Fruitlands interpreters.
- Features a number of historic artifacts.
- Ideal for 2nd and 3rd grade students.
Digging History: An Introduction to Archaeology
Based on a real archaeological dig at Fruitlands Museum, this program allows students to learn about archaeology and the history of Massachusetts. Program will include:
- Introduction to the science of archaeology.
- Interactive component that allows students to participate in a mock archaeological “dig” in the classroom. Students will uncover real and replica artifacts that represent the actual finds from the dig at Fruitlands. These artifacts illustrate the history of Massachusetts from thousands of years ago until the present.
- Ideal for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students.
Please contact the education department at (978) 456-3924 ext. 239 or e-mail us at education@fruitlands.org for further information.