School Programs at Fruitlands

Guided tours of our galleries and buildings

Fruitlands has several opportunities for school field experiences. Students can visit all four galleries: Fruitlands Farm House, The Shaker Office, the Native American Gallery, and the Art Gallery. Students will learn not only about the objects created in the 19^th century, but also about the lives of the people who created them. Students will learn how the landscape shaped the ways these people lived and how they in turn, shaped the land.

Fruitlands Museums is open to visitors and school groups from May until October 31^st. Cost is $6 per student. We require one adult for every ten students; these adults are admitted at no cost. Admission for each additional adult is $6. Pleae call the education department at 978.456.3924 x291 or email education@fruitlands.org for additional details or to book a program.

 

For those groups interested primarily in a program on Native Americans, Fruitlands offers flexible programs which may include and extended visit to the Native American Gallery 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.

Grades 1 through 4

Native People Long Ago and Today

This program focuses 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 Native American Gallery 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)

Curriculum Connections – Grades 1 through 4

Fifth Grade Program

Changes in the Land – Understanding History Through Archaeology and Exploration

This program focuses 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 Native American Gallery. (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 18^th and 19^th 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)

Curriculum Connections – Grade 5 - Changes In the Land

Overview of Primary Sources – Visit to all four Galleries  at Fruitlands

This program provides 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 Office that depicts Shaker life in the early to mid-19^th 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 Native American Gallery with displays of artifacts from the Northeast, Plains, Southwest, and Northwest Coast. (30 minutes)
• A tour of the Art Gallery featuring 19^th 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 gallery visits in order to fit into the typical 3-3 ½ hour field trip. (60 minutes)

Curriculum Connections – Grade 5

High School Programs

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 Office. (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 21^st century advertising firm who is faced with the task of returning to the 19^th century to develop a marketing plan for either the Harvard Shaker Village or Fruitlands Museum. 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. (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)

Curriculum Connections – High School

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 Office that depicts Shaker life in the early to mid-19^th century. Fruitlands Museum 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 Native American Gallery with displays of artifacts from the Northeast, Plains, Southwest, and Northwest Coast. (30 minutes)
• A tour of the Art Gallery featuring 19^th 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 site, or simply explore our natural landscape. (30 – 60 minutes)

Please contact the education department at 978.456.3924 x291 or e-mail us at education@fruitlands.org for further information.