Homeschool Programs
Strawbery Banke welcomes families to step into the past in-person and virtually for learning and discovery in the historic neighborhood of Puddle Dock. Explore traditional arts and crafts such as basket weaving and woodworking, learn how to write a historical fiction book, solve mysteries using documents, images, and objects, and so much more!
Member registration begins on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at 10 AM.
Public registration begins on Monday, August 12, 2024, at 10 AM.
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History Alive
Wednesdays, September 4, 11, 18 & 25, 2024
Morning session: 9:30-11:30 AM
Afternoon session: 12:30-2:30 PMExplore life in early America through crafts, games and dress up! Each day students learn about different aspects of 18th-century life through hands-on projects and activities and spend time playing in costume in one of Strawbery Banke’s historic houses. History Alive is designed for children ages 6-9.
Price: $80 for one child, 10% off for each additional child -
History in Play
Wednesdays, September 4, 11, 18 & 25, 2024
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 optional
Morning session: 9:30-12:00 PM
Afternoon session: 12:30-3:00 PMRoleplay a historical figure by learning about their time period through Colonial-era hearth cooking, crafts, entertainments, and etiquette. Dress in costume and use the Museum as your backdrop. Join us on October 2 to roleplay your character for fellow homeschooling families. History in Play is designed for ages 9-11.
Price: 1 Child - $80.00, 10% off for each additional child
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A History of Thanksgiving
Friday, November 1, 2024
Morning Session: 9:15-11:30 AM
Afternoon Session: 12:15-2:30 PMDiscover how Thanksgiving transcended time, place and culture to become the uniquely American holiday celebrated today. Try old-fashioned cooking, talk with costumed roleplayers, and make a Victorian charity basket. In small groups, find the common themes of this holiday over four centuries: charity, gratitude and the celebration of family and community. A History of Thanksgiving. This family program is designed for children ages 6-12. Those ages 6 to 8 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
$15.00 for first student, 10% off each additional student
Homeschool Day: History Detectives
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Just like detectives, historians examine the things people left behind to uncover evidence about what happened in the past. Join Museum experts and professional Museum educators as they share their passion and ignite curiosity through a series of hands-on workshops and expertly guided tours. Workshops are designed for 3 age groups: Children 7 and under; ages 8-11; and ages 12+.
The historic houses will be open as part of workshops only. There will be no self-guided tour option on this day.
Workshops for children 7 and under (choose 1 or more):
$15 first workshop and 10% off for additional workshops or students.
Storytime: Oxcart Man
October 2, 2024
9:15-10:15 AM
Listen to a read-aloud of The Ox-cart Man by Donald Hall and then simulate bringing goods from the farm to the city by making trades at the 18th-century Shapley Shop.
Toys and Games of Long Ago
October 2, 2024
11:15 AM-12:15 PM
Explore how children's lives in the past compare to ours today. Handle and use wooden 18th century toys from the past, and see how they stack up against what kids use today.
Dress Up and Play Time: Walsh House 1802
October 2, 2024
1:30-2:30 PM
Dress in 18th-century costume and visit the hands-on Walsh House for the chance to pretend and play in a kitchen, bedchamber, dining room and parlor.
Workshops for ages 8-11 (choose 1 or more):
$15 first workshop and 10% off for additional workshops or students.
Archaeology: Unearthing the Past
October 2, 2024
9-10:30 AM, 11 AM-12:30 PM, 1:15-2:45 PM
Become an archaeologist in a simulated tabletop excavation. Using trowels and brushes, unearth buried ‘artifacts’ and learn how archaeologists use objects to discover the secrets of the past. Visit a recreated privy and historic home to examine real artifacts, all recovered in excavations on the Museum site.
Architecture: To Build a House
October 2, 2024
9-10:30 AM, 11 AM-12:30 PM, 1:15-2:45 PM
How did colonial people build homes with just hand tools and human power? Discover the answers by becoming a construction crew and working as a team to assemble a tabletop model of an 18th-century post-and-beam house. Then explore a real historic house built on the same plan, looking for clues to its construction and the lives of the people who lived there long ago.
Coming to America: Immigration Investigation
October 2, 2024
9-10:30 AM, 11 AM-12:30 PM, 1:15-2:45 PM
What is it like to leave home and move to a new country? In this workshop, students become investigators, uncovering immigrant experiences. Using images, posters, and primary sources, they discover how and why their characters came to America and the obstacles they faced. Students then explore the Museum’s buildings, comparing the characters' homes and new lives in America.
Expert Guided Tours for ages 12+ (choose 1 or more):
$15 first workshop and 10% off for additional workshops or students.
Recollections of Home
October 2, 2024
9:15-10:15 AM
Join a professional researcher on a walking tour to discover how primary documents and oral histories have provided a wealth of evidence about the immigrants living in the Puddle Dock neighborhood in the early 20th-Century.
Archaeology
October 2, 2024
11:15 AM-12:15 PM
Join the Museum’s archaeologist as they share how searching underground for discarded and lost artifacts has informed many of the exhibits at Strawbery Banke today. The tour will conclude at the collections center where artifacts are processed in the lab.
Water Has a Memory
October 2, 2024
1:30-2:30 PM
Explore how sea level rise is affecting Strawbery Banke’s historic houses in real time. Located on the picturesque banks of the Piscataqua River, the Museum is in the highest-at-risk area for sea level impacts, already evident in four of its historic homes.