Programs &Events

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Schoolboys at the  Wenham MuseumSchool Programs

Traveling Colonial Program
Goody O’Grumpity
ENHC Milestone Award Winner!

Goody O’Grumpity visits your classroom to mesmerize students with a diorama of her cooking hearth and tales of early colonial life in New England. Goody shares touchable artifacts from the museum and, after having read Carol Ryrie Brink’s poem, invites students to take turns grinding spices that are left with the teacher for baking Goody’s spice cake. Goody sends the recipe ahead so it can also be made for a snack that day. (45 minutes) Pre-K - Grade 2

$100.00 per session up to 25 students, additional same day program $65.00 per group of up to 25, plus mileage.

Lynn-
“The program was organized and well-presented, all personnel involved with children were wonderful with the children!”

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Programs at the Museum or offsite
Colonial Household

This interactive program provides an overview of daily life during the Colonial period in rural Massachusetts and includes opportunities for children to participate in hands-on activities. Teachers select up to two activities from candle making, soap making, games, cooking, or schooling. Every child brings home a product of his/her activity. Children also enjoy a tour the first floor of the Claflin-Richards House led by a costumed educator and participate in an introductory slide discussion about Colonial family and community life. (2.5 - 3 hours)
Grade 2 - 5 $6.00 per child (plus travel fee and mileage if offsite)

Native Americans on the North Shore

Rockport-
“I’m thrilled to find a program about Native Americans near Rockport!”

As they are introduced to the history and daily life of Native Americans on the North Shore, students discover the people who were here before the first settlers and learn how they lived. Students participate in a pow-wow to learn about the Algonquians on the North Shore using the museum’s Native American artifacts, reproduction pieces, and renowned doll collection. Each student also constructs his/her own miniature longhouse to take home. (2 hours) Grade 2 - 5 $6.00 per child (plus mileage if offsite)(plus travel fee and mileage if offsite)

Woburn - “We loved the hands-on artifacts and making our take home project. We’ll be back for future field trips.”

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Cold Cash Crop: The Wenham Ice Industry
Queen Victoria insisted that her guests be served ice from Wenham Lake. How did this industry put Wenham, Massachusetts, on the map for a half a century? The study of Wenham Ice Industry through original photographs and tools of the trade provides a unique opportunity for students to understand the rise and decline of an industry. The program includes a look at simple machines through the demonstration of historic ice tools.

(1 hour) Grade 2 - 5 $4.50 per child (plus travel fee and mileage if offsite)

Ipswich -
“The Wenham Museum program was both fun and informative.”

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Programs at the Museum
Fireside Chat

Meet Joanna McClaflin, mistress of the museum’s circa 1690 Claflin-Richards House, and learn about her life as one of the early settlers of the North Shore. Students gather in front of Joanna’s fireplace and hear stories about her family and their life in New England. Children question the costumed interpreter, discussing the differences between “then and now,” as they enjoy the historic room and learn about food production, trading, community life, and household duties of the Claflin family in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
(45 minutes) K - Grade 3 $5.00 per child

East Boston - “The program was well run, and overall very enjoyable.”

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Spinning and Weaving

This hands-on, interactive program demonstrates how wool is changed from raw material to cloth. We begin with slides, a discussion of the process of making cloth before the Industrial Revolution, and a fabric-centered tour of the 17th-century Claflin-Richards house. Children engage in the process of turning fleece to fabric, from teasing and carding fleece to spinning and dying, and then weaving. Each student produces an individual weaving project to bring home.
The program touches areas across the curriculum, including history, math, and science. (2.5 to 3 hours) Grade 3 - 5 $6.00 per child

Gloucester - “A hidden treasure hidden no more!”

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Building for the Future

This program provides a hands-on look at construction for young children. The class includes a study of the reconstruction of the museum through pictures and architect’s models. Each child completes a group project using the museum’s large collection of building blocks as well as an individual construction project to take home. New this year, through keen observation of the museum’s collection of doll houses students will learn the many details that go into the construction of a house or model. This will bring the children closer to the collections at the museum as well as introducing a whole new skill set and appreciation of structures to the students. (1.5 hours)
Grade 1 – 3 $5.00 per child.


Student Art Gallery

The museum offers local schools (pre-school through grade 12) the opportunity to display student artwork for a month in our Student Art Gallery. All artists are given a family pass to view their work while on display. Pre-K - Grade 12


Bennett E. Merry and Family Discovery Galleries:
The museum’s Family Discovery Gallery and Merry Train Gallery offer opportunities for students to enjoy a less structured trip to the museum. The interactive Family Discovery gallery features rotating hands-on activities exploring different themes related to museum collections. There are engaging and educational dress-up, building, and art-based activities, among many others. The Bennett E. Merry Train Gallery features six running lay-outs of model trains including a Salem to Newburyport line. (1 hour) Pre-K - Grade 1 $4.00 per child

Beverly School for the Deaf - “Really great, lots to see and do!”

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