PROGRAMS
Education Programs for Youth
Scroll down for information about becoming a Time Travelers camp counselor.
Time Travelers Summer Program 2008
Have
fun with history at
Click
here for a downloadable camper registration form (1 page).
Week 1: Rebels and Redcoats
July
28-
Travel
back to the 1770s to find out what it was really like to live at the time of the
American Revolution! Learn about colonial life with different activities,
including candlemaking, cutting silhouettes, and writing with a quill pen. At
the end of the week, discuss what the “troubles” with the king are all
about, and visit with soldier from George Washington’s army.
Week
2: Work and Play
Step
into the shoes of a child living in the 1850s! Learn about the time when
“cotton was king” with different activities, including: building a simple
machine, spinning and weaving, and playing that “new” game, base ball. At
the end of the week, visit with a Union soldier and learn about why he joined
Mr. Lincoln’s army.
Week
3: History Detectives
Get
out your magnifying glass and help solve some of history’s mysteries! Learn
about the art and science of history with different activities, including
painting a floor cloth, working in the historic Hermitage gardens, and
participating in a simulated archaeological dig. At the end of the week, visit
with a preservation expert and learn about simple things to do at home to
preserve your family history.
Week
4: Victorian
Visions
August
18-22, 2008
Become a part of the “Gilded Age” and find out what it was like to live at the Hermitage in the 1890s! Learn about Victorian life with different activities, including watercolor painting, creating a crazy quilt collage, and making a recipe from the Rosencrantz family cookbook. At the end of the week, learn the art of social dance and visit with a proper Victorian lady or gentleman.
Tuition is $175, single week; $325, two weeks; $625, all four weeks. Tuition includes a one-year Family membership in the Friends of the Hermitage.
Counselors
play an important role in the Time Travelers summer program for children by
helping to engage children in discovering American history in fun and exciting
ways; to promote an appreciation for history in our community; and to
connect children to the history of where they are growing up.
To download a counselor application form (2 pages), click here.
Please
discuss the forms with your parent/guardian and return them to us before
As
it is for all high school student volunteers at
In
early June, the museum’s staff will review applications and invite a select
number of applicants to become counselors. If
you are selected, you will be required to attend one of the two counselor
orientation meetings that will take place sometime in June and July.
Again,
thank you for your interest in the Hermitage National Historic Landmark!
Scout & After-School Programs
Become a history detective with our hands-on programs for Scouts and other after-school groups!
Using objects, documents, and inquiry-based learning strategies, students will delve deeply into the past and learn to see the events and people of history in a meaningful context.
Listening to the Past: Explore the everyday life of a middle-class Victorian family on a tour of The Hermitage. Students will learn to "read" an object to gain insight into the past.
Architecture: Uncover the secrets of the Gothic Revival Hermitage. What do the details of the architecture tell us about the different periods in which the house was built or added to? Students will explore The Hermitage inside and out (weather permitting) to discover the clues hidden in wood, stone, and plaster.
Local Lore: Learn about New Jersey’s participation in the American Revolution and the Civil War and what life was like at The Hermitage during those periods.
Lenape Life: Using artifacts and reproductions, students will investigate the lifeways of the Lenape before and after European settlement in Bergen County.
Women through Time: Learn about life as a woman in the colonial, Victorian, and modern eras.
Programs are 1
hour long and are available on weekdays beginning at 3:30 p.m. or 4:00
p.m., September through June. All programs are held at the Hermitage Education & Conference Center.
The cost per program is $100 and includes up to 20 youth + 3 adults; the charge
for additional adults is $5/each.
Click here for answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Scout & After-School Programs.
Birthday Parties
Celebrate in Historical Style! The Hermitage offers birthday parties for young historians, recommended for children ages 6-10.
Parties are available Monday-Friday, 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A base fee of $175 includes lemonade or iced tea and activities/crafts for 10 guests; $10 per each additional guest; maximum total of 18 children and 2 adults. (Family must supply cake or cupcakes.)
Victorian Tea Party
Discover the roots of modern childhood in the nineteenth century! Guests will make a calling card, play parlor games, and decorate a small stuffed bear.
Colonial Party
Spend a birthday in the eighteenth century! Guests will practice writing with a quill pen, try their hand at "graces" and decorate a wooden toy to take home.
Please contact the Education Department at The Hermitage at 201-445-8311 for details.