The Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead, located just outside Wilmington, is a great destination for students learning about everyday life in early America. By exploring a working historical farm, students can understand how families grew food, cared for animals, prepared meals, and completed everyday chores. The site brings colonial history to life with tours led by experts on early American history.
Colonial Experience
This program, designed for children in grades 2 and up, is about 3 hours long and gives students insight into what 18th-century farm life might have looked like. In this program, groups of students rotate through activities ranging from candle dipping to learning about the farm’s animal breeds. All activities are interactive and adapted to group size to provide the best possible experience. The experience also includes lunch. The minimum number of students required is 20, and the maximum is 160.
Mini Colonial Experience
For groups with less time, or those who don’t need such a thorough experience, this is the perfect choice. Lasting about an hour and a half, this includes the two most popular activities offered here: candle dipping and farm chores. Groups in this program can also learn about the farm’s heritage-breed animals and receive a tour of the farmhouse. This option is for groups of 20 to 65 and grades 2 and up.
Sampler Programs
Colonial Farmstead offers two sampler programs, featuring either three or four activities. Both options are around three hours long and offer more intensive exploration of the activities, making this perfect for instructors who want their children to have a more in-depth learning experience. Both experiences include learning about the farm’s animals and hearth cooking in the historical kitchens. Depending on the chosen experience, instructors can add one or two optional activities. At the end of the program, groups will have the opportunity to eat the food they prepared during hearth cooking. Both experiences are for grades 3 and up.
Little Farmers
This experience is perfect for younger children, around grade 2. This is an hour-and-a-half experience featuring two activities, each accompanied by a story. These activities include wool-related arts and crafts, followed by gardening activities.
In addition to these programs, Colonial Farmstead offers a range of other activities throughout the year, so instructors should keep an eye on what will be offered around the dates of their visit. Recently offered activities include dyeing workshops and landscape drawing workshops. They also offer virtual programming, and you can contact this email address for more information.
Overall, the Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead offers students an engaging way to understand the routines, skills, and challenges of colonial life, allowing them to develop a stronger connection to the people and communities that shaped early Pennsylvania.
