New at Old York
School programs at Old York offer generations a slice of history
By Anne Poubeau
One of the many activities children enjoy during Living History is learning how to prepare a meal over the open hearth.
Courtesy photoWhat does a 40-year-old person who lived in York all his or her life have in common with a 10-year-old? During the fifth grade both would have experienced life in colonial times for a couple of days at the Old York Historical Society.
The "Living History" program, researched by a dedicated team of educators from the museum, was first started in 1976 and is still going strong. What started as a program designed only for local students has turned into a regional experience for schools from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
The program, renamed "Young Travelers" for schools outside of York, has been modified over the years, thanks to the feedback of teachers and other participating educators. Last summer, one of the research fellows at Old York collaborated with fifth-grade teachers Suzi Young and Sarajane St. John to improve the existing activities and create new ones. Because of the increasing pressure on teachers to "teach students to the test," even the fieldtrips have to answer certain standards established either at the local level or through state learning standards. Old York's education staff has to make sure all the school programs offered answer these standards, which are often different from state to state.
Most of the programs we offer today are derived from the original "Living History" program. The most popular one, the Young Travelers program, takes place in Jefferds' Tavern and introduces students in grades 3 to 6 to everyday life in the 1780s through hands-on activities such as hearth cooking, spinning wool, weaving, playing games, writing on slates and reading from "The New England Primer" in the adjoining one-room schoolhouse.
Here is an extract from a young participant's post-visit essay, "On April 19, our class went to Jefferds' Tavern. We came to school dressed like we were in the olden days. First our group cooked the lunch. We cut up vegetables and made bread, apple cake, cinnamon buns and cheese biscuits. Everyone got to churn butter. I got to churn first. It gets tiring, so there is a poem to sing in your head. ‘Churn butter, churn. Churn butter, churn. Peter is standing at the gate, waiting for a butter cake. Churn butter, churn.' Next we went to the game room. In the game room we got to play lots of games. I played one of the games with Elizabeth. It was called Nine Man Morris. Mistress Hillari traced our shadow. The silhouette looked exactly like me. Then it was time to change groups. We made a piece of yarn from some wool. Then it was time for lunch."
Another student describes the afternoon activities, "After lunch we went to the 1789 school. I learned that they didn't have many things in their classroom. It was a one-room schoolhouse. The students sat on benches instead of desks. They did their lessons on slates with chalk. Everyone had the same book. It had all subjects in it. It was fun! ... We are perfect time travelers. It was lots of fun."
Costumed staff and volunteers lead students through these activities while maintaining order and preparing a meal for up to 30 children and chaperones - not to mention preparation, clean-up, shopping and laundry! As the education director at Old York for the past seven years, I am grateful to have worked with a group of dedicated people who have ensured successful school programs for children; so successful that our calendar is always full, with a waiting list of schools hoping to participate in this hands-on history lesson. When you drive down Lindsay Road and see us leading children in a hoop-and-sticks race, you really only see the tip of this educational iceberg.
