Hands on the Past

Read House & Gardens
Field Trips and Programs
2007-08

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School Tours & Programs |Speakers Bureau

Historical Society of Delaware
Hands-On The Past Programs
To make reservations in New Castle call: (302) 295-3284

Teachers!
Send us your e-mail and regular mailing address
to receive updates and happenings for your group!
Please send to: education@hsd.org

Town Life Programs

The Town Life Programs focus on life in the largest house in a lively Delaware town in the early 1800s. Students discover how the daily activities and accommodations of the Read family members and their servants differed from those of country dwellers and plantation owners. By visiting select period rooms and participating in hands-on components and/or a craft project, students gather the information to compare those experiences with their own modern lives. Companion programs are listed to help you plan a full day of education and fun for students at any grade level.

Town Life:
Historic New Castle Walking Tours

Students will walk the street that is closest to the Delaware River, while docents discuss Packet Alley, the Delaware River, busybodies, mounting blocks, boot scrapers, fire plaques, hitching posts, and cobblestone streets.

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This program focuses on buildings located on and around the town common or Green. Students will discuss and visit a New Castle church, the Academy, the Arsenal, the town hall and marketplace, William Penn’s statue, and various curiosities along the Strand.

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Town Life: 
Introduction to the Read House

"Mrs. Read's door was awesome.
I want that in my room." -5th grade student

Students visit 8 period rooms to receive an introduction to how the wealthy Read family and their many servants lived and worked in their 19th century mansion. They learn how the Read children were raised, educated, and taught important social skills. They touch upon the hierarchy of servants as they discuss the marketing decisions of the housekeeper and modern cooking systems employed by Mr. Read’s cook. A mini geography lesson uses the location of the house on the Delaware River to illustrate transportation and settlement concepts as well as allowing students to create a mental map of the surrounding area. The tour’s interactive design encourages students to understand the past by comparing and contrasting it to life today.

History 1,2,3,4; Geography 1; Economics 1; Science 1B

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Town Life: 
Artisans and Apprenticeships

"The bandboxes were a meaningful craft.  I enjoyed the activity
where the children had to take what they learned about
artisans and share it with their peers." -4th grade teacher

How do you build furniture, decorate with paint, or make wood look like marble? Students will learn about the daily work of 19th century master craftsmen and their apprentices to see how, within the home of George Read, Jr., they turned the simple into the elegant. They will learn about craft tools and techniques through an artifact hands-on tool and craftwork match-up. Then students will decorate their own bandboxes using the favored 19th century faux finishing styles found throughout the Read House. Examining the decorative work found in Mr. Read’s mansion, then using the historic faux finishing techniques to decorate a keepsake box allows students to investigate the ideas, techniques, and visual and spatial concepts reflected in artwork of 19th-century craftsmen. Exploring the early American apprenticeship system gives students insight into early the American economic system with laws allowing children to work long days alongside adults.

Economics 1,2; History 1,2,3,4; 
Science 2; Visual Arts 1 C & E 4

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Town Life: 
Backstairs Servants' Life

"I like the standards based hands-on
activities because they are fun,
educational and perfect for first graders."
-1st grade teacher             

Town Life: Childhood

"The most fun I had was imagining the past...
you helped me feel in the past.
The only part I disliked was leaving." -2nd grade student

Where did the Read children spend their early years? What kinds of games did they play and what types of clothing did they wear? Students visit the Read nursery to learn about life before television and computers by playing historic games, trying on accessories like the Read children would have worn, and making their own 19th-century toy as a souvenir of their visit to the Read House.

Print reproductions of paintings of 19th-century children will draw upon visual arts to reflect a different culture and time period’s decorations and customs. In addition, pre-trip documents allow students to use the History standard of analysis.

Town Life:
Discovering the Life and 
Times of Read House

"The trip went well with our Social Studies
curriculum.  It helped the children see first hand
what we are studying."  -4th grade teacher

- Assisting the Read family cook as she prepares 
a historic recipe over the open hearth

- Washing napkins using a washboard and wringer.

- Playing with reproduction toys, then creating a toy that
students may take home

- Learning about lighting devices long ago, then rolling a
candle for students to take home

- Investigating the Read nursery and
trying on old-fashioned clothing accessories

- Visiting any 2 of the following rooms: Mrs. Read’s bedroom,
the bathing room, the servants’ room,
the pantry/housekeeper’s office, the back parlor,
and the front parlor

We are adding new activities for the upcoming school year -
ask about these new choices when planning your day!

Note: Because of weather conditions or the contents of individual programs, seasonal programs are only offered at specific times of the year.  Please see the individual programs for details.

Death, burial, and established funeral customs were part of everyday life in the past. This unusual aspect of social history comes into focus with a variety of activities. Slides and an examination of original and reproduction objects lead students through a discovery of past customs. A “scavenger hunt” in the local cemetery introduces students to styles and symbolism of tombstones and sharpens their observation skills.

By examining the reality and frequency of death in the 19th century, students will utilize Science skills defining life processes. Then, when students investigate the ornate grave markers located in Immanuel Church cemetery, they will draw upon Visual Arts skills to understand the themes and symbolism of the markers and the culture of the 18th and 19th century artisans who created them.

History 1,2,3,4; Science 6; Visual Arts 3A,5A-C.

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A Child's Christmas

We liked the dancing for the whole body
learning and to see kids stretching into an
unfamiliar activity."  -1st grade teacher