Friday, October 10, 2025
Times: The Village is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Workshop times vary.
Cost: On Homeschool Day, homeschoolers (ages 4-17) get in at the discounted rate $12 and one adult is admitted per home school youth at the discounted rate of $17. Additional adults above the 1-to-1-ratio are admitted at the full rate of $30. As always, members get into the Village for free. Workshops are an additional fee to cover materials and staffing.
Join us for Homeschool Day on Thursday, October 2, or Friday, October 10. During these Homeschool Days, we will be exploring the fall harvest and preparations for one of the most important holidays in 1830s Massachusetts: Thanksgiving.
Homeschool Days offer you and your family the opportunity to explore the Village and participate in hands-on activities. From games, to woodworking, to tending to the garden, this is a great opportunity for kids to gain exposure to many aspects of 1830s New England life in an interactive way.
Sign up for a workshop or explore the Village on your own using one of our many self-guides and scavenger hunts, available at both Museum Education and the Visitor Center.
Admission and Ticketing
On Homeschool Day, homeschoolers (ages 4-17) get in at the discounted rate $12 and one adult is admitted per homeschool youth at the discounted rate of $17. Additional adults above the 1-to-1-ratio are admitted at the full rate of $30. As always, members get into the Village for free.
Workshops are an additional fee.
Purchase admission for Homeschool Day on October 10, 2025
Things to know:
- Unless otherwise noted, workshops will take place inside or outside the Museum Education building. You may park at Museum Education during the day; click here for directions.
- The Museum Education building closes to the public following workshops due to our after-school program
- Homeschool Days are rain-or-shine programs.
- Pre-registration is required for all activities listed below, unless otherwise noted.
- All events are limited to 10 students, unless otherwise noted.
- We are offering two identical Homeschool Days in September to accommodate the demand for these workshops. Out of courtesy for your fellow homeschoolers, please consider signing up for workshops on only ONE of the two dates listed, not both.
- Please respect the age requirements for the workshops. They are set for the benefit of our educators and all program participants.
- These are not drop-in programs and our staff will have a list of registrants for each workshop.
- Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel your workshop tickets. As these workshops are in high demand, refunds for workshop fees will only be given up to one week prior to the event date, or in the case of cancellation by Old Sturbridge Village.
- Students’ guardians must stay in close proximity of the program location for the entire duration of the activity for safety reasons.
- Workshop times are approximate. Please stay close by during your child’s workshop.
- Meeting locations for these workshops may change. Stay tuned to your email or signage at the Visitor Center on the day of the program for any potential location changes.
- When visiting the Village, please note that children must be accompanied by an adult when visiting the Miner Grant Store or Ox & Yoke Mercantile. Guests are welcome to eat at picnic tables around the campus but due to limited space, guests are not permitted to dine in the Bullard Café unless purchasing food.
Check back the week prior to the event for more information on in-Village activities.
Hands-On Workshops
Hearth cooking: Apple Sauce and Cranberry Sauce | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 10:00 (Ages 10+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 8+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Using 19th-century kitchen implements and tools, we’ll gather by the hearth to follow two 19th-century “receipts” for apple sauce and cranberry sauce. While the sauces simmer, we’ll discuss Thanksgiving traditions in the 19th century. Ingredients will include: apples, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Dirty Jobs | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 10+) SOLD OUT
Life in the 1830s could be smelly, dirty, and messy. What did people do when they started to catch that fall cold in the days before cold medicine? In this workshop, we’ll learn a little about various remedies and hygiene practices of 19th-century Americans, then make a small bar of soap using modern soap-making methods.
Play with Clay | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 10:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
People have been using pottery for a long time to hold and store food. Sometimes the pottery is simple and sometimes it’s more decorative. We will learn about pottery in the 1830s and then hand-build a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table using air-dry clay!
Stories and Crafts: Fletcher and the Falling Leaves | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 10:00 (Ages 5+) SOLD OUT
Read a picture book together and then create a craft inspired by the story! Let’s read this beautifully illustrated tale about Fletcher, a fox who worries something is wrong when leaves start falling from his favorite tree. After, we’ll paint watercolor fall trees, inspired by the book’s lovely pictures.
Stories and Crafts: The First Blade of Sweetgrass | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 5+) SOLD OUT
Read a picture book together and then create a craft inspired by the story! Together, we will read this sweet tale about a young girl who learns how to gather and weave sweetgrass into baskets from her grandmother. After the story, we will learn a little about the Indigenous peoples who lived (and still live) in the Sturbridge area and do a weaving craft.
Stories and Crafts: Sophie's Squash | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 5+) SOLD OUT
Read a picture book together and then create a craft inspired by the story! Together, we will read the picture book Sophie’s Squash, a story about a girl who befriends a squash. Then, we’ll talk about the fall harvest season at OSV and how people preserved vegetables for the winter and paint our own squash to take home.
Make a Boot Jack | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 10:00 (Ages 9+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 9+) SOLD OUT
Make this simple but practical item, meant to help you remove your muddy and snow-covered boots.
Woodworking for Beginners: Make a Wooden Pumpkin | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Practice beginning woodworking skills by making a simple and seasonal pumpkin. Participants will also learn basic safety and try out tools like saws, hammers, and drills.
Make a Decorative Fall Plate | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 8+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 8+) SOLD OUT
By the 1830s, New England stores were stocked with products from all over the United States and the world. One of the items New Englanders might purchase would be ceramic plates, bowls, and cups, often made in England. Some ceramics were plain, but others were more elaborate with landscapes and figures. We will decorate our own plates using ceramic paints, inspired by period designs.
Fall Embossed Tin | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 8+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 8+) SOLD OUT
Embossing, or the process of creating a raised design, was a popular art form in the 19th century, used to embellish paper, metal, and leather. Use simple methods and tools to create an embossed tin work of art with a fall twist. Participants will look at tin items made in the Village that were important to people in the 1830s, as well as embossed artifacts from the collection.
Printmaking with Leaves | 50 Minutes | $7
Sign up for 10:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 8+) SOLD OUT
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 8+) Just added!
In the 1830s, many people used natural materials to create gifts, clothing, and more. From decorative boxes covered in shells, to shawls made from milkweed, participants will look at examples of art utilizing natural materials from the collection. Then, we will harvest some fall leaves and experiment with printmaking!
Farmhouse Breakfast | 90 Minutes | $12
Sign up for 10:00 (Ages 10+) SOLD OUT
Work together over an open hearth to create a delicious and hearty breakfast like the ones farm families would have enjoyed on a 19th-century morning. While breakfast cooks, we’ll talk about the ways that people preserved fresh ingredients for the long winter. Ingredients will include: ham, potatoes, cucumbers, eggs, flour, butter, cheese, bread
Hearth Cooking: Soup Season! Gourd Soup and Rolls | 90 Minutes | $12
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 10+) SOLD OUT
Follow a 19th-century “receipt” for gourd soup, a tasty, seasonal soup made with hearty root vegetables. Participants will make long rolls to enjoy along with the soup. Ingredients will include: butternut squash, bread, vegetable broth, onions, butter, milk, flour, yeast
“When You See This, Remember Me” | 90 Minutes | $12
In the 1830s, mourning the loss of a loved one was a common occurrence. Nineteenth-century people memorialized the deceased through paintings, textiles, and jewelry. During this workshop, we’ll talk mourning customs during the Village’s period and then look at mourning art on display in the museum. After discussing the symbols that artists used in their work, like willow trees and urns, we’ll create our own pieces.
Village Mystery Tour | 90 Minutes | $12
Sign up for 10:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Enjoy this daytime version of our popular Night at the Museum program! Follow clues and encoded messages on a scavenger hunt through the Village as you try and locate some missing items from the past. Please note: this tour involves a lot of walking and will last about 1.5 hours. Adults are welcome to join on the tour, but registration slots are for students only.
Village Tour: Harvest Time | 90 Minutes | $12
Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Take a tour around the Village led by a knowledgeable museum educator. The fall was a pivotal time for farm families in the 19th century. As we travel around the museum, we’ll learn how people prepared for the long, New England winter. We’ll also see what is happening in the Village kitchens people ready for one of the most important 19th-century holidays: Thanksgiving. Please note: this tour involves a lot of walking and will last about 1.5 hours. Adults are welcome to join on the tour, but registration slots are for students only.