Dates vary; see below for details
Times: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Meets at the Museum Education Building
Homeschoolers ages 13 and up are invited to join us for a themed, advanced craft workshop. These workshops will explore various seasonal themes and incorporate items from OSV’s collections, the natural world around the museum, and contemporary 19th-century issues.
You may also be interested in Home School Civics Programs for ages 10+! Click here to learn more.
Things to know:
- Participants will be able to enter the museum with Village staff on these dates, but the museum is otherwise closed to the public.
- 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.
- Unless otherwise noted, these programs will take place inside the Museum Education building. Please park in the Museum Education parking lot. For details, download this map.
- OSV’s programs are rain or shine. In the case of inclement weather, we will reach out to reschedule the program.
- These programs are designed for home school youth ages 13 and up. Parents/guardians are not required to stay with their child(ren) for this program.
Needle Felted Pet Portraits
Monday, March 24, 2025
Ages: 13+
Time: 9:30-12:30
Cost: Members: $20 | Non-members: $24
Needle felting is a form of embellishment that has been practiced for a long time. The first needle punch tool was invented in 1859 to make woolen batting from slaughterhouse grade wool, fibers of lesser quality, and even soldier’s hair. In this workshop we’re going to be making portraits of your favorite furry (or scaly) friend. While we create, we’ll discuss the various textile arts practiced in New England during the Village’s period. Did 19th-century people celebrate their pets, too?
Please note: Participants will need a good photograph printed out of their companion animal, no larger than 5x7.
PLEASE NOTE: The Village is CLOSED to the public on this date. Please plan to park at the Museum Education Building. For details, download this map. You will not be able to enter through the main Visitor Center.
Dyeing with Natural Dyes
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FROM APRIL 21st TO APRIL 28th. If you had signed up for April 21st, a member of our team will be in touch regarding rescheduling and refund options.
Time: 9:30-12:30
Cost: Members: $20 | Non-members: $24
Click here to register | SOLD OUT
With lambing about done and shearing soon to start, April is a great time to talk about what we actually DO with wool! Raising sheep for wool was one of the best crops farmers could use to make a profit in the 1830s. Wool prices in England were sky-high and that led lots of New England farmers to keep flocks on our rocky hillsides. Not only was fleece shipped across the Atlantic, it was also used to supply our woolen mills right here! Join us as we dye woolen yarns with natural dyes from plant sources, talk about fiber-crafts from antiquity to today, and take home a skein of yarn you’ve dyed using traditional methods.
PLEASE NOTE: The Village is CLOSED to the public on this date. Please plan to park at the Museum Education Building. For details, download this map. You will not be able to enter through the main Visitor Center.