School Programs

• We use inquiry-based learning (including hands-on, object-based, and multi-sensory experiences)
• We explore primary and secondary sources to encourage learners to investigate the past and critically think about the impact of history on their lives in the present
• We encourage respectful dialogue among learners and promote historical empathy and cultural competency in our programs
• We explore history using multiple disciplines, including art, literature, science, and civics.

For more information, contact us at education@morrisjumel.org and visit our Reserve a School Tour page to schedule an upcoming visit with your students.

Explore history with us by booking an on-site or virtual tour for your class! Each program is led by an educator and will provide an inquiry-based exploration of the museum and its history, with the option of adding on a related hands-on activity.

Tours are currently available Mondays through Wednesdays between 10AM and 1PM.

Cost

In-person visits to the house and grounds are $9 per student ($6 for Title One students), with a limit of 40 students per time slot. Art Activities are an additional add-on of $3 per student. Virtual programs are $50 per one class. The minimum booking cost is $100.

Capacity

At this time, we are able to accommodate 40 students at a time for in-person programs. Virtual programs are capped at 30 students per class/session.

Adult / Student Ratio

• Pre-K through Third Grade: 1 adult per 5 students
• Fourth Grade and Older Grades:  1 adult per 10 students

Health and Safety Guidelines

Masking is optional in the museum.

Museum Information

Please note that the museum is in the process of reinterpreting its historical interiors, so some rooms may be different from your last visit.

Make an Herbal Sachet

Make an herbal sachet using herbs that were grown in many historic gardens which were used for cooking, medicines, and other practical purposes.

Quill pen and ink writing activity

Learn how to write in cursive letters like people did in the past using a feather quill pen, ink, and piece of parchment paper.

K.1 Children’s sense of self is shaped by experiences that are unique to them and their families, and by common experiences shared by a community or nation.

K.2 Children, families, and communities exhibit cultural similarities and differences.

K.8 The past, present and future describe points in time and help us examine and understand events.

1.8 Historical sources reveal information about how life in the past differs from the present.

2.9 A community requires the interdependence of many people performing a variety of jobs and services to provide basic needs and wants.

3.8b Across time and place, communities and cultures have struggled with prejudice and discrimination as barriers to justice and equality for all people.

Quill pen and ink writing activity

Learn how to write in cursive letters like people did in the past using a feather quill pen, ink, and piece of parchment paper.

Uncover the lives of enslaved people at the Mansion

In this activity, use primary sources created in the 1700s and 1800s to learn more about the lives of people who were at the Mansion like Martha who were enslaved by the British Morris family and William Lee, who was enslaved by the Washington family.

Object Exploration

In this activity, explore primary and secondary source items from the collection to gain an hands-on understanding of life at the Mansion during the American Revolution.

4.4d New Yorkers have rights and freedoms that are guaranteed in the United States Constitution, in the New York State Constitution, and by state laws.

4.5 IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM AND A CALL FOR CHANGE: Different groups of people did not have equal rights and freedoms. People worked to bring about change. The struggle for rights and freedoms was one factor in the division of the United States that resulted in the Civil War.

9-10 RH 1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the time and place of publication, origin, authorship, etc

11-12 RH 5: Analyze in detail how a complex primary source (text, image, map, graphic, etc.) is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the source contribute to the whole.

Art and Writing Reflection Activity

Students will create a written or visual art response to the question “What Does It Mean to Be an American?”

Primary and Secondary Source exploration of the topic “What it Means to Be An American?”

Students will analyze sources to discuss how people, past and present, have tried to define what it means to be an American in law, arts, and culture.

NYS Social Studies Standards

4.4d New Yorkers have rights and freedoms that are guaranteed in the United States Constitution, in the New York State Constitution, and by state laws.

4.5 IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM AND A CALL FOR CHANGE: Different groups of people did not have equal rights and freedoms. People worked to bring about change. The struggle for rights and freedoms was one factor in the division of the United States that resulted in the Civil War.

4.7 IMMIGRATION AND MIGRATION FROM THE EARLY 1800S TO THE PRESENT: Many people have immigrated and migrated to New York State contributing to its cultural growth and development.

NYC Civics for All Standards

5W4: Create a poem, story, play, art work, or other response to a text, author, theme, or personal experience.

9-12 SL 1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on complex topics, texts, and issues; express ideas clearly and persuasively, and build on those of others.

9-12 WHST 4: Write responses to texts and to events (past and present), ideas, and theories that include personal, cultural, and thematic connections.

11-12 RH 7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.