These programs offer a mix of academic, creative, and active elements to make Revolutionary and Victorian history come alive for your 3rd through 7th grade students! Our half-day and full day programs are designed to maximize learning opportunities on site, while still ensuring you can return to school on time. 

Please note: only 2 classes of 25 students can be accommodate at a time for these visits.

To book your visit, please call our Education Director, Allie Sabatini, at 973-962-2240, or email her by clicking HERE.
Half Day Visit

Teacher chooses two (2) LONG programs from the list below

Time: 2 1/2 hours (generally starting at 9:30am and ending at 12pm)
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Fee: $8 per student (teachers & chaperones are free)
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Full Day Visit

Teacher chooses two (2) LONG and two (2) SHORT programs from the list below.
 
Time: 4 1/2 hours (generally starting at 9:30am and ending at 2pm) Includes a lunch break (lunches must be brought with students)

Fee: $12 per student (teachers & chaperones are free)

Long Programs

1. Past Perspectives: Victorian Life in Ringwood Manor

This program is a guided tour of the first floor of the Manor house. Participants will learn about life in Victorian times through the house, its contents, and stories of its inhabitants. Participants will be given a card describing a real person who was a part of Ringwood Manor's history and will actively think about the house from their historical figure's point-of-view, helping them to understand the concept of "separate spheres" of that time period. 
Pertinent Details

Time: 75 minutes
2. Soldiers and Cemeteries: Revolutionary Ringwood

This program focuses on the challenges faced by the Revolutionary War soldiers, Ringwood's role in the Revolution, and the importance of historic cemeteries. Focus will be placed on Robert Erskine, the ironmaster at Ringwood and the Surveyor General for George Washington. Participants will examine items in replica Revolutionary soldier bags, and march as soldiers (with or without wooden muskets) to the historic cemetery on the property. There they will see Robert Erskine's grave and learn about the important information historic cemeteries contain. 

*Please note: portions of this program are outdoors and all participants and chaperones should dress accordingly. 
Pertinent Details

Time: 75 minutes
3. Stop that Ship: The Hudson River and the Revolution

This program begins with a brief lesson about Ringwood's role in the Revolutionary War, focusing on Robert Erskine, ironmaster at Ringwood and Surveyor General for George Washington. Participants will learn about the strategic importance of the Hudson River during the war, the various obstructions created to protect the River during the War, and Erskine's role in assisting with this effort. Participants will be broken into small groups and given a variety of materials with which they have 45 minutes to design and construction their own obstructions to stop a boat. Each group's design is then placed in water and tested by a toy boat. 
Pertinent Details

Time: 60-75 minutes
4. Making Maps: Historic Surveying at Ringwood 

This program explains the 18th century map-making process and Robert Erskine's role as Surveyor General for George Washington. The participants will examine letters written by Erskine and Washington, compare an 18th century map of the area with a current map, use 18th century map-making techniques to measure portions of the property, and complete a map-based scavenger hunt of the property. 

*Please note: this program is completely outdoors and all participants and chaperones should dress accordingly. 
Pertinent Details

Time: 2 1/2 hours*

*can be the only long program chosen for both half & full day visits

Short Programs

1.Sally's Saddles: Inside a Victorian Carriage Barn

This guided tour takes participants through the historic carriage barn at Ringwood Manor, discussing the architecture of the building, the three original carriages, equestrian sports, side saddle riding, the fashion of the sport, and Miss Sally Hewitt's love of horses. Historic photographs and artifacts will be shown throughout. 
Pertinent Details

Time: 30- 40 minutes
2. From Rocks to Pots: All About Iron

This program focuses on the geological resource that put Ringwood on the map, made it a valuable location during the Revolutionary War, and gave the 19th century historic figures of Ringwood their vast wealth: iron! Using actual iron objects and inquiry-based learning, it teaches students about using natural resources to make finished products. This program includes a visit to our historic blacksmith shop where students will learn about the historic iron mining process to understand the evolution of mined iron ore to a useable good.
Pertinent Details

Time: 30- 40 minutes
3. Manor Games

This program focuses on historic games played by children who lived at Ringwood Manor. Participants will briefly learn how children in Revolutionary and Victorian times played and they will compare how and why it is different to how modern children play. The participants will then play with reproduction historic games: hoop & stick, games of grace, nine pin bowling, trap ball, etc. 

​*Please note: this program is entirely outdoors and all participants and chaperones should dress accordingly. Rain would require a substitute program indoors.
Pertinent Details

Time: 30- 40 minutes
4. Heraldry and the Hewitts

This program begins with a short lesson about heraldry and an explanation of the Hewitt family coat-of-arms and learn about the various symbols and colors that represent merits, values, and virtues. Participants are then broken into smaller groups and tasked with creating a coat-of-arms for their class. They will then present their design to the class and after all have been explained, the class will vote on a winning coat-of-arms which can be taken back to school in hung in your classroom. 
Pertinent Details

Time: 30- 40 minutes