Old Sturbridge Village, Family Field Workshops
April 5
April is Family Field Trip Month! Step back in time and experience hands-on fun with engaging activities, interactive demonstrations, and special DIY programs designed for kids and families. Make unforgettable family memories this spring. More details to come.
On April 5th, you can participate in a hands-on workshop together and learn about how the all members of the 1830s family unit contributed to the care and upkeep of their farms, homes, and community. Space for hands-on workshops is limited and pre-registration is required.
Village Admission
Admission to the Village is NOT included in the workshop registration. During March and April 2025, up to two kids, 17 years old or younger, are admitted for FREE when accompanied by an adult/senior paying standard daytime admission.* Reserve your tickets online and save even more!
*For a limited time (March 1 – April 30, 2025), up to two kids, 17 years old or younger, are admitted for FREE per adult paying for full-price standard daytime admission ($30 at the door, $27 online for adults, $28 at the door, $25 online for seniors age 55 and over). Cannot be combined with other discounts. Kids Free March and April does not apply to school field trips, workshops, or special programs.
Hands-On Workshops
Hands-on workshops are an additional fee to cover staffing and materials. Workshops take place at the Museum Education Building.
Hearth Cooking | $7 | Ages 6+
During this workshop, work together to make a sweet treat over an open hearth. Led by a museum educator, participants make a snack using 19th-century recipes (or receipts, as they were known in the 1830s). Participants read and interpret the recipe, measure ingredients, and get hands-on cooking experience. While the snack is cooking, educators orient chefs to 19th-century foodways and compare and contrast with their lives today.
Ingredients used in this workshop include: flour, butter, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice
Woodworking | $7 | Ages 6+
In the woodworking workshop, participants explore two different activities to learn more about woodworking trades in the 1830s. In one activity, participants use their measuring and spatial skills, as well as period hand tools, to create a small wood project to take home with them. In the second activity, the group works together to follow a plan to assemble a small timberframe structure while learning about the many different types of woodworking that were part of everyday life in the 1800s.
Print | $7 | Ages 6+
In the 1830s, printers held a very important role in their communities. Printing books, newspapers, invitations, and broadsides, printers played a vital role in the communication of information during the 19th century. In this workshop, participants will explore the printing through few hands-on activities related to the printed word. Museum educators guide participants through paper marbling, quill pen writing, and using a printing press.
Textiles | $7 | Ages 6+
Participants in the textile workshop walk through the steps of wool processing, from the shearing of sheep to weaving fabric. The 1830s were a time of great technological and industrial change in America. Even in Sturbridge, where sheep outnumbered people, several textile factories popped up along the rivers to speed up the textile making process. Museum educators instruct participants in several hands-on tasks–carding wool, trying out a spinning wheel, and weaving on a loom–while discussing the transition of homespun goods to textile factories during the Industrial Revolution.
