The Old Stone House

• New for 2011-2-12
• 90 minutes, grade 4-12

Students will use hands-on activities to explore life near a tidal creek in Brooklyn, before and after Europeans settled along the Gowanus.  They will learn about the plants and animals found in a salt marsh, and how Native Americans fished in the Gowanus and grew crops near its shores.  Students will also discover how the Dutch used the creek to power tidal mills and to transport their crops.

• New for 2011-2012
• 90 minutes, grades 2-5

How did colonists treat illnesses?  Students will compare colonial and modern medicine, and learn to identify common herbs, including some that still grow wild in Brooklyn.  Students will also use a mortar and pestle to grind up more familiar garden herbs–such as sage and lavender– to make a traditional poultice. At the end of the program, students will taste some refreshing Freedom tea.

• African Americans in the American Revolutionary War Era
• Grades 4 through 7
• Time period covered: Revolutionary Era, 1735 to 1790

The Declaration of Independence announced that “All men are created equal.” Was this an opportunity for African Americans to call for an end to slavery?

This course explores the lives and works of five prominent African Americans of the 18th Century. Students learn about the inventions of Benjamin Banneker, read the poetry of Phyllis Wheatley, and learn about the courageous struggles of patriots Crispus Atticus, Prince Whipple and James Armistead Lafayette.

• New for 2011-2012
• 45 minutes, ages 4-5

Designed especially for the youngest learners, this program allows children to explore life in 18^th- century Brooklyn through pretend play and object-based learning.  Students will dress in period clothes, play with traditional games and toys, try out household chores —and enjoy a colonial treat.

• Exploration and Interpretation of Period Documents
• Grades: 4-12
• Time period covered: Colonial Era – Early Revolution Eras

Working with original letters, bills of sale, maps and official public documents, students gather in small groups to examine source material and discuss what information these documents can provide about life in Brooklyn during the American Revolution.

• Work and Play – A Child´s Life in Colonial Brooklyn
• Grades 1- 4
• Time period covered: Dutch Colonial Period c. 1700

This workshop allows students to experience the Dutch colonial period through hands-on activities of the era. In addition to chores such as butter making, carding, spinning and weaving, younger students rotate through a variety of Colonial games. Older students learn about spontaneous fermentation through bread starters, candle and soap making and sewing and quilting.

• Exploring America’s First Battle
• Grades 4 – 12
• Time period covered: Revolutionary War era c. 1775-1776

On August 27, 1776, the Old Stone House was transformed from a simple farmstead into the site of the largest battle of the American Revolution. In this workshop, students are divided into several small groups and explore the first battle of the Revolution through the viewpoints of the individuals who fought here.