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Educational Programs

Out of the Shadows: Riversdale?s Servants in the Spotlight
SaveCancelCloseEdit FileWhen finished, click Save or Cancel below. Change PermissionsReadWriteExecuteUserGroupOtherFile VersionsWarning: Restoring an older version will overwrite the current file without backing it up. New ArchiveArchive Name Back to Control PanelWeb Site .htaccess Editor Archive Gateway Disk Usage FTP FileManThis program will highlight the inner economic workings of an early 19th century Maryland estate and working farm. The central role as mistress of the household was to oversee all domestic tasks. She ran a staff of servants composed of free whites and enslaved African Americans who processed the crops, cooked, cleaned, served meals, took care of the children, and made textiles, among other duties. Students will view each room in the house from the perspective of a servant and participate in a workshop where each child will role-play servants? experiences.
Tour Length: 45 minutes
Level: Grades 3-6
Cost: $2 per person (Adult and Student)
NOTE: Fulfills Standard of Voluntary Curriculum: Economics and African American History.

Workshop Add-on
Rosalie's Helpers: A Hands On Workshop
Students will try their hand at various household tasks of 200 years ago.
Student will grind herbs & spices and make a sachet to take home.
Workshop Length: 45 minutes
Workshop will follow Out of the Shadows tour
Workshops can only be offered to one class per day.
Students need to bring a bag-lunch (Students may eat lunch on the grounds or inside the mansion depending on weather.)

Pinch, No Smiles: Early Nineteenth Century Play at Riversdale
This tour is designed to introduce students to Riversdale by using the perspective of a child. George and Rosalie Calvert had nine children, five of whom lived to adulthood. Students on this tour will move from room to room and discover the ways in which an early nineteenth-century child would have played, worked, and lived in each room. In addition, slave children also resided at Riversdale. Students will compare and contrast their living, working, and playing conditions with that of the Calvert children. Students will also participate in a hands on workshop where they will learn a traditional English country dance and play the game, Pinch, No Smiles.
Tour Length: 60-90 minutes
Level: Grades 1-4
Cost: $2 per person (Adult and Student)
Note: This tour fulfills the Content Standard for 3rd Grade: Individuals and Society Change Over Time

Workshop Add-on Riversdale Amusements: A Hands On Workshop
Make an optical illusion toy such as a Thaumatrope
Play early American games such as Pinch, No Smiles
Workshop Length: 60 minutes
Workshop will follow Pinch, No Smiles Tour
Workshops can only be offered to one class per day.
Students need to bring a bag-lunch (Students may eat lunch on the grounds or inside the mansion depending on weather.)

Open Hearth Cooking Workshops
Make a 1-2-3-4 Cake on the open hearth. Participants will make their own butter, too!
Because the Riversdale kitchen is small, these workshops are available to groups consisting of no more than ten people (including teachers and chaperones).
Perfect for History Clubs, Scout Groups, and Home-school Groups.
Advance registration required at least 2 weeks in advance.
$50 Flat Fee

Special Needs: Sensing the Past Workshop
This program is designed for students who have physical or mental disabilities. Groups that can negotiate the stairs take a 20 minute tour of the house. Those with physical disabilities tour only the rooms on the ground level ? this tour is enhaced by a museum teacher-led interactive PowerPoint presentation of the rest of the rooms. All students participate in a workshop where they use their senses to make history come alive. They will feel, pick, and card wool and they will make an herb sachet to take home. This program can be geared to any level of abilities.
Tour Length: 60 minutes
Level: All levels
Cost: $2 per person (Adult and Student)