Colonial Ridgefield
Through living history programs, students meet and interact with costumed interpreters portraying the residents of the Keeler Tavern during the American colonial era. These programs are appropriate for students in Pre-K through 6th grade.
Let’s Go to the Museum!
Museum visit for our pre-school students that includes a walk through the tavern with a costumed docent, a lesson on museum manners, and provides opportunities for them to get a feel for colonial life.
Colonial Life
Esther’s Kitchen & Timothy’s Tavern
Meet Esther and Timothy Keeler, owners of the Keeler Tavern, as they introduce students to family and community life in Early America. Students make connections between life in Early America and present day as they explore Esther’s Kitchen and help her prepare her herbs for a variety of uses, while Timothy introduces students to his tavern and post office, the center of town life. Basic economic principles are woven throughout the program to engage students in interdisciplinary learning.
Extension Activities
Extension Activities for this program engage students through hands-on learning. The following activities can be combined for a unique experience depending on interest, time, and season: Colonial outdoor games or Tavern games (weather dependent); Colonial dance; quill pen writing; embroidery; ice harvesting; period farm tools to learn about the planting cycle and dairy farming (STEM); and early ledgers to learn about the cash and barter transactions as the economic drivers that shaped Colonial town life (STEM). Students can also debate whether or not to join the Revolutionary cause in the very same Assembly Room in which the citizens of Ridgefield discussed this issue.
Early Settlement
Students will learn about early 18th century life as Ridgefield was being settled as an archetypal New England town. Historic maps of Native American settlements, early European settlements, and Connecticut on the eve of the Revolutionary War will be compared to modern maps as students discuss the importance of natural resources. Students will also engage with costumed interpreters to participate in a bartering game, learn about the process of Ridgefield’s settlement, and interact with a Native American interpreter. The principles of economics and geography are woven throughout the program to engage students in interdisciplinary learning and reinforce learning.
Please contact us for more information.