In association with the Smithsonian Institution.
School Programs
Attention Educators! Special Back to School Offer!
Bring your students to the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem or the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts between September 15 and November 14 and take 15% off your total admission!
Historic Bethlehem is devoted to interpreting the heritage of Bethlehem, PA and documenting and preserving its important buildings, sites, archives and artifacts. We offer interactive / hands-on experiences that are linked to the State of Pennsylvania’s Academic Standards.
Our educational staff is always happy to work with teachers to create special programs to meet the needs of their groups.
To book a tour or program, please call 610-691-0603 or reach us by e-mail: education@historicbethlehem.org.
Colonial Industrial Quarter
The most extensive center of pre-industrial revolution technology in Colonial America.
New this Fall!
Colonial Apprentices Tour
In early America, apprenticeship was the backbone of American life and labor. Bring your students to Historic Bethlehem’s Colonial Industrial Quarter where they’ll “walk” and “work” like an early Bethlehem apprentice!
Grades
3-9
Group Size
12-80 students (basic tour) / 10-100 (basic tour + 1 craft add-on) / 10-120 (basic tour + 2 craft add-ons)
Length
2 hour basic tour + 1/2 hour per add-on
Availability
April - June and September - November
Cost
$8 / student basic tour + $4 / student per add-on
Moravian Museum
In the Gemeinhaus, Bethlehem’s oldest building, located at 66 West Church Street.
House on the Lecha
It is always good to start at the beginning! Discover the Gemeinhaus or “House on the Lecha,” once the cornerstone of Moravian life and worship. This interactive museum visit starts your study of the Moravians in America at the place where it all began.
Grades
3-9
Group Size
12-50 students
Length
1 1/2 or 2 1/2 hours
Availability
February through November
Cost
$5 - $6 / student
A Presence in the Past
Your students will be fascinated as they connect to the life and times of actual early Bethlehem residents through our primary sources made available for class use. Then research comes alive at Historic Bethlehem’s Gemeinhaus, the actual home of those early residents. Cost includes pre-visit research materials.
Grades
7-12
Group Size
12-50 students
Length
3 hours
Availability
February through November
Cost
$7 / student
Burnside Plantation
A “farm in the city”, located at 1461 Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem.
Sensing the Colonial World
Little learners are introduced to life on the farm through activities that involve the senses.
Ages
4-6
Group Size
12-30 children
Length
1 hour
Availability
April through October
Cost
$5 / student
A Century at Burnside Plantation
It’s the “Game of Life” early American farm style! Discover what day to day life was like on an early Bethlehem farm through this well-rounded program. Activity stations include the farm house, early farm economy, colonial foodways, the barn and horsepower wheel.
Grades
3-9
Group Size
12-60 students
Length
2 1/2 hours
Availability
April through November
Cost
$6 / student
At Work on the Farm
Farm work is hard work! Focus on farm work at Burnside Plantation. Activity stations include, the barn, horsepower wheel and farm ecology.
Grades
2-9
Group Size
12-36 students
Length
1 1/2 hours
Availability
April through November
Cost
$5 / student
At Home on the Farm
HOME SWEET HOME! Focus on domestic life at Burnside Plantation. Activity stations include the summer kitchen, farmhouse and farm economy.
Grades
2-9
Group Size
12-36 students
Length
1 1/2 hours
Availability
April through November
Cost
$5 / student
A Farmhouse Christmas
The Farmhouse is a cozy place to be during the holiday season! See beautiful old-fashioned decorations, enjoy a holiday story, warm yourself by the fire and decorate your own gingerbread cookie too!
Ages
4-6
Group Size
12-24 children
Length
1 hour
Availability
Weekdays during the first two weeks in December
Cost
$5 / student
The Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts
A fine, small decorative arts museum located at 427 North New Street in Bethlehem
Katarina at the Kemerer
This fun “first museum experience” introduces Katarina, a clever and crafty cat, who involves the children in her adventures through the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts.
Ages
4-6
Group Size
12-20 children
Length
1 hour
Availability
April through November
Cost
$5 / student
Discovering the Material World
Step into this beautiful decorative arts museum and step back in time to the elegance and style of days gone by. Discover landscape paintings, Pennsylvania German folk art, childhood pastimes and furnishings from past eras through interactive experiences in five galleries.
Grades
2-9
Group Size
12-50 students
Length
2 - 2 1/2 hours
Availability
April through November
Cost
$6 / student
The Architecture Adventure
Discover the varied architectural styles of Bethlehem’s Historic District using an investigative process that takes you through the definition of “style.”
Grades
9-12
Group Size
12-30 students
Length
3 hours
Availability
April through November
Cost
$7 / student
History on the Road
If you can’t come to Historic Bethlehem, we can come to you!
A Day in the Life of A Colonial Moravian Child
This interactive lesson, presented in your classroom by our museum teacher, shares with students the everyday life of a Moravian Child of 250 years ago.
Grades
1-5
Group Size
1 class (12-25 students)
Length
1 hour
Availability
year round
Cost
$75 per class
“Who Was I?” Travelling Trunk
You’re the teacher! We give you the materials- a trunk full of reproduction items from an 18th Century child’s world. The trunk comes complete with lesson plans that make every day life in the colonial world more meaningful for students and teachers. Rental is for two weeks.
Grades
1-5
Length
Rental is for 2 weeks
Availability
year round
Cost
$100 + $50 security deposit (refundable)
Reservation Guidelines
*
- Reservations are required for all programs and should be made at least 3 weeks in advance.
- A $25 per day, per site non-refundable deposit is required for all on-site bookings.
- Your date is confirmed only when your deposit has been received.
- Total cost of “History on the Road” programs must be paid in advance.