Wyckoff House & Association

Educational Programs

The Museum introduces students to a Dutch Colonial family in Brooklyn with exciting, hands-on experiences. Originally a Dutch West India Company bouwerie (farm), the Wyckoff Farmhouse is the only structure in the City surviving from the period of New Amsterdam. From our 350 year old corn cob to the original one-room home that housed 13 people, students discover this earliest period of European settlement and the life experiences of rural Brooklynites over three centuries.

We offer on-site programs. However, due to upcoming construction, we will not offer summer camp programs for 2008.

Our programs use cooperative learning, inquiry, discovery and multiple intelligence strategies to provide students with a first-hand experience of life on a Dutch-American family farm. Included in all programs, teachers choose one of five hands-on workshops to compliment the experience; butter churning, herbal sachets, making tea, quill writing with berry ink and colonial games & toys (this is a seasonal activity).

All school programs and curriculum material have been designed to directly connect to New York State Learning Standards. School programs are geared towards grades 2-5 and can be adapted to accommodate grades K-7.

School year bookings are available beginning August 1 for the upcoming 2008 - 2009 school year.

For more information contact:
Shirley Brown Alleyne, Director of Education, 718-629-5400.
Email: education@wyckoffassociation.org
5816 Clarendon Road, Brooklyn, NY 11203

Also, look at "The Downloads" below for reservation forms, pre- and post-visit activities among other items!

SCHOOL PROGRAMS:
Beyond New Amsterdam: A Dutch Colonial Farm in Brooklyn
Why is there a farmhouse in Brooklyn? If Brooklyn was historically an agricultural society, what does New Amsterdam have to do with it? What was life like on the farm? Through primary sources, storytelling and object-observation, students will learn how the agricultural society of Colonial Brooklyn came to be and what everyday family life was like.

Hands-on workshop choices include analyzing primary source documents, butter churning, quill writing with berry ink, herbal sachet making, and *colonial games & toys.
(*Activity available seasonally)

New York State Learning Standards:
English Language Arts: E1C, E1D, E3B;Social Studies: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 3.1
Applied Learning: A2A, A5A, A5B

A Story Woven Through Time: Textiles as a Household Economy
Discover how textiles play a vital role in the early American economy. Learn how natural resources were transformed into an important commodity through the labor of all members of the Wyckoff household, including enslaved Africans.

Hands-on workshop choices include designing a coverlet pattern or weaving for beginners and include hands-on examination of a 200 year-old hand-woven textile.

New York State Learning Standards:
Social Studies: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 3.1, 4.1; English Language Arts: 1.1, 1.2, 4.1 _____________________________________________________________

THE DOWNLOADS:

Please use the following links to download our reservation form, pre- and post-visit activities, school program evaluation form, group policies and directions. Thank you.

Reservation form: Wyckoff Farmhouse Reservation Form

Pre-Visit packet: WFM Pre-Visit Packet

Post-Visit packet: WFM Post-Visit Packet

School Program Evaluation Form: WFM Evaluation Form

Group Policies: WFM Group Policies

Directions: WFM Directions

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WYCKOFF FARMHOUSE MUSEUM RULES & PROCEDURES
In order to help us make your visit both pleasant and meaningful, please note the following:

Please advise your students of the following Museum Rules prior to your visit: Do not touch any objects unless specifically directed to by Museum staff. No food, drink, candy, or chewing gum is allowed in the Museum. No running or playing is allowed inside the Museum, but it is encouraged in the Park outside.

School visit guidelines and procedures:
Maximum group size is 30 students. Groups larger than this must be broken into multiple tours.
The minimum school visit fee is $72 regardless of class size. A $72 deposit is required of all groups and must be received at least three weeks prior to the visit.

Please make checks payable to: The Wyckoff House & Association.

Group reservations may be cancelled up to four weeks in advance of your visit date; After that point, a $20 administrative fee will be charged. If you reschedule we will only charge $10. No shows or cancellations made less than 24 hrs. prior to visit will be required to pay the $72 fee (our minimum group admission fee). Accompanying adults / chaperones must remain with their groups at all times and are responsible for disciplining the students while in the Museum.

Guided tours are required for all groups and are given by the Museum staff only. Teachers may lecture or conduct class activities in the Park outside the Museum.

School groups are booked for 2 hour slots from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday – Friday. Your time slot is reserved for your class only. Please make every effort to be on time and to direct your class out of the Museum at the end of your visit. Please contact us if you are running late. We will make every effort to accommodate you, but, if the subsequent time slot is filled, you will have to wait for the next available time or re-book.

There is no lunchroom facility in the Museum, but classes are welcome to use the picnic tables in the Park as long as they clean up after themselves.

If you would like to visit the gift shop, please leave ample time. Items range from $.50-$10.00.