We offer educational and engaging experiences for students from preschool through 12th grade. Each session lasts 45–60 minutes and is meant for an average class size. Our interactive programs include visual presentations, original artifacts, quality replica items, and opportunities for hands-on learning. All programs are aligned with New York State educational standards.
Current Programs:
Archeology Digs – Upper Elementary
Brookside brings the excavation to your classroom in this exciting program. Four groups of students are assigned units to measure, excavate, document, and analyze. We will discuss excavation techniques, materials, documentation procedures, and how artifacts are used to deepen our understanding of local history. Students will use primary and secondary sources to analyze the authentic artifacts that they uncover before sharing their findings with the rest of the class.
Civil War Letters – Grades 7 or 11–12
Students will explore the life of Alonzo Bump, a Union soldier from the 77th New York State Volunteer Regiment. They will engage in activities that include analyzing historical letters written by Bump, as well as examining newspapers, photographs, maps, original artifacts, and replica items from the Civil War era. By working with these materials, students will gain expertise in their assigned topics and present their findings to the class, promoting collaboration and critical thinking.
Experiences from WWI – Grades 8 or 11–12
Students will explore the experiences of local men and women during World War I by reviewing their authentic letters and other primary sources. They will also learn about the impact of the war on Saratoga County, investigate the effects of the Spanish flu, compare the lives of several soldiers, consider cultural shifts prompted by the war, and study how the home front supported the war effort.
Native New York – Grades 4 or 7
In this hands-on program, students explore the rich history of Saratoga County’s earliest inhabitants, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) People. Activities include a lively discussion on the history of Native People, an analysis of replica and artifact items, and a review of the natural materials used by the Mohawk People.
Our Community Now & Then – Grades K-5
This customizable program brings history and textbooks to life. Activities include farm chores like making butter, grinding corn, and hauling ice. Other stations offer old-fashioned toys and games, solving historical puzzles, and experiencing aspects of a one-room schoolhouse. All stations encourage students to compare their modern-day lives with those of the past.
Preschool Harvest – Preschool
Roll up your sleeves and join the farmer in processing corn from start to finish! Your preschool students will delve into the wonders of autumn, explore a variety of fall vegetables, and try their hand at shelling, grinding, and sifting corn. This engaging program introduces students to the journey of food from farms to our tables. It helps them understand the steps required to turn corn into everyday food. Through these activities, students will improve counting skills, color recognition, fine motor abilities, teamwork, and listening comprehension.
Saratoga County Water Works – Upper Elementary
Students explore the importance of water through primary and secondary sources, artifacts, maps, storytelling, and science experiments. They will test and compare the pH levels of water from various sources, try hefting a block of ice with ice tongs, discover the history of floating logs down the Hudson River to paper mills, and compare waterwheel and turbine designs. We examine how water was, and continues to be, an important natural resource in Saratoga County agriculture, industry, tourism, and everyday life.
School Days – Grades K–2
Students step into the past to explore what school was like long ago. Through storytelling, visuals, and hands-on stations, they’ll practice cursive writing, try out chores, play with old-fashioned toys, and make a craft to take home. Activities highlight classroom life, transportation, home routines, and how learning has changed over time.
Sheep to Shawl – Preschool through Lower Elementary
We’ll bring our popular Sheep to Shawl program right into the classroom. Sheep to Shawl encourages students to discover the important role that sheep and agriculture have played in local history as well as in our modern lives. This program offers students an interactive experience that they will remember for years. A variety of new vocabulary terms are introduced, and students actively participate in the many steps of processing wool fiber.
Programs in Development (please contact for availability):
Loan and Learn Program: Saratoga’s Black Heritage
Based on Saratoga’s Black Heritage by Field Horne, this new Loan and Learn Program will offer two versions – one focused on History and one on ELA. More information is coming soon.
Booking Information:
Program Fee: Each in-person history program is $120 per session, plus a round-trip mileage fee at current Federal reimbursement rates to and from 21 Fairground Ave., Ballston Spa, NY.
For more information on our programs or to be added to our mailing list, please email our Director of Education, Charlene DuBuque, at education@brooksidemuseum.org.
