School Tour Options
Download our School Programs Brochure for tour options and the content standards we address on the tours.
You may reserve online or our staff is available to take your reservation Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Contact us at 240-895-4980 or email Groups@HSMCdigsHistory.org for available tour dates and times.
Pre-School – K Programs (one hour)
- Puss in Boots – Tag along with Puss, the cat, as he adventures through the Plantation! Learn colonial objects and vocabulary as Puss gains wealth and power for his master.
- Past and Present – Increase vocabulary and sort common household objects into a simple timeline of past and present. This tour helps children learn how things change over time.
Pre-K – 2nd Grade Programs (two hours)
- Coming to America: Now and Then – Pack your backs and travel back in time as an early American colonist. Assume the character of an actual 17th-century immigrant. Use primary documents and objects to discover the challenges and opportunities immigrants encountered then and now.
3rd-5th Grade Programs
- Maryland History Highlights – Examine the economy, religion, and culture of early Maryland colonial life with engaging hands-on activities. Build vocabulary by analyzing contracts for indentured servants and more at the Yaocomaco Woodland Indian Hamlet and the Spray Plantation. At the Waterfront (and Maryland Dove) and Town Center, investigate important documents and objects that illustrate the law, government, and society of St. Mary’s City during the 17th-century. (4 hours)
6th-12th Grade Programs
- Customized Middle and High School Tours – Bring the subjects you cover in class alive! Topics covered on tour could include archaeology, history, religion, government, or trade. Please call or email to plan a custom tour for middle and high school students.
Outreach Programs
- Mother Goose: Rhyme Time (one hour) – Favorite nursery rhymes come to life during this interactive and memorable adventure. Meet Mother Goose at the museum or in your classroom.
- Meet an Early Marylander (one hour) – During the winter (Dec. through Feb.), invite our colonists to visit you! Hear about colonial life, examine reproduction items, and try on colonial clothes. The visit will wind up with a question and answer session.
- Native American Life (one hour) – This program is available during the winter (Dec. through Feb.). Explore Native American lifeways in your classroom. Examine reproduction items, try on Native American clothing, and learn about the unique relationship that the native peoples of the Chesapeake had with their environment. This session will end with question and answers.
We can also help design a custom tour on the following topics:
- Archaeology
- Science
- Trade
- Colonial History
- Religion
- Government and Politics
- Native American Life