EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Grumblethorpe Elementary Education Program
PhilaLandmarks Grumblethorpe Elementary Education Program (GEEP) presents hands-on, interactive workshops that provide reinforcing educational support for local schools within the District of Philadelphia and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
We present these creative workshop lessons on-site at our Grumblethorpe Historic House and Gardens located at 5267 Germantown Avenue to bring learning and history alive. Our ultimate goal is to provide high quality education and support towards the individual development of each student in the under-served community of Germantown, Philadelphia.
For almost 200 years, Grumblethorpe was occupied by generations of the multi-talented and industrious Wister family. Along with the historic house museum, the property includes a two-acre garden and urban farm, a chicken coop, a rose garden, bee hives, a small orchard, and a greenhouse donated by Penn State University, all unique resources which provide students with a magical urban setting where lessons move far beyond plants and gardening.
The history of the house and its occupants provide a wealth of context for learning. The Wisters were scientists, philanthropists, farmers, entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, theologians, pacifists, war veterans, teachers, and everyday citizens who took part in their local community and sought to improve life for those who were less fortunate.
The Wisters were acquainted with presidents, statesmen, foreign dignitaries, writers, scientists, academics along with their many notable neighbors and visitors. So there are a wealth of topics for students to engage with and connect to their lives today.
Our Grumblethorpe education programs enable area school children to participate in hands-on “real life” learning activities that support curriculum standards, good nutritional practices, and life-skills development, with the goal of motivating and encouraging the next generation of productive citizens.
These sorts of immersive learning programs are especially critical in a community like Germantown where many children have limited access to outdoor play areas and other resources.
We rely on the generous support from our donors, so please consider supporting our GEEP program.
Education Programs in Development
PhilaLandmarks is developing a whole range of dynamic onsite programming and curriculum resources for students and teachers at schools across the Philadelphia area. Our education team will be using our houses, collections and histories to spark children’s curiosity and creativity, promote cultural understanding, and encourage an empowered and civic-minded citizenry.
Please consider making a donation to the development of these critical education programs. Your generosity will help us to bring even larger numbers of Philadelphia’s area children to our houses and connect them with American history and the critical role the people living in our houses played in our nation’s founding, while also helping us show students the many connections between the themes and stories of our country’s rich history to their lives today.
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STUDENT FIELD TRIPS
Student group trips and onsite tours bring the history of our houses alive in an engaging, transforming way. Students will learn about the people who lived here and what roles they played in our founding.
They’ll also see colonial architecture and design up close. And be able to see primary source objects and writings and in some cases meet famous characters who actually lived and worked in 18th and 19th century America.
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ONSITE THEMATIC MODULES
Thematic modules under consideration include: meet the people of Philadelphia; women in 18th century PA; business and the colonial economy; paid labor, indentured servants and slavery; Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War; letter writing and communications; medicine and disease; science and the Enlightenment; gardens and horticulture; food, drink, entertaining and culture etc;
Each module will include specific sections related to each house and will be designed to encourage student interaction.
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TEACHING RESOURCES
Curriculum materials under consideration include life stories of the 18th century people who lived and visited our houses, focused thematic outlines for discussion, photos of objects and primary materials, and classroom activities.
For more information and to see which programs might work best with your school’s curriculum and students, talk with our Education and Programs Manager, Mackenzie Warren.