Contact:
Becky Giantonio, Pita Communications
(860) 293-0157, ext. 25; becky@pitacomm.com
Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum Takes Learning
Out of the Classroom During Autumn Discovery Days
Two Hands-On Programs Teach Children
About Colonial Life and Veterans Day
WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (Septembe 2007) – Though school is closed on Columbus Day and Veterans Day, learning doesn’t have to stop! During the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum’s Autumn Discovery Days, children will experience history while engaging in fun educational activities.
The two interactive programs teach kids in third through fifth grade about life during the Colonial period and the history of Veterans Day through tours, crafts and dance.
The programs take place on the museum’s grounds from 10 a.m. to noon:
Sarah Webb: The Life of a Colonial Girl – Oct. 8
Kids will learn about the remarkable life of Sarah Webb, daughter of Joseph and Mehtible Webb, who grew up in the Webb House during the Colonial period. As the daughter of an affluent merchant, Sarah would have experienced some of the finer things in life. Participants will learn about her childhood by touring the Webb House and reading family letters. After learning a Colonial dance and completing a take-home craft, children will end the program with a Colonial tea party.
Honoring Them:
Veterans Day at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum – Nov. 12
The day begins with a tour of the Old Wethersfield Burial Ground to learn about the history of Veterans Day and the veterans buried in the cemetery. After returning to the museum for hot chocolate and doughnuts, participants will take a tour of the Webb House and hear about the veterans who once called it home. At the end of the day, children will make a craft, which the museum staff will later deliver to the VA Medical Center in Newington.
The cost of each program is $15 ($5 from each enrollment in the Veterans Day program will be donated to the VA Medical Center in Newington). Registration is required. Please contact Lisa Sillitto, education coordinator at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, at (860) 529-0612 or lsillitto@webb-deane-stevens.org for registration or more information.
Additional event information can also be found on the museum’s newly redesigned Web site at www.webb-deane-stevens.org. The new site features updated photos, a detailed history of the museum’s three houses and gardens, information on upcoming Museum School programs and museum news.
About the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
Located in the heart of Connecticut’s largest historic district, the museum, which consists of three authentically restored 18th-century homes, brings Wethersfield’s rich history to life, from the American Revolution to the early 20th century. The museum includes the 1752 Joseph Webb House, which served as George Washington’s Revolutionary War headquarters in May 1781, when he met with French General le conte de Rochambeau; the 1766 Silas Deane House, built for America’s first diplomat to France; and the 1788 Isaac Stevens House, which depicts life in the 18th and 19th centuries through original family objects and includes a new children’s museum.
The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, located at 211 Main St., Wethersfield, is open daily – with the exception of Tuesday – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., May through October, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., November 1 through April 30. Three-house tours cost $8 for adults and $4 for students and children ages 5 to 18. For information about current exhibits, upcoming events or Museum School classes, call (860) 529-0612 or visit www.webb-deane-stevens.org.
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