Contact the Director of Education at 410-222-1919 x212 or via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for availability, bookings, and more information.

Historic London Town and Garden provides hands-on, experience-based education programs, which support the National Science and Social Studies Standards and Maryland's Voluntary State Curriculum.  Four education programs are offered: Early Maryland, Sharing African American History, Archaeology, and Science in the Garden.  They are adaptable for K -- 12th grade students and homeschoolers. 

Planning Your Visit

Education programs are available Wednesdays – Fridays from September, November, and December and Tuesday - Friday during October.  During March and April programs are offered Wednesday through Friday and during May and June Tuesday through Friday. Teachers may choose to visit for either a half day (1–2½ hours) or a full (2½–5 hours) day. Arrival and departure times are flexible.
 

Group Size

Lunches

Students may bring bag lunches to eat on the grounds in designated areas. A covered area is available for inclement weather.

Fees

$5.00 per student for a half day.
$7.00 per student for a whole day.
One adult (teacher or chaperone) is admitted free of charge for every 5 students.
Additional chaperones (above the 1 per every 5 student ration) are charged the same amount as the students.

Students with Special Needs

Lice Policy

Since the Roleplay Room is an activity done by nearly every group, it has become necessary to have a lice policy since every child has the opportunity to dress up. Please inform the Director of Education prior to arrival, or the morning of your field trip at the very latest, if you have had an lice infestation recently, so that precautions may be taken. If we are not informed until the end of the day, a cleaning fee of $75.00 will be charged. We are looking out for the safety of all children that visit Historic London Town and Gardens. Please direct any questions to the Director of Education.

 
Children's Lives at Colonial London Town Interactive Storybook

 Education Programs Offered

We have four different education programs available. If you are coming on a Wednesday you will experience our Early Maryland and Archaeology programs.  On Thursdays and Fridays you will participate in our Early Maryland and Sharing African American History Programs.  An activity packet, which includes background information, and primary source activities that may be used both pre- and post-visit is available for every program.

Early Maryland

This program is the core of our historical educational offerings. Early Maryland centers on colonial life in the colonial port town of London Town. It takes place in and around the reconstructed Lord Mayor’s Tenement and the c1760 William Brown House. Hands-on topics range from eighteenth-century cooking and textiles, to tools and building construction, to costume and role-playing. The social and economic importance of indentured servants and enslaved people are explored through multiple activities.

Food is essential for everyone. A large part of colonist's daily life was consumed with growing, harvesting, preparing, and preserving food. In the Lord Mayor's Tenement and associated gardens, students become familiar with the plants, animals, and other ingredients that made up the diets of colonial London Town’s inhabitants. They  will assist in hearth cooking corn cakes (unfortunately they are not allowed to eat the fruits of their labor).

Sharing African American History

Students learn that London Town was a seaport with a diverse population and that archaeological research helps us retell the story of the town and its people. They will gain an understanding of the role that tobacco played in the institutionalization of slavery at London Town and elsewhere in America. Through various hands-on activities students comprehend how enslaved people lived and worked in London Town. Students will also learn and use 18th century tools and technology to understand the labor involved in growing, harvesting, and shipping tobacco.

Archaeology

Through archaeology, students take their study of Maryland’s Colonial period one step further as they work alongside archaeologists from the Anne Arundel County Lost Towns Project. Students learn about the people of London Town whose lives are often not recorded in historical documents as they screen for and examine artifacts that were used by women, convict and indentured servants, slaves and others. Students gain an appreciation for the importance of archaeology as an additional tool in historical research.  Archaeological features and artifacts help support primary and secondary sources and sometimes supplement research when these sources are lacking.  Please note that Screening for Artifacts is only offered on Wednesdays.

Science in the Garden

This program focuses on the interdependence of plants and animals. Based on studies in the classroom students gather data on the Woodland Trail (part of London Town’s eight acres of gardens). After the woodland hike, students complete a small plot study and a plant defense lab. This information is then taken back to the classroom for follow-up study. This program also fosters a respect for plants and animals and instills stewardship of the natural environment.  This program is recommended for grades three to five.

Homeschool Days

Every month during the school year, at least one Homeschool program is offered.   The semi-annual Homeschool Open House offer students the opportunity to sample all of the above-mentioned programs.  Different thematic programs are offered throughout the year; please visit our calendar of events for upcoming programs.  Reservations are needed for all programs. 
*Please note that a different fee structure and group size requirement pertains to Homeschool Days.

Contact the Education Programs Administrator at 410-222-1919 x212 or via email for availability, bookings, and more information.