CANTERBURY SHAKER VILLAGE
2016-2017 YOUTH PROGRAMS
Canterbury Shaker Village’s diverse offerings comply with state curricular frameworks and cover
subjects from science to history. Programs are led by trained museum educators and on-site tours
include time spent in the Village’s historic buildings, as well as hands-on activities designed to
enhance the students’ understanding of Shaker life, work, and worship.
Shaker Boy: An Introduction
to the Shakers
The Earth Shall Provide:
The Shakers and the Land
Through the lens of a fictionalized
story set at the Village, students
will learn how the Shakers created
a successful religious community
where everyone was welcomed as
an important, contributing member.
Enter the world of the Shakers,
whose prosperity depended on the
land and on their environmental
stewardship. Students examine the
Shakers’ self-sufficient, agrarian
lifestyle, drawing conclusions
about the importance of the natural
world in their own lives.
Grades 1-2
1.5 hours
The Shakers: Life in a Community
Grades 3-6
Grades 9-12
2 hours
2 hours
What was it like to live in a Shaker
community? Students learn
firsthand what life was like for
children growing up at the Village
and discover through a variety
of activities how cooperation,
invention, and efficiency allowed
the Shakers to survive and thrive as
a community.
The Shakers & Simple Machines
Grades 3-6
Grades 3-6
The Shaker Story
2 hours
Creating a successful community
took ingenuity and work! Students
learn about the Shakers’ innovations
and investigate their use of simple
machines. Perfect for students who
have been introduced to the topic
in the classroom, this program
showcases the many real-world
applications of simple machines.
1.5 hours
The Shakers’ worship, work and
daily life are discussed on this
guided tour through the Meeting
House, Laundry, and Dwelling
House. Students learn how the
Shakers strove to create a perfect
community of “heaven on earth,”
using modern technology and
innovative ideas to ensure that
their experiment in communal
religious life was successful for
more than 200 years.
NEW! A Visit from 1860
Grades 4-8
Equality: The Shaker Pioneers
Grades 7-10
2 hours
Stepping back in time, students
learn how equality shaped Shaker
communities and discuss issues
from the viewpoints of fictional
characters in history. This program
encourages students to think
critically about the reasons why
people might have joined the
Shakers, culminating in a debate
about a family divided by their
desire to join the Shakers.
1 hour
This outreach program is offered
January-April and is $125/per
classroom visit, plus mileage.
Meet a neighbor of the Shakers
from 1860 without leaving your
classroom. Students will be able
to ask the costumed interpreter
questions about the Shakers and
daily life in rural New Hampshire,
getting a firsthand perspective
on what people of the time
thought of the unique religious
sect. Discussion topics will
include Shaker worship and work,
augmented with reproductions of
Shaker-made artifacts.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING IS AVAILABLE SEASONALLY FROM MAY-OCTOBER.
ON-SITE PROGRAMS COST $7/STUDENT WITH TEACHERS ADMITTED AT NO COST.
ADMISSION FOR ADDITIONAL CHAPERONES IS $9/PERSON.
For more information, please contact [email protected] or 603-783-9077 x.284.
288 SHAKER ROAD • CANTERBURY, NH 03224 • 603-783-9511 • WWW.SHAKERS.ORG