Landis Valley Children’s Educational Programs | Camps, Homeschool Classes & History Workshops

Landis Valley Children’s Educational Programs | Camps, Homeschool Classes & History Workshops

Learn & Play at Our Children’s Museum

Discover Landis Valley Children’s Educational Programs, including hands-on history workshops, homeschool classes, seasonal camps, and interactive activities for ages 5–11. Explore 18th- and 19th-century life through crafts, chores, games, toys, and Pennsylvania German traditions.

The Landis Valley Children’s Educational Programs introduce young learners to the history, skills, and daily life of the people who lived in Lancaster County during the 18th and 19th centuries. Our programs use hands-on learning, interactive storytelling, and historic crafts to make history fun and accessible for children ages 5–11.

Designed around rotating themes, our workshops and camps explore the lives of farm children, young apprentices, tavern families, wagon drivers, and craftsmen and women who made, grew, and traded the goods that kept Lancaster thriving. Children learn through doing—sewing, cooking, gardening, building, crafting, and playing—just as children did more than 200 years ago.

Through these programs, students discover a time when imagination and ingenuity turned the simplest objects into toys and tools. Every experience is immersive, educational, and designed to build curiosity about Pennsylvania German culture and local history.

Below you’ll find our 2025–2026 educational programs, including seasonal children’s camps and our America 250-themed Homeschool Series.

Education Department Events 2026

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2026 Homeschool Series

Yankee Doodle Dandy (America 250)

Explore America’s founding era through hands-on colonial crafts, cooking, sewing, games, and history in the Yankee Doodle Dandy Homeschool Classes at Landis Valley. Three themed sessions for ages 5–11; registration required.

Cost: $30.00 per class
Reservations required
Ages vary per program

Registration opens Wednesday, November 19.

February 6th: Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner?

(FULL – Waitlist Available)

9:00–12:30 | Ages 5–11

This food-focused workshop invites students to explore colonial cooking, food preparation, and hearth techniques. Children follow recipes, practice historic methods, and help prepare a meal cooked in our replica colonial tavern—a perfect blend of culinary arts, teamwork, and early American history.

February 20th: Counting Stitches with Betsy Ross

(FULL – Waitlist Available)

9:00–12:30 | Ages 7–11

Students learn basic hand-sewing techniques while creating their own pincushion, followed by a second project—a pocket or market bag, commonly used for storage in the colonial era. This session blends craftsmanship with historical learning about women’s roles and resourcefulness in early America.

March 6th: Once Upon a Childhood

(FULL – Waitlist Available)

9:00–12:30 | Ages 5–11

This hands-on session explores daily life for colonial children, including chores, family responsibilities, and the importance of imagination. Students make two historically inspired toys to take home—learning through play just as children did more than 200 years ago.

Reservations required.

Contact Sheri Brown

Children’s Program Coordinator

c-sherbrow@pa.gov or 717-569-0401 x228

Reservations start Wednesday, November 19th.

 

SUMMER CAMP 2026

Wednesday July 29th-Friday July 31st 2026

9:00 am – 12:30 pm

Ages 5-11

         Summertime on the Farm, Colonial Style

         Projects TBD

         Cost: $150.00 Non-Members

                    $135.00 for LVA Members

WINTER DAY CAMP 2026

Saturday December 19th, 2026

Two Sessions

9:00–12:30 | Ages 5–11

1:00 – 4:00 | Ages 5–11

Christmas in the Colonies

Projects TBD

Cost: $50.00 per session for non-members

          $45.00 per session for LVA Members

Reservations required.

Contact Sheri Brown

Children’s Program Coordinator

c-sherbrow@pa.gov or 717-569-0401 x228

 

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📩 Contact for All Homeschool Classes

Sheri Brown, Children’s Program Coordinator
c-sherbrow@pa.gov | 717-569-0401 x228

Enroll in Our Museum Camps!

Camp Ages 5-11

Celebrating our 100th Anniversary

kid spinning wool

Children’s Winter Camp

Christmas with the Landis Children  

Saturday, December 20th   9:00-12:00 or 1:00-4:00      Ages 5-11

What was it like to celebrate Christmas as a child in the late 1800s?  We will explore holiday activities that George, Henry, and Nettie Mae may have enjoyed in Lancaster, Pa.

Including:

>Sewing a cat stuffed animal. Based on a pattern from a previous exhibit, “Color My World.”

>Designing both Scherenschnitte and pin prick Christmas Cards.

>Creating Christmas ornaments, including mini paper lanterns and paper cornucopias.

Registration is limited to 20 campers per session. Registration is required.

Contact our education department for more information

Interactive Hands-On History

Every family loves finding creative, fun, and educational ways to entertain their children, and we have just the thing! Our coloring and activity sheets are FREE for you to download and enjoy. Click on the images to download a PDF, print as many as you’d like, and have fun coloring while exploring life in the past with your children.

Visit our Children’s Museum Today!

Landis Valley’s homeschool program is a great way to supplement your history lesson, with classes that meet the PA State & Homeschool Educational Standards. Held every Friday from February through mid-March, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the program consists of three individual classes, each with a different topic.

 

Field Trips

With room to roam, friendly staff, lots of farm animals, and interactive options like workshops and wagon rides, Landis Valley is the perfect location for your next field trip.  Reservations are taken year-round.  Due to their incredible popularity, we strongly suggest making your plans three (3) months in advance.

We recommend making reservations at least 3 months in advance, especially if you are interested in one of our Hands-on Workshops.
No, however, payment in full is due upon arrival by one check or credit card.
There is a picnic grove area for use.
Drinks and light snacks are available for purchase at the Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum Store.
Yes, and we encourage children to visit the Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum Store.
Our site and workshops are open and running rain or shine.
During the peak season, self-guided tours are available with interpreters or craftspeople present in the buildings. In the off-season, a guided tour can be scheduled.
We recommend one chaperone for every ten students.  We allow one free chaperone per ten students.  All additional chaperones will pay an admission fee and a workshop fee if applicable.
Yes, there is an additional fee for students and chaperones.
You will use the front entrance, located near the cemetery, to enter the Visitor Center. When you check in you will need the accurate count of students and chaperones and payment in full.

To make a reservation, please call us at 717-569-0401 ext. 228 or…

Contact Sheri Brown, Education Coordinator
Landis Valley School Workshops

The educational hands-on workshops at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum offer something for every student.

Workshops run 45 minutes and are available Wednesdays through Fridays during the spring and fall.

They may be scheduled at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, and 12:30. Workshops are geared to a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 32 students.

For more information or to make a reservation:

Please Contact Sheri Brown, Education Coordinator

One-Room Schoolhouse

Send your class to school 1890’s style. Our authentic one-room Maple Grove schoolhouse was relocated from a local site. A schoolmarm in period costume will give your students lessons from the late 1800’s in subjects such as arithmetic, spelling, and reading. This workshop is geared to children in 2nd through 8th grades.

A Farm Child’s Sampler

This workshop allows students to explore the chores and activities that would have filled their lives in the early 1800’s. Students can try their hand at things such as flint and steel, quilting, roping a bed, and period toys and games. Recommended for grades 1 through 6.

Pennsylvania German Folk Art

Students are given the opportunity to learn about and explore one of two folk art traditions. Teachers may choose Fraktur or Reverse Glass Painting activities. This workshop is recommended for students in grades 4 through 12.

Scouts

Bring your pack or troop to Landis Valley for a great day of learning and fun that satisfies their adventure requirements at the same time. Choose from any of the following workshops or contact our Education Department to craft a workshop of your own:

From Wool to Weaving

Scouts will hear the story of wool processing, 1800’s style, from the sheep to fabric. They will then have an opportunity to try carding fresh wool, spinning wool into yarn, and weaving on a loom. Scouts can visit and learn about several types of sheep and will be given some wool and instructions to build their own drop spindle.

  • Length of workshop: 45 minutes
  • Number of scouts: 10-25
  • Recommended for ages: 8-14

Pennsylvania German Folk Art

Scouts are given the opportunity to learn about and explore one of several folk art traditions. Leaders may choose Fraktur, Scherenschnitte (paper cutting), Reverse Glass Painting, or Folk Toy activities. Scouts will take home directions to complete other folk art pieces.

  • Length of workshop: 90 minutes
  • Number of scouts: 10-25
  • Recommended for ages: 10-16

If you have a specific idea of a field trip that satisfies the requirements for your achievements

Please Contact Sheri Brown, Education Coordinator