February 2009

Dear Discovery Camp Family:

Welcome to Celebrate the President's Birthday Discovery Camp at Old Sturbridge Village and your adventure into early 19th-century America. We hope you enjoy our February 2009 program. The information below will help you plan for your visit to ensure an authentic, safe, and fun experience for all.

Prior To Your Visit
The Information and Release Form provides us with information necessary in the event of an emergency. Employees of Old Sturbridge Village are not licensed to distribute or administer medications of any type. This form also requests parental consent to publish photographs taken by Old Sturbridge Village or news photographers and materials produced by participants. Photographs may appear in our Old Sturbridge Visitor magazine, brochures promoting our programs, annual reports, newspaper articles, etc. Children may not attend this program without signed parental consent.

The Transportation Form is only necessary to fill out if anyone other than a parent is picking up a child on a particular day.

The Family Agreement provides the guardian/parent and child with a general understanding of the expectations of Old Sturbridge Village of those attending a Discovery Camp program.

NEW A copy of your child’s Birth Certificate is required upon registration. It will be recorded as having been received to attend this camp and for future registrations.

To complete your registration process, please return all necessary forms immediately by fax, 508-347-0263, or by mail to:

Old Sturbridge Village
Education Scheduling Office
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566

Drop-Off/Pick-Up

Camp hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Morning sign-in begins at 8:45 a.m. at the Museum Education Building. Afternoon pick-up is at 3:00 p.m. each day at the same pre-assigned location.

We will post a daily schedule of your child’s activities. We encourage parents to take pictures or videos of their child while they are in the Village. Please understand that for the participants to have a truly immersive experience, picture taking and contact with the children needs to be from a distance. The camp schedule is flexible in order to take advantage of special activities and events in the Village or to respond to weather concerns. At the end of the day, children will wait in the program spaces for their parent or guardian.

Clothing
On the first day of the program, each child is issued a 19th-century costume to wear throughout the weekend. Costumes are kept at the museum, and cleaning is provided by the museum. To complete the 19th-century image, please have your child(ren) wear plain white or gray knee-high socks and simple black, brown, or tan shoes (no sneakers or sandals). Young ladies may want to wear plain white or gray tights during cold months. Socks and shoes must be worn at all times. Many programs involve extensive walking, so wear shoes that are comfortable. Colored hair elastics and clips, watches, all jewelry, nail polish, make-up, tattoos, hair dyes, etc. are not permitted while costumed. We recommend that you leave these items and all valuables at home. The museum is not responsible for lost items.

Lunch
Each day we will provide a reproduction lunch container and mug, a beverage, and a cookie from our Bake Shop. To enrich the experience, please pack a lunch that resembles one of the 1830s using foods such as: breads, cheese chunks, homemade-looking cookies, seasonal fruit, plain donut holes, etc. (Modern-looking foods such as: candy bars, chips, and snack-packaged desserts are not allowed in the historic area.) Please wrap foods in wax paper. We will carry our lunches with us during the day, so please pack foods that can remain at air temperature. Lunch will generally take place in costume in front of the public. We appreciate your efforts to keep your presentation authentic.

Visiting the Village
If parents wish to visit the Village during the program and are not Old Sturbridge Village Members, reduced admission tickets are available at a special rate of $7.00. Additional tickets may be purchased at the rate of $7.00 per person. Children under 3 are admitted free. If you plan to visit often, you may find it more economical to purchase a Village Membership. Tickets can be purchased at the Museum Education building or at the Visitor Center. We look forward to your visit. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 508-347-0335.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Kime
Education Coordinator

P.S. To the parents of children with severe allergies or medical conditions: Our 19th-century agricultural environment contains many common allergens such as pollen, dust, bees, nuts, animals, etc. We are unable to alter activities to prevent exposure to these conditions. If your child is prone to life-threatening allergies and is likely to require medical attention in such an environment, you may wish to reconsider participation in this program. Please note that employees of Old Sturbridge Village are not licensed to distribute or administer medications of any type.

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