Join us for our fall Scout Day on Saturday, November 5, 2022!  Scout Days offer you and your troop the opportunity to explore the Village and participate in hands-on activities.  This is a great opportunity for Scouts to gain exposure to many aspects of 1830’s New England life in an interactive way.  During this Scout Day we’ll celebrate fall.  See what’s happening on the farm as harvesting is in full swing.  See how the people of Old Sturbridge Village are preparing for the long winter ahead.

Register for one of the in-person programs with the Village’s knowledgeable staff or explore the Village on your own using self–guides, scavenger hunts, and more.

Click here to purchase standard daytime admission for Scout Day!

Timed In-Person Programs (Subject to change)

Things to know:

• Pre-registration is required for all activities listed below, unless otherwise noted.
• All events are limited to 12 students.
• These are not drop-in programs, unless otherwise noted. Our staff will have a list of registrants for each workshop.
• Students’ guardians must stay in close proximity of the program location for the entire duration of the activity for safety reasons.
• Though each listing includes a list of which the activity may fulfill, these programs are open to all Scouts.
• Meeting locations for these workshops may change. Stay tuned to your email or signage at the Visitor Center on the day of the program for any potential location changes.
• Workshop times are approximate. Please stay close by during your child’s workshop.
• At Old Sturbridge Village we demonstrate the tasks of everyday life in rural New England during the 1830s. On November 5th, at the Freeman Farm, we are harvesting meat from a pig that will be used in our daily hearth cooking programs. As we understand and fully respect the sensitive nature of this topic, we want to make sure all our guests make the decision whether or not they want to see this process. There is plenty to explore in other areas of the Village!

Hands-On Workshops

Whether you want to work towards one of your badges or just try out an activity for fun, we offer a wide variety of hands-on workshops for Scouts of all ages.

Pre-registration is required and workshops often fill up quickly.  Workshops can accommodate 12 participants, except where noted.

See listings below for requirements covered during the workshop.  Some requirements will need to be completed outside of the visit to Old Sturbridge Village.

Play with Clay | 50 Minutes | Ages 6+ | $7
Meets at the Pottery Shop

Register for 10:00
Register for 11:00 SOLD OUT
Register for 1:00 SOLD OUT
Register for 2:00

Gather inspiration from OSV’s potters before making our own clay creations from air-dry clay. Make a pinch pot, a coil pot, or your own work of art.

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Webelos: Art Explosion 3b
• Brownie: Potter 1, 2, 3, and 4

Carding and Weaving | 50 Minutes | Ages 8+ | $7
Meets at Museum Education

Register for 1:00 SOLD OUT
Register for 2:00

The process of making clothing in the 1830s was a little different than it is today. Step into the role of an 1830s villager and learn about the hard work behind making sheep’s wool into fabric. Participants will get hands-on experience carding wool from the Village’s own sheep and then weaving thread into cloth.

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Juniors: Playing the Past 2, 4
• Seniors: Textile Artist: 1, 2, 3

Shelter Building | 50 Minutes | Ages 6+ | $7
Meets at the Goods in the Woods Exhibit

Register for 10:00 SOLD OUT
Register for 1:00 SOLD OUT

Use your creative problem-solving skills and create a shelter from natural and manufactured materials.  Participants will be given a scenario before coming up with their own designs for protective shelters.

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Webelos:  Castaway 1C, 2A
• Juniors:  Camper 4
• Cadettes:  Outdoor Primitive Camper 5

Playful Pastimes | 50 Minutes | Ages 7+ | $7
Meets at Museum Education

Register for 10:00
Register for 11:00

As a warm-up, learn a fun 19^th-century group game that kids used to play. Then, using simple materials, participants in this workshop will create their own graces.

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Tigers: Tiger-iffic 2, 3; Tiger Tag 1

Open Hearth Cooking | 50 Minutes | Ages 6+ | $7
Meets at Museum Education

Register for 1:00 SOLD OUT
Register for 2:00 SOLD OUT

Learn about food storage and food preservation as we head into our harvest season.  Experience cooking 19th-century style using common household tools and recipes.  Make a 19th-century recipe for gingersnaps.

Ingredients include: butter, brown sugar, molasses, baking soda, ginger, flour, milk

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Tiger: Tiger Bites 2, 5
• Bears: Bear Picnic Basket 4
• Daisy: Yellow Petal (Friendly and Helpful), Purple Petal (Respect Myself and Others)
• Brownies:  Snacks 3, Senses 4
• Juniors: Simple Meals 1, 4; Social Butterfly 2

Letterboxing | 50 Minutes | Ages 6+ | $7
Meets at Museum Education

Register for 10:00 SOLD OUT
Register for 11:00 SOLD OUT

Learn how to decipher codes and follow clues, make your own signature stamp and get the clue to find a Letterbox that is hidden in the Village!

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Brownies:  Letterboxer 1,2,3,4

Nature Walk | 50 Minutes | Ages 5+ | $7
Meeting location TBD

Register for 11:00 SOLD OUT

Let’s go on a hike!  See how the woods are changing with the season.  Identify trees and do bark rubbings.  Search for and observe bugs in their homes.  Think about ways of taking care of nature.

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Daisy:
  • Design with Nature 2
  • Shapes in Nature 1 and 2
  • Eco Learner 2 and 3
• Brownie:
  • Outdoor Adventurer 2 and 5
  • Bugs 3, 4 and 5
  • Eco Friends 1, 2 and 5
• Lions: Mountain Lion 3
• Tigers: Tigers in the Wild 2, 4, and 6
• Wolves: Paws on the Path 3, 6
• Bears: Fur, Feathers, and Ferns 1, 4, and 5
• Webelos: Into the Woods 1-3, 6

Make a Toolbox | 90 Minutes | Ages 8+ | $12
Meets in Museum Education

Register for 10:30
Register for 1:00

Scouts will get a chance to use different woodworking tools and learn proper tool safety. With their new skills, participants will construct a simple tool box! This workshop is limited to 10 registrants.

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Bears: Baloo the Builder 1 and 3
• Webelos: Build It 1, 2, and 3
• Cadettes: Woodworker 3 and 5

Book Artist | 90 Minutes | Ages 9+ | $12
Meets at Museum Education

Register for 10:30
Register for 1:00

During the 1830s, printing was a very important job.  Printers in a town like Sturbridge printed posters, books and pamphlets.  Learn all about how a book is put together before sewing your own faux leather-bound book using traditional bookbinding methods.  We’ll also marble the inside for an artistic finish.

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Cadette:  Book Artist 1, 2 and 3         

Open Hearth Cooking: Chicken Pasties | 90 Minutes | Ages 9+ | $12
Meets at Museum Education

Register for 10:30 SOLD OUT

With Thanksgiving around the corner, what do you think people in the 1830’s do with their Thanksgiving leftovers?  Join us as we make chicken pasties with cranberry sauce.

Ingredients include:  flour, salt, butter, chicken, carrots, cranberries, sugar

May fulfill the following requirements:

• Juniors:  Simple Meals 1, 2