Scout Day – November 2023
Saturday, November 4, 2023
Times: The Village is open from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
Cost: Included with standard daytime admission or Village membership. For non-members, cost is $12 per Scout for full-day admission to Old Sturbridge Village. One adult per Scout ages 5 and above is admitted at the rate of $17. Workshops are an additional fee and pre-registration is required.
Join us for our fall Scout Day on Saturday, November 4, 2023! Scout Days allow you and your troop to explore the Village and participate in hands-on activities. This is a great opportunity for Scouts to gain exposure to many aspects of 1830s New England life in an interactive way. During this Scout Day, we’ll celebrate fall. S
ee 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.
Village Admission
Village admission on Scout Day is included with standard daytime admission or Village membership. For non-members, cost is $12 per Scout for full-day admission to Old Sturbridge Village. One adult per Scout ages 5 and above is admitted at the rate of $17. Additional tickets can be purchased at regular rates. Hands-on Workshops are an additional fee, and pre-registration is required. See details below.
Click here to purchase standard daytime admission for Scout Day
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. See listings below for requirements covered during the workshop. Some requirements will need to be completed outside of the visit to Old Sturbridge Village.
Pre-registration is required and workshops often fill up quickly.
Things to know:
- Pre-registration is required for all workshops 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.
Play with Clay | 50 Minutes | $7
Meets at the Pottery Shop
Register for 10:00 (Ages 8+)
Register for 11:00 (Ages 8+) SOLD OUT
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, 3c
- Brownie: Art and Design 1, 2, 3
Writing in Secret Code | 50 Minutes | $7
Meets at the Museum Education Building
Register for 1:00 (Ages 8+)
Register for 2:00 (Ages 8+)
People have been writing in code for a long time in order to keep their messages safe. Other codes, like Morse Code (developed during the Village’s time period!) and semaphore were created to make communication easier. Learn about the history of codes, write in invisible ink, and then decipher and encode your own messages to share with friends
May Fulfill the following requirements:
- Brownies Letter boxer 3
- Tigers: Curiosity, Intrigues, and Magical Mysteries 3, 4
Fun and Games | 50 Minutes | $7
Meets at the Museum Education Building
Register for 10:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Register for 11:00 (Ages 6+)
Register for 1:00 (Ages 6+)
Life in the 1830s was hard work, but kids still had time for fun! Experiment and make an 1830s board games, play team games, and change the rules to make your own spin on old games!
May Fulfills the following requirements:
- Tigers: Games Tigers Play 1A, 1B, 1C; Tigeriffic 2, 5, 6; Tiger Tag 2A, 2B; Wolves: Running with the Pack 4
- Daisies: Light Blue Petal (Honest and Fair); Purple Petal (Respect Myself and Others)
- Brownies: Fair Play 1, 2, 3, 4
Carding and Weaving | 50 Minutes | $7
Meets at the Museum Education Building
Register for 1:00 (Ages 8+) SOLD OUT
Register for 2:00 (Ages 8+) SOLD OUT
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 | $7
Meets at the Saw Mill
Register for 10:00 (Ages 6+)
Register for 11:00 (Ages 6+)
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
Open Hearth Cooking: Cooking a Snack | 50 Minutes | $7
Meets at the Museum Education Building
Register for 1:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
Register for 2:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
The winter was a long time without fresh food. Discover how food was preserved in the 1830s. Follow a 19th-century “receipt” and together you will mix up a batch of apple fritters and fry them over the fire in the open hearth, then learn a little about 1830s table manners. Ingredients include: flour, apples, eggs, milk, sugar
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
Not Just a Nature Walk | 50 Minutes | $7
Meets at the entrance to the River Walk next to the Saw Mill
Register for 11:00 (Ages 5+) SOLD OUT
Register for 1:00 (Ages 5+)
Let’s go on a hike! See how the woods are changing with the season. Identify trees and do leaf and bark rubbings. Search for and observe bugs in their homes. Gather natural materials to make a Fairy house. Think about ways of taking care of nature.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Daisy:
- Design with Nature 2
- Shapes in Nature 1, 2, 3
- Eco Learner 2 and 3
- Outdoor Art Maker 1,2,3
- Brownie:
- Outdoor Adventurer 2 and 5
- Bugs 3, 4 and 5
- Eco Friends 1, 2 and 5
- Junior: Outdoor Art Explorer 1, 2, 5
- Cadette: Outdoor Art Apprentice 1, 2, 5
- Senior: Outdoor Art Expert 1, 2, 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 Suet Feeder | 50 Minutes | $7
Meets at the Museum Education Building
This workshop is limited to 10 registrants.
Register for 10:00 (Ages 8+)
Register for 11:00 (Ages 8+)
Scouts will get a chance to use different woodworking tools and learn proper tool safety. With their new skills, participants will construct a suet feeder!
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Brownies: Math in Nature 3 1, 3, 4
- Bears: Baloo the Builder 1 and 3
- Webelos: Build It 1, 2, and 3
- Cadettes: Woodworker 3 and 5
Make a Six Board Chest | 90 Minutes | $12
Meets at the Museum Education Building
This workshop is limited to 10 registrants.
This workshop offers older scouts the change to expand on their woodworking abilities. Make an 1830s Six Board Chest while practicing proper tool handling and safety.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Cadettes: Woodworker 1,2,3,4,5
- Wood Working Merit Badge 4, 5, 6d, 7 (#7 can be done on your own in the Village)
Book Artist | 90 Minutes | $12
Meets at the Museum Education Building
Register for 10:00 (Ages 9+)
Register for 1:00 (Ages 9+)
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 –Winter Vegetable Soup and Biscuits | 90 Minutes | $12
Meets at the Museum Education Building
Register for 10:00 (Ages 10+) SOLD OUT
Register for 1:00 (Ages 10)+
Use 1830s tools by the open hearth as you prepare a meal together. Menu consists of (for the soup) vegetable broth, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, turnip and spices (for the biscuits) flour, baking powder, salt, butter, milk
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Juniors: Simple Meals 1, 2, 5
- Social Butterfly 1, 2, 4, 5
- Caddettes: New Cuisines 3, 4
Free Drop-in Activities (Included with standard daytime admission or membership)
Games on the Common
11:30-12:00
2:00-2:30
Learn how to play 1830s games like graces, baseball, French and English!
Stories and Craft
Meets at the School House
11:30-12:00
Join one of our Museum Educators in some fun fall story time then create crafts inspired by our stories.
Knot Tying
Meets by the Law Office
1:00-1:30
Try your best at knot tying and learn some new skills!
Simple Machine Tour
Meets by the Saw Mill
11:00
There are so many simple machines to see here at the Village! From pulleys to wedges to screws, take a tour with a museum educator to see how many you can find!