Spring Scout Day
Saturday, May 6, 2023
Times: The Village is open 9:30 am - 5:00 pm. Activity times vary; pre-registration is required.
Cost: Included with standard daytime admission or Village membership. For non-members, cost is $10 per Scout for full-day admission to Old Sturbridge Village. One adult per Scout ages 5 and above is admitted at the rate of $15. Workshops are an additional fee and pre-registration is required.
Join us for our spring Scout Day on Saturday, May 6, 2023! Scout Days offer you and your troop the opportunity to explore the Village and participate in hands-on activities. This is also Muster Day at the Village! 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 spring. See what’s happening on the farm in the early spring, immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of nature, and learn about how early New Englanders utilized natural resources.
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Village Admission
Village admission on Scout Day is included with standard daytime admission or Village membership. For non-members, cost is $10 per Scout for full-day admission to Old Sturbridge Village. One adult per Scout ages 5 and above is admitted at the rate of $15. 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 activities listed below, unless otherwise noted.
- All events are limited to 12 students unless otherwise noted.
- 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.
- All activities will take place outside, unless otherwise noted, for proper social distancing, weather permitting.
- 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.
Build a Suet Bird Feeder | 50 Minutes | $7
Just added!
Learn how to safely handle and use woodworking tools as we flex our woodworking skills by making a suet bird feeder. This workshop meets in the Museum Education Building.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Webelos: Arrow of Light Build It! 1-3
Cook a Country Breakfast | 50 Minutes | $7
Just added!
Cook a delicious breakfast with friends over an open hearth. This workshop meets in the Museum Education Building.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Juniors: Simple Meals 1, 2
Play with Clay | 50 Minutes | $7
10:00 (Ages 6+) FULL
11:00 (Ages 6+) FULL
2:00 (Ages. 6+) Just added!
Let’s 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. This workshop meets at the Pottery Shop in the Village.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Webelos: Art Explosion 3b
- Brownie: Potter 1, 2, 3, and 4
Art, Outside! | 50 Minutes | $7
11:00 (Ages 5+) FULL
Spring has sprung! Bring your artistic skills outside and get inspired by nature. Participants will check out different styles of art and see what they like. They will then use the medium of their choice to create their own masterpiece! This workshop meets at the Sawmill in the Village.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Tigers: Stories in Shapes 3
- Wolf: Stories In Shapes 2, 3 and 4
- Webelos: Art Explosion 1 and 3a
- Daisies: Outdoor Art Maker 1
- Brownies: Outdoor Art Creator 1 and 2
- Juniors: Drawing 3; Outdoor Art Explorer 1 and 2
Marble Madness | 50 Minutes | $7
1:00 (Ages 6+) FULL
Learn all about the ancient game of marbles! From aggies to jaspers, we will explore marble slang and play fun marble games. We will also make our own marbles from clay and a decorative bag to store them in! This workshop meets at the Pottery Shop in the Village.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Tigers: Tiger-iffic 2, 3
- Bears: Marble Madness 1, 2, 3, and 5
- Daisy: Light Blue Petal, Purple Petal
All Tied Up in Knots | 50 Minutes | $7
Knowing how to make a knot is important and helpful in everyday life! Learn how to tie a few different kinds with our knot expert! This workshop meets at the Sawmill in the Village.
Tree Walk | 50 Minutes | $7
Join one of the Village’s experts on a nature walk. Participants will learn how to identify regional trees, do bark rubbing and explore how New Englanders use natural resources both today and in the past. This workshop meets at the Sawmill in the Village.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- 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
- Brownies: Eco Friend 2; Outdoor Adventurer 2; Bugs 3 and 5; Hiker 5
- Cadettes: Trees 1 and 2
Hearth Cooking | 50 Minutes | $7
10:00 (Ages 6+) FULL
11:00 (Ages 6+) FULL
Assist in making honey cake and mint tea. Discuss children’s work and play in the early 19th century and compare these with today. Learn about kitchen gardens, heirloom plants and honey bees. Attend a “garden party” and take on the role of a friendly hostess! On your own, visit the Village’s industrious bees.
Ingredients for the honey cake include: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, orange peel, egg, milk, honey, sugar.
This workshop meets at the Museum Education Building.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Tigers: Tiger Bites 2, 5
- Bears: Bear Picnic Basket 4
- Daisies: Yellow Petal (Friendly and Helpful); Purple Petal (Respect Myself and Others)
- Brownies: Snacks 3; Senses 4
- Juniors: Simple Meals 1, 4; Social Butterfly 2
Make a Seed Ball | 50 Minutes | $7
It’s spring, which means that it’s time to get planting. Participants will check out the Museum Ed garden and plot out where to plant our beans and peas. Learn about composting and try out a 21st-century planting activity: making seed balls from clay, soil, and wildflower seeds! This workshop meets in the Museum Education Building.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Lions: Ready, Set, Grow 1
- Bears: Fur, Feathers and Ferns
- Daisies: Green Petal
- Juniors: Gardener 1, 2, and 5
Shelter Building | 50 Minutes | $7
(Meets at the Saw Mill)
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. This workshop meets at the Sawmill in the Village.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Webelos: Castaway 1C, 2A
- Juniors: Camper 4
- Cadettes: Outdoor Primitive Camper 5
Writing in Secret Code | 50 Minutes | $7
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. This workshop meets in the Museum Education Building.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Juniors: Detective 2
- Brownies: Letterboxer 3
- Tigers: Curiosity, Intrigue, and Magical Mysteries 3 and 4
Carding and Weaving | 50 Minutes | $7
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. This workshop meets in the Museum Education Building.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Juniors: Playing the Past 2, 4
- Seniors: Textile Artist: 1, 2, 3
Book Artist | 90 Minutes | $12 | 10 participants max
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 using traditional bookbinding methods. We will also marble the inside for an artistic finish. This workshop meets in the Museum Education Building.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Cadette: Book Artist 1, 2, and 3
Make a Toolbox | 90 Minutes | $12 | 10 participants max
Build something! Scouts will get a chance to use different woodworking tools and learn proper tool safety. With their new skills, participants will construct a simple toolbox! This workshop meets in the Museum Education Building.
May fulfill the following requirements:
- Bears: Baloo the Builder 1 and 3
- Webelos: Build It 1, 2, and 3
- Cadettes: Woodworker 3 and 5