Spring Homeschool Day at George Washington's Mount Vernon
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
Homeschool Day Activities
Activity Stations on the 12-Acre Field (9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Visit with Mount Vernon educators to learn about what about the outbreak of the Revolutionary War at Lexington & Concord on April 19, 1775 and why the Second Continental Congress chose Washington to take command.
Make your own paper lantern and pick up activities you can do at home (while supplies last).
Learn about 18th-century foodways from Mount Vernon Trades staff.
Talk with Mount Vernon archaeologists about the archaeological process and their recent discoveries.
Please note: while the farm will be open for visitation, it will not be staffed. All trades activities will take place in the Historic Area and on the 12-Acre field.
Special Guests
The Museum of the American Revolution:
How do you create a uniform for a newly formed army? Join a museum educator from the Museum of the American Revolution to discover how George Washington used ribbon sashes and cockades to differentiate between the officer ranks and try your hand at making your own sash!
Performances on the Bowling Green
Hear our resident fifer and learn about the military music used during the American Revolution at 10:30a.m., 12:30p.m., and 2:30p.m.
Listen to Mount Vernon staff do a special reading of Revolutionary Prudence Wright by Beth Anderson at 11:00 and 2:00.
Don’t miss the special reading of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Paul Revere’s Ride at 1:00p.m.
In the Historic Area
Watch 18th-century spinning and weaving in the Spinning House, where enslaved and hired weavers made utilitarian wool and linen cloth.
Visit the Blacksmith shop to learn about blacksmithing in the eighteenth century.
Meet Mount Vernon horticulturalists in the Upper Garden and participate in their planting activity (while supplies last).
Hear from Mount Vernon staff and meet the estate’s many animals during a Livestock Look & Learn:
- Sheep: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Oxen: 10:30a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Horses: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Hogs/Turkeys: 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Sheep: 1:30p.m. – 2:30p.m.
Paid Additions
Situation Room for students ages 15+
Assuming the roles of President Washington, his Presidential Cabinet, US Senators, foreign ambassadors, Native American leaders, and members of the press, guests must actively work together with colleagues to manage both international and domestic crises. Guests must come together and utilize important skills like persuasion, communication, conflict resolution, and organizational leadership to make decisions during a critical time in Washington's Presidency.
This program will begin at 9:30 a.m. where a Mount Vernon staff member will meet you in front of the Mount Vernon Inn. Students will then be taken over to the George Washington Presidential Library where they will participate in the Situation Room. Students must be at least 15 years old to participate. Due to space, we are unable to accommodate other guests watching the program. This educational experience requires a group size of 25 to 48 students. Should this number not be met, anyone who purchased tickets will be refunded and the experience will be canceled. The program runs for a minimum of two hours. Mount Vernon Staff will return participants to the Inn once the program has concluded.
Garden and Landscape Tour with Mount Vernon Landscape Historian
Tour Times: 10:30 & 1:30 (approximately 1 hour long)
What’s the Dirt? Unearthing Stories of Mount Vernon’s Gardens and Outdoor Landscapes
Join Landscape Historian Dr. Holly Gruntner for an hourlong walking tour of Mount Vernon’s gardens and outdoor landscapes. We’ll explore questions like: What does dung have to do with it? How much work was it to keep the plants alive at Mount Vernon, and who performed that work? How did George Washington’s landscape “style” change over time? What happened to Mount Vernon’s gardens and landscapes while Washington was away leading the Continental Army?
The Mansion
Please note: in order to go inside the Mansion, you must reserve timed entry tickets when purchasing your Homeschool Day Ticket.
The Mansion is currently under restoration with limited access. For more information on our restoration efforts, click here.
If you would like to take a virtual tour of the Mansion, Mount Vernon staff will be giving them in the Smith Theater in the Ford Orientation Center until 2:00p.m.
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.