As you put the finishing touches on your lesson plans for the coming school year, we at the Huguenot & New Rochelle Historical Association would like to inform you about a very special enrichment resource here in New Rochelle and easily accessible by major roads: The Thomas Paine Cottage.

Our programs are suitable for children in Kindergarten through Grade 8, but focus on children in Grades 3, 4, and 5.

We offer two formats for a hands-on experience of colonial life:

• You may visit the actual farmhouse owned by Thomas Paine and the historic one-room schoolhouse, where an historical interpreter in period clothing will help you experience life in the colonies.

OR

• You may request an historical interpreter in period clothing to visit your classroom to present various aspects of 18th Century American history through role playing, demonstrations, and activities.

Either option is a great opportunity for children to experience a real connection to the past in an active, fun, and imaginative way. Naturally, programs held at the cottage are more fun and more enriching for the children who attend them.

A program can be tailored to fit your curriculum, interests, and time schedules. A pre-visit student preparation packet is provided and includes: lesson plan, information sheets with a chapter on Colonial Living, the Revolution, and the Black experience, plus activity pages, games, and illustrations to color or to inspire original artwork. A post-visit reading list is also available.

Standard programs held at the Cottage runs 2 to 2 1/2 hours in length.

Please read about our programs in detail, which will help you to identify the program that is right for your interests.

Also, you will need to see our fee schedule for special programs.