This spring, the Museum of the American Revolution will be offering a new way to experience history through new Explorer Day Camps and immersive experiences for kids.
On Wednesday, April 10, and Tuesday, April 23, young history buffs are welcome to the MoAR for different educational and fun experiences ranging from hands-on games, crafts and more. Day Camps land on dates that the Philadelphia School District and Archdiocese of Philadelphia are closed and at these full-day, drop-off/pickup programs, students will use the museum, its collection, and the Old City neighborhood as resources for Revolutionary-themed adventures.
The first activation on April 10 will be in full swing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature a live action roleplay game-themed day. As a release notes, while there, students will be joined by museum educators to learn how the choices they make as a Continental soldier, British soldier, or spy could transform the course of history.
Participants will use characters, maps, replica objects, and images from the museum’s exhibits to create their very own character and delve into history through missions, games, puzzles, and storytelling.
The day camp on April 23, on the other hand, (also from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) will instead cover how Revolutionary-era garments got their vibrant colors. Museum educators will lead campers through different activities that show how colors can be extracted from fruits and vegetables like avocados, onions, beets, and cabbage, and used to dye clothing.
Throughout the day, students will keep track of their findings using journals and swatches as they test various 18th-century plant dyes. At the end of the day, students will choose their favorite dye and use it to color and take home their very own History Explorer shirt as well, the release notes.
These new activations from the MoAR come out to be $85 per child for general admission and $75 per student, per day for Museum Members (and yes, you can sign up for multiple camps.)
A full list of policies and procedures regarding drop-off/pick-up, lunches and snacks, recommended clothing, and more can be found online, or for further information, participants can also contact Family Programs Manager, Rebecca Franco at rfranco@amrevmuseum.org.
On top of the new day camp experiences, Philadelphians can also head to the venue for its latest exhibition, ‘Witness to Revolution: The Unlikely Travels of Washington’s Tent’. The pop-up (which is on display until January of next year) will feature objects, documents, works of art, touchscreen interactives, audio and video elements, and more to showcase the individuals over time who helped preserve Washington’s War Tent from the Revolution to present day.
Throughout the exhibit, Philadelphians will also learn more about the lives of Alexander Hamilton, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Martha Washington on top of the lesser-known stories of Washington’s enslaved valet William Lee, who lived alongside him in the tent, and Selina Gray, the enslaved housekeeper at Arlington House in Virginia who saved the tent during the Civil War, a release notes.
Some artifacts to look out for include the 1897 painting ‘In the Presence of Washington’ by Howard Pyle, an 1872 letter written by Selina Gray to Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee, and even George Washington’s foldable field bedstead among many other one-of-a-kind items.
‘Witness to Revolution’ will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 5,000 square-foot exhibition is located in the museum’s first-floor Patriots Gallery. Access to the exhibition is included with regular museum admission and tickets can be purchased at AmRevMuseum.org, by calling 215-253-6731, or at the front desk.
For more information on the Museum of the American Revolution, the new History Explorer Day Camps and ‘Witness to Revolution’, visit amrevmuseum.org
