|
SCHOOL TOURS ~ LEARNING ADVENTURES AWAIT AT
BELLE GROVE
Belle Grove, the only authentic antebellum
plantation in Virginia's northern Shenandoah Valley, offers exciting,
educational field trips that appeal to children of all ages.
Conveniently located near the intersection of I-66 and I-81, Belle
Grove is both a National and Virginia Historic Landmark and a Property
of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For information
regarding tours for groups,
click here.
Constructed of native limestone between 1794 and 1797, Belle Grove
was originally the home of Major Isaac Hite and his wife Nelly Madison
Hite, sister of President James Madison. Today, as a working farm and
important educational center, the plantation gives students a unique
glimpse of life in Early America.
Boasting architecture inspired by Thomas Jefferson and site of the
pivotal Civil War Battle of Cedar Creek, Belle Grove offers a
comprehensive educational program both students and teachers will
enjoy. Entitled "Discover Your Past," the Belle Grove tour for young
audiences challenges children to uncover and better understand our
nation's rich history.
"Discover Your Past" at Belle Grove ~
 Come "Discover Your Past" at an authentic antebellum plantation.
Developed in close conjunction with the Virginia Standards of Learning
(SOL's) and the West Virginia Instructional Goals and Objectives (IGO's),
Belle Grove's exciting learning adventure uses hands-on activities to
bring history to life. Designed for students in grades 4-8, but
adaptable for any curriculum, the "Discover Your Past" program gives
children a taste of life on a nineteenth century Virginia plantation.
Combining four interactive learning experiences, the tour provides an
understanding of how people, both free and enslaved, lived and worked
two hundred years ago. During the tour, small groups rotate between
interactive learning experiences in the Manor House, Winter Kitchen,
Blacksmith's Forge and the Historic Landscape. These four hands-on
activities provide students with a comprehensive look at life on a
Virginia plantation. The following is a brief description of the tour's
four main components.
The Manor House ~
On Belle
Grove's spacious front porch children learn about the early settlement
of the Shenandoah Valley. The Hite Family, who built Belle Grove, were
among the first pioneers to settle in the Valley of Virginia. Students
encounter the reasons for European migration to the "New World" and
receive information about the Native American cultures that predated
colonial settlement. From the porch, young visitors look out across
fertile farm fields that, in 1864, were transformed into battlefields
when the Civil War Battle of Cedar Creek swirled around the Manor
House. Students can even see and touch original bullet holes in the
porch columns.
Once in the Manor House, children are encouraged to contrast
plantation life with their own lives. There are no velvet ropes at
Belle Grove; visitors are free to enter period rooms and encounter
authentic furnishings and artifacts. Origina1 1799 family portraits,
still hanging on the walls for which they were painted, give children
the opportunity to compare their clothing and life-styles with those of
Hite family members.
During their tour, students come into contact with famous figures in
American history such as James Madison, "Father of the Constitution,"
who was a frequent guest of the plantation and Thomas Jefferson, author
of the Declaration of Independence, who was asked to help design the
Manor House. Students discover Jefferson's influence on American
architecture by peering into a suppressed staircase inspired by the
Sage of Monticello.
In the Plantation Office, visitors learn about the plantation's
economic activity and the important roles played by both the Shenandoah
River and the Valley Turnpike (present-day U.S. 11) in the commercial
development of western Virginia.
Virginia SOL's covered by this interactive learning
experience include:
History 3.3, 4.3a, 4.3b, 4.3d, 4.3e, 4.4a, 4.4c, 5.3, 5.6, 5.7
Geography 4.1a 4.1b, 4.2b, 5.6
Economics 4.3, 5.6
Civics 4.3, 5.5, 5.7
English 4.3
West Virginia IGO's covered include:
History: 1.22, 2.20, 2.22, 2.25, 3.37, 3.39, 3.40, 4.31, 4.34, 4.35,
4.37, 4.39, 4.40, 5.33, 5.34, 5.35, 5.36, 5.37, 5.40, 5.44, 5.49, 9.36
9.38, 9.39, 9.41, 9.42, 9.47
Economics: 3.25, 4.13, 4.22, 4.23, 5.12,5.26,5.30, 5.31
Geography: 3.30, 4.25, 4.25
English Language Arts: 2.18, 3.2, 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, 3.41, 4.8, 4.9, 4.12,
5.11, 5.13, 5.14, 6.4, 6.10, 6.14, 6.15, 7.16, 7.17, 7.18, 8.2, 8.9
The Winter Kitchen
~ Sitt ing in
front of a blazing hearth in the plantation's Winter Kitchen, young
visitors encounter slave life at Belle Grove. Children learn that 103
slaves, including a skilled cook named Sally, lived and worked at Belle
Grove. They are also asked to compare Belle Grove's kitchen with their
own kitchens and note the important technological differences. In place
of electric stoves and ovens, students learn about spider skillets and
reflecting ovens; children even help a costumed interpreter make
biscuits.
After the kitchen presentation, participants try on reproduction
clothing and play with items in a special "Please Touch" section.
Virginia S.O.L.'s met by this interactive learning experience
include:
History 4.3a, 4.3b, 5.3 c, 5.10
Economics 5.6
West Virginia IGO's covered include:
History: 1.22, 2.20, 2.23, 2.26, 3.37, 3.40, 4.41, 5.36, 5.45, 9.43,
9.45
Economics: 5.14, 5.26
English Language Arts: 2.18, 3.7, 3.11, 4.8, 5.11, 5.13, 6.4, 6.8,
6.10, 6.14, 7.16, 8.2, 8.9
The Blacksmith's Forge
~ In the
Forge, students witness costumed
 blacksmiths hand-craft iron hooks and
nails. During the demonstration, they learn about the importance of the
forge to the plantation economy, and see the many skills a blacksmith
possessed by watching a costumed interpreter make shingles and pottery.
Students also come in contact with slave life by learning about Jim, an
early blacksmith at Belle Grove. Young visitors come away from the
Forge understanding new words and concepts such as blacksmithing,
bellows and oxidation.
Virginia SOL's met by this interactive experience include:
History 4.3b, 5.3c, 5.10a
Economics 4.3
English 4.3
Geography 4.2 b, 5.3
West Virginia IGO's covered include:
History: 1.22, 2.20, 2.23, 2.26, 3.40, 4.41, 5.36, 5.45, 9.42, 9.43,
9.45
Economics: 3.25, 5.12, 5.14, 5.26
English Language Arts: 2.13, 2.18, 2.54, 3.7, 3.11, 3.40, 3.41, 4.8,
4.45, 5.11, 5.13, 5.36, 6.4, 6.8, 6.10, 6.14, 6.35, 7.16, 7.38, 8.2,
8.9, 8.38
The Historic Landscape ~  After
touring the Manor House, Winter Kitchen and Forge, young guests visit
Belle Grove's manicured lawns and gardens. Children see the original
Smokehouse and Icehouse, dating from 1815, and learn the methods used
to preserve ice and foodstuffs. Students also have time to play with
reproduction toys on the mansion's lawns. Through these exercises they
gain a greater understanding of the lives children led two hundred
years ago.
Virginia SOL's covered by this interactive learning
experience include:
History 4.3b, 5.3c
West Virginia IGO's met include:
History: 2.20, 3.40, 5.36
 Bringing History to Life: The Educational Value of the
"Discover Your Past" Tour ~ Belle Grove
Plantation is a time machine, offering those who climb aboard a trip
back through the extensive history of Virginia's northern Shenandoah
Valley. The journey reflects the economic, social, and political
development of the region over more than 200 years. Closely modeled on
the Virginia Standards of Learning and the West Virginia Instructional
Goals and Objectives, the "Discover Your Past" Tour brings classroom
lessons to life. Through hands-on experiences, Belle Grove makes
history come alive, offering the sights, sounds and activities of the
past.
Bring Your Group to Belle Grove ~  Belle
Grove offers programs for young audiences year-round. Spring and fall
dates tend to fill early, so we recommend booking tours early in the
school year. In December, the Plantation comes alive with candles,
elegant decorations and special school tours focusing on Christmas in
Early America.
After touring the Manor House groups may enjoy lunch on picnic
tables on Belle Grove's lawns. On sunny days, the plantation's Meadow
makes an ideal playground for after-lunch games. During the winter
months, or in the event of inclement weather, children are invited to
eat lunch and hear stories from Belle Grove's past in the plantation's
Visitor Orientation Gallery. Young visitors are welcome to visit the
Museum Shop, which carries an extensive line of reproduction 18th and
19th century children's toys, games and books as well as Belle Grove
souvenirs. Group leaders may purchase inexpensive souvenir packets in
advance for their groups. Call the plantation for more details. All
proceeds benefit Belle Grove's interpretive and educational programs.
Contact Us Today! ~
 If
you would like additional information about the "Discover Your Past"
Program, or if you would like to book a tour at Belle Grove, please
contact the plantation's Education Office by phone at: (540)
869-2028 or by email
Education/Tour email.
Belle Grove Plantation "Discover Your Past" Tour
Admission Rates
-
Students . . . . . $4
-
Chaperones . . . $6
-
Teachers . . . . . Free
Belle Grove requires one teacher/chaperone for each ten children.
Checks made out to Belle Grove, Inc. are due on the day of your
visit. |
