Learning Centers

Sully offers four hands-on learning centers that are primarily designed for second through fifth grades- Open Hearth Cooking, 19th Century Schoolroom, Slave Life and Textiles. A docent will lead students through learning center activities and a tour of the main house.

OPEN HEARTH COOKING
Students discover the sights and smells of our original 18th century kitchen as they assist with making beaten biscuits. Compare and contrast life at Sully with today through discussion of the enslaved cook Thornton's role, utensils, methods and available food sources. Make an herb garni to take home and use in the kitchen.

SLAVE LIFE
Students do tasks that some of the enslaved community performed at Sully 200 years ago. Activities in the outbuildings, main house and representative slave quarter help students discover the interdependence between the Lees and the valuable contributions of the enslaved African-Americans who lived and worked on this farm. At the quarter, students develop their knowledge of African-American culture during the years of slavery. Students make a seed packet to take home for planting, in addition to doing chores such as hoeing the garden and sweeping the cabin.

NINETEENTH CENTURY SCHOOL DAYS
Students go back in time and take part in school activities of the mid 19th century. Reading from McGuffey Readers, signing names with quill pens, sealing letters and ciphering on slates bring to life the schoolroom of yesteryear. Students take home a sealed letter and humdinger toy to remember the work and recess of the typical 19th century student.

TEXTILES: HOMESPUN TO FACTORY DONE
Students compare homespun to factory made cloth, card wool, weave on a loom and discover the intricacies of textile processes during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Students make a potpourri sachet for home to encourage the care of textiles and mphasize their importance.