Lessons from the Past
About the program
Integrating outcomes from History, PDHPE and Creative Arts, this program gives students the opportunity to learn firsthand about what school life was like in the late 19th century.
Students dress in period costume – straw hats, plus cotton pinafores for the girls and sailor collars or coats for the boys – and then meet their schoolmistress or master to begin the school day. After saluting the British flag, the class is marched into the 1880s schoolroom, where they will sing the national anthem God Save the Queen and prepare to start the first lesson.
Throughout this immersive and engaging program, students take part in a re-creation of late-19th-century classroom activities, led by highly trained staff, who are also in costume and in character as 1880s school teachers. Hands-on activities include practising writing on slates, completing a science lesson, a sewing lesson and a drawing lesson as well as an outdoor physical education drill and (weather permitting) maypole dancing in the yard, enabling students to make vivid comparisons between schooling, then and now.
If applicable, prepare your group with a social story available under program resources. This resource supports teachers, including those working with students with differing learning needs.
For booking inquiries, call + 61 2 8239 2211 or email bookings@mhnsw.au
Conservation works are currently underway on the property. Some parts of the main house and stables will be publicly inaccessible during this time however the learning programs are not impacted as we have adjusted the program to move impacted program sections to other areas. If you are interested to know more about the conservation works, please read Conservation works at Rouse Hill Estate.
Rouse Hill Estate
356 Annangrove Road, Rouse Hill NSW 2155- Wheelchair accessible
Cost (GST free)
$28.20 per student for minimum 20 students
See page for cost scale details
Duration
Full day
Session offered
Monday to Friday 10.30am–2pm
Maximum students
60 per session
Supervision ratios
The supervision ratio is 1:10 for primary groups and 1:15 for secondary groups. Teachers and parents attend free of charge at these ratios. One carer per student with special needs will be admitted free of charge
Additional visitor costs
Each additional visitor will be charged at the concession rate of $12
Onsite programs
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Onsite
Child's Play
Students learn about what it was like to live at Vaucluse House for the wealthy family of William Charles and Sarah Wentworth, with their ten children and many servants
Onsite
Early to Rise
This Stage 1 History program gives students the opportunity to explore the working areas of the former farm, and investigate what life would have been like for children living there 120 years ago
Onsite
History Adventures at the Barracks
Join us in the school holidays for a one-of-a-kind museum experience, where kids will discover what life was for the convicts at the Hyde Park Barracks!
Onsite
Life in the Past: A Schoolhouse and Farm Adventure at Rouse Hill Estate
Join us for a fun-filled adventure at Rouse Hill Estate, where kids will learn firsthand what daily life was like for children who attended school and lived on a farm in the late 19th century
Onsite
Making Connections accessible program
Onsite program at the Hyde Park Barracks for primary and secondary school students with access requirements
Onsite
Now and Then
As students are guided through the property, they discover that the household lived without the benefits of running water, bathrooms, electricity, appliances or paved roads