Why did General Washington create the Culper Spy Ring? Bring your students on a journey to the Brewster House Inn & Tavern to find out.  This authentic historic site (c. 1665)  was where neighbors gathered to share news, and where British soldiers ate and slept during their occupation of Long Island in the midst of the American Revolution. 

This living history experience is set in 1777, after the Battle of Long Island and the death of Nathan Hale. Students will meet Rebecca Brewster, who is completely unaware that her neighbors have just begun to spy as members of the Culper Spy Ring!  During their conversation with Rebecca,  students will learn about life under British occupation. In a group activity, students will discover how the secret spy ring operated and will speculate on why it was so successful. Then, students will be put to the test and become spies themselves – searching around the Brewster House for a secret message! 

We support NY State and Common Core Standard learning.  Students use artifacts, primary sources and secondary documents, as well as participate in an exchange of ideas, critical thinking and peer collaboration.

Common Core Standards: WMHO supports NY State and Common Core Standard learning by creating rich virtual environment where students study and observe artifacts, primary sources, and participate in an exchange of ideas

New York State Learning Standards: 4.3d  Students will examine New York’s geographic location relative to the other colonies, locate centers of Loyalist support, and examine the extent of the British occupation.

Boces Arts-in-Ed Reimbursable

Duration: 1.5 hr
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $100
Per Student Fee: 10
Teacher Fee: No Fee for Teachers
Chaperone Fee: We encourage chaperone participation of up to 5 chaperones, and do not charge chaperones in exchange for their support during group activities in the program.

Location: Brewster House
Address: 18 Runs Rd, Setauket- East Setauket, NY 11733

Across Dock Road from the Three Village Inn, the Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s pontoon boat “Discovery” departs from Stony Brook Marine Services located in Stony Brook, NY.  The  27 passenger vessel cruises through the organization’s 88-acre wetlands preserve for a 1 1/2 hour tour.  A naturalist on board explains the wildlife that passengers observe, the natural and human history of the area and the individuals and events that have shaped it!

** Please note – Our office is not available on the weekends. We strongly encourage you to make a reservation during our business hours: Monday through Friday, from 9am to 4:30pm.**

 

  The Saturday, October 8 cruise at 10am has room for walk ons!

The Sunday, October 9 cruise at 11am has room for walk ons!

The Monday, October 10 cruise is fully reserved. 

Please note – if you would like to reserve space on the Discovery, you must do so no later than one hour before the cruise is set to depart (Monday through Friday; we are closed on MOST holidays). Spaces on cruises departing 4:30pm or later need to be reserved by 4pm. 

$40 per person

$30 per child age 3 to 6

$7 per child age 2 and younger

As there is a maximum capacity onboard, we strongly recommend calling ahead to make reservations. We do allow for walk-ons – walk-on pricing is different and is CASH ONLY. 

Walk-On Pricing [CASH ONLY]

$45 per person

$35 per child aged 3 to 6

$10 per child aged 2 and younger

To make a reservation and for any questions, please call 631-751-2244. 

 

Get a taste of what the cruise is like by watching this award-winning story from MyLITV!

 

Duration: 1.5

Location: Stony Brook Marine Services – Across from the Three Village Inn
Address: Address: 55 Shore Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11790 Directions

Students explore artifacts, games and tasks and learn what home life was like in a typical colonial Long Island family.

 

 

Duration: 1.5 hr
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $100
Per Student Fee: 10
Teacher Fee: FREE

Location: Brewster House
Address: 18 Runs Rd, Setauket- East Setauket, NY 11733

What made a Doctor in the year 1800? How is medicine different today? How will this change medicine for the future?

Students will create their own answers to these questions as they explore the world of Doctor Samuel Thompson. Students will examine the complex  life Thompson lived being both a doctor and a farmer, as well as a patriot and a slave owner – by becoming his apprentices!

From inside of his 18th century home, students will discover the origins of American medicine and examine its progression into the 21st century. Students will learn about the viruses that Thompson dealt with daily and diagnose their classmates using primary documents. Then, using this diagnosis, students will create their own pills, grinding herbs using mortars and pestles just like a doctor would have at that time. They will then be challenged by a real-life healthcare professional to conduct a patient-interview to diagnose a mysterious 21st century illness! Students are given the opportunity to ask their own questions about medicine, disease and illness, and are encouraged to engage in a discussion with a medical professional about the future of the medical field. 

Learning Standards

Common Core Standards: WMHO supports NY State and Common Core Standard learning by creating rich virtual environment where students study and observe artifacts, primary sources, and participate in an exchange of ideas.

Social Studies Learning Standards K-8 Framework: 4.3b Colonial New York became home to many different peoples, including European immigrants, and free and enslaved Africans. Colonists developed different lifestyles. Economic and Economic Systems:  What are the benefits of specialization and trade? How did political and social life evolve in each of the three regions? NYS Technology Standards- Standard 5:  Technology has been the driving force in the evolution of society from an agricultural to an industrial to an information base.

Boces Arts-in-Education Reimbursable

 

Duration: 1.5 hr
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $100
Per Student Fee: 10
Teacher Fee: No Fee for Teachers
Chaperone Fee: We encourage chaperone participation of up to 5 chaperones, and do not charge chaperones in exchange for their support during group activities in the program.

Location: The Thompson House
Address: 91 North Country Rd, East Setauket, NY 11733

Built in 1665, this grist mill included some of the newest innovations of its time. The mill’s owners would continue to update the mill over the next three centuries,including the use of elevators, moving belts, and screw conveyors to make a milling operation more efficient and profitable.

Take your students see applied mechanical engineering at its best!  Students perceive how America’s early millers understood math and science and what today’s engineers could learn from their historical predecessors in the field.

 

Duration: 1.5
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $100
Per Student Fee: 10
Teacher Fee: FREE
Chaperone Fee: 5

Location: Stony Brook Grist Mill, c. 1751
Address: 100 Harbor Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11790

Explore the freshwater pond ecosystem at the Mill Pond!  Observe the fascinating habitat where cormorants, egrets, mallards, Canada geese and other wildlife congregate.  Students will identify a variety of fish, birds, and insects. Discovering the diversified spectrum of life, students will gain a better understanding of food webs and energy transfers.  They will participate in hands on experiments including pH testing.

Participation in the “Pond Ecology” and “Coastal Ecology” programs on the same day allows students to compare freshwater and salt water systems.

Duration: 1.5 hr
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $100
Per Student Fee: 10
Teacher Fee: Free
Chaperone Fee: 5

Location: T. Bayles Minuse Mill Pond Park
Address: 200 Harbor Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11790

Based on WMHO’s historic archaeological dig in 1960 that unearthed evidence of a500 year old encampment of Algonquin-speaking peoples, students will be engaged in an interactive survival game!  They will be challenged with surviving on West Meadow Creek using- while also conserving!- the natural resources of the marsh to provide shelter, food and even medicine.

Learning Standards:

Common Core: WMHO supports NY State and Common Core standard learning by creating rich learning environments where students study and observe artifacts, primary sources and participate in an exchange of ideas.

NY State Social Studies Learning Standards:  Native American groups, chiefly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Algonquian-speaking groups, inhabited the region that became New York State. These people interacted with the environment and developed unique cultures. (Standards: 1, 3, 5; Themes:  MOV, GEO, GOV)

Duration: 1.5, plus time to lunch

Levels’ Customized

Minimum: $10.00

Boces Arts-In-Ed Reimbursable

Location: Ernst Marine Conservation Center on West Meadow Creek, Stony Brook, NY

 

Duration: 1.5 hr
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $100
Per Student Fee: 10
Teacher Fee: FREE
Chaperone Fee: 5

Location: Ernst Marine Conservation Center
Address: West Meadow Creek, Setauket

Why are salt marshes important?  Students set out to discover their answers by becoming explorers of the salt marsh!

Students explore the shoreline and intertidal zone of an 88-acre salt marsh wetland to examine finfish, shellfish, plants and birds. They research inside our Ernst Marine Conservation Center’s lab to learn about water quality, food webs and what humans can do to help protect and conserve our coastal habitats.

Duration: 1.5 hour, plus time for lunch

Level: Can be customized to grade level k-12

Fee per student: $10.00 

Boces Arts-in-Ed Reimbursable

Common Core Standards: WMHO supports Common Core Standard learning by creating rich virtual environment where students study and observe artifacts, primary sources, and participate in an exchange of ideas. 

Next Generation Science Standards:

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning and Resilience

 

Duration: 1.5
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $100
Per Student Fee: 10
Teacher Fee: FREE
Chaperone Fee: 5

Location: The Ernst Marine Conservation Center
Address: West Meadow Creek, Setauket

What would you do for your freedom?  

Imagine a world where escaping everything you have ever known was your only chance to truly live. Set just as the Fugitive Slave Act is passed, Students will meet a former slave named Carolina. Though the story of her life, students will have to figure out how she became free and the secret methods she uses to lead other slaves to their freedom. With the new act in place, Students will be challenged to design escape routes along the Underground Railroad!

 

Common Core Standards: WMHO supports NY State and Common Core Standard learning by creating rich virtual environment where students study and observe artifacts, primary sources, and participate in an exchange of ideas.

New York State Social Studies Standards
7.7b Enslaved African Americans resisted slavery in various ways in the 19th century. The abolitionist movement also worked to raise awareness of and generate resistance to the institution of slavery

Testimonial:

“It was so beautiful and educational – I loved it! My students were so engaged!” –  Jennifer Amaral, 4^th and 5^th grade Teacher, Crestview Elementary School

Virtual Format: WMHO digital platform include (and are not limited to) Zoom, Google Classroom and MS Teams. Please let us know your digital preferences and we will work with you.

Cost:  $160.00 for 45-60 minute live session & accompanying learning kit (30 students or less).  Boces Reimbursable.

Duration: 1 hr
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $160

Duration: 1 hr
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $160

Location: From our classroom to yours!
Address:

Long Island’s most completely equipped working Grist Mill, the Stony Brook Grist Mill is a unique historic site for your student’s field trip experience. Students join the miller in their day’s work, discovering the principles of how water powers the mill’s mechanisms. Students apply their knowledge as Assistant Millers by shelling corn and bagging ground grain.

“When I ask my students their favorite memories from the school year, they say it is our trip to the Stony Brook Grist Mill.” – 5th grade teacher, Middle Country School District

Duration: 1.5
Levels: Customized
Minimum Program Fee: $100
Per Student Fee: 10.00
Teacher Fee: 0
Chaperone Fee: 0

Location: Stony Brook Grist Mill
Address: Harbor Road Stony Brook NY 11790