Plan A Field Trip

 
 
A little girl stands with a yolk and two buckets over her shoulder.

National Park Service

Kindergarten & 1st Grade

My New Home

NYS Standards Included: K.1, K.4b, K.7, K.8 and 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 1.7c, 1.9c
Available: September/October and late April through mid-June
Program Length: 90 minutes
Program Times: 10 am and 12:30pm
Group Size: Up to 100
Additional Program Notes:

  • For 3 or more classes, please divide the whole group into three small groups. Each small group will rotate between each of the activities.

Explore a child’s life at Fort Stanwix with your students, and learn why children were at a military post far from home and what they did here! Throughout this 1.5 hour program, students will help pack for a 3-year adventure with the Continental Army, help a fort family with their daily chores, and play with some of the popular toys of the 1700s as they discover how much they have in common with the children of long ago.

 
Children stand in a line passing several metal buckets back and forth.

National Park Service

2nd & 3rd Grades

The Fort Community

NYS Standards Included: 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.9 and 3.3, 3.6
Available: September/October and late April through mid-June
Program Length: 90 minutes
Program Times: 10 am and 12:30 pm
Group Size: Up to 100
Additional Program Notes:

  • For 3 or more classes, please divide the whole group into three small groups. Each small group will rotate between each of the activities.

Far from the communities they were accustomed to, the Continental Army had to transform their permanent fortifications into communities of their own. During this program, your students will become the firefighters and police officers of the early American army with hands-on activities demonstrating how intense – and necessary – both of these jobs were. They will also have the opportunity to compare and contrast a visit to the doctor between the 1700s and today as they explore the idea of this unique military community.

Holiday Treasures 3rd Grade Only

NYS Standards Included: 3.4, 3.5b, 3.6
In-Class Supplement: Holiday Treasures Pre-visit Lesson Plans
Available: Early November through Winter Break
Times: 10 am
Program Length: 90 minutes
Group Size: Up to 100
Additional Program Notes:

  • Like the other onsite programs offered at the park, Holiday Treasures is outdoor-based for most of the visit, so please dress accordingly (in fact, it’s about 10 degrees colder in the fort than outside). In the event of a school or park closure, a limited number of rescheduling dates will be available prior to the December Winter Break.

  • Reservations for this program begin in early November and run through break week in December, so you are encouraged to book as early as possible to ensure you are able to visit.

  • Works best with travel groups of 10 students and 1 adult, but can work with whole class groups with 1-2 adults

 
A girl and a soldier stand across a wooden table looking at a wooden cylinder.

National Park Service

4th & 5th Grade

Wilderness Fort

NYS Standards Included: 4.3d and 5.6b
Available: September/October and late April through mid-June
Program Times: 10 am and 12:30 pm
Program Length: 90 minutes
Group Size: Up to 150
Additional Program Notes:

  • For 3 or more classes, please divide the whole group into three small groups. Each small group will rotate between each of the activities.

Often hundreds of miles from their homes, soldiers in the Continental Army at Fort Stanwix were responsible for defending an area they considered to be the wilderness. This program gives students a “soldier’s eye view” of life at the fort as they practice (drill) with training muskets, make an in-depth investigation of the fort’s defensive structures, and discover how rules keep soldiers – and students – safe.

History Detectives: 1777

NYS Standards Included: 4.1, 4.3d and 5.6b
Available: September/October and late April through mid-June
Program Times: 10 am and 12:30 pm
Program Length: 90 minutes
Group Size: Works best with groups up to 60
Additional Program Notes:

  • Students should be divided into work groups of 4-5 prior to arrival
  • One adult for every student work group is recommended

What does the 1777 siege of Fort Stanwix have to do with the American victory at Saratoga? In this puzzle-solving exploration of the fort, your students will use teamwork and problem-solving skills to answer that very question. The experience begins with a whole group game, then the student detective groups will travel throughout the fort gathering clues before regrouping to link the clues and solve the mystery.

 
A close-up of a set of hands howling a clipboard with a worksheet on it. A pair of fingers grasp a small metal object.

National Park Service/Ranger Dan U.

6th Grade

Archeology at Fort Stanwix

NYS Standards Included: 6.2d
Available: September/October and late April through mid-June
Program Time: 10 am
Program Length: 2 hours
Group Size: Works best with groups up to 60
Additional Program Notes:

  • Students should be divided into work groups of 4-5 prior to arrival

  • One adult for every student work group is recommended

How does archeology help us tell the story of the past? Just like those of ancient cultures, the objects left behind by people living in and around Fort Stanwix help us understand what life was like at the fort in the 1700s. Your students will investigate and catalog reproduction objects as they do archeological field work, explore original objects on display in the park museum, then head to the fort to discover how park rangers use the information provided by archeologists to keep the stories of the past alive today.

 
One child inserts a long stick into a muzzle of a cannon, while a second watches the breach, and a Continental soldier supervises.

National Park Service

7th Grade

21 Days

NYS Standards Included: 7.3d
Available: September/October and late April through mid-June
Program Times: 10 am and 12:30 pm
Program Length: 90 minutes
Group Size: Up to 150
Additional Program Notes:

  • For 3 or more classes, please divide the whole group into three small groups. Each small group will rotate between each of the activities.

  • If you have not yet covered the 1777 British Campaign on New York (“3-Pronged Attack”), please let us know; this will help us know how to focus the program (introduction vs. review)

How did twenty one days in August of 1777 helped to change the course of American history? Throughout this interactive program, your students will examine the fort’s defensive structures from an enemy perspective, learn the importance of teamwork during the siege by participating in an artillery drill (practice), and discuss how the elements and outcome of the 1777 siege of Fort Stanwix played a part in the American victory at Saratoga.

 
A young man stands over a table. He holds a object in his hands and studies it intently.

National Park Service/Ranger D U.

High School

Survive the Siege: Fort Stanwix – Created by our 2022 Teacher-Ranger-Teacher

NYS Standards Included: 11.1, 11.2
C3 Framework Standards: D2.His.1.6-8, D2.His.1.9-12, D2.His.2.9-12, D2.His.4.6-8, D2.His.4.9-12, D2.His.16.9-12, D4.2.3-5
Available: September/October and late April through mid-June
Program Time: 10 am
Program Length: 90 minutes
Group Size: Works best with groups up to 60, but can go up to 100
Additional Program Notes:

  • Students should be divided into work groups of 4-5 prior to arrival

  • Student/adult ratio of 1:20 is recommended

  • A pre-visit activity

  • A program orientation slideshow

Do your students have what it takes to survive the 1777 siege of Fort Stanwix? As they head off in teams, they will complete several game-based activities to discover how the American defenders of the fort secured a victory against the British, and why their survival was crucial to the outcome of the Saratoga Campaign.

 
A park ranger, arm outstretched, holds an item up while a child looks on.

National Park Service/Ranger Dan U.

Supported Learning (Special Education) Classes

Please choose from one of the above programs based on your needs. In order for us to give your students the best experience possible, please note on the reservation form any specific accessibility/learning needs your students have so we can adjust the program accordingly prior to your arrival. (For example, if your students have mobility concerns we can shift activities to accessible spaces in the fort, or if some students have an aversion to loud noises we can create an atmosphere within the program where there are no sudden loud noises.)

Multi-age Level Classes

These Include small schools where grades are combined either in classes or specifically for the field trip. Please choose from one of the above programs based on your needs. If you need us to modify the presentation slightly based on what material has been covered in the classroom (i.e. introduction vs. review), please note that in the accommodations section of the reservation form.

 
Several adolescent children stand shoulder to shoulder wearing 18th C clothing.

National Park Service

Homeschool Groups

  • Don’t forget! Homeschool Day is always the 3rd Wednesday in September. Please register for the event via this form: (Will be published in a month out from program)

  • If you are unable to make it for Homeschool Day, please choose from the following options based on the following student group sizes:
    • For groups of 15 or fewer age/grade appropriate students, these are the best programs:

  • My New Home (This program is excellent for a wide age range)

  • History Detectives: 1777 (Participants strongly encouraged to have prior knowledge of Battles of Saratoga.)

  • Archeology at Fort Stanwix

  • For groups of 16 or more age/grade appropriate students, any of our programs will work.

 
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National Park Service

Scout Groups

  • For groups of 15 or fewer age/grade appropriate students, these are the best programs:

  • My New Home (This program is excellent for a wide age range)

  • History Detectives: 1777 (Participants strongly encouraged to have prior knowledge of Battles of Saratoga.)

  • Archeology at Fort Stanwix

  • For groups of 16 or more age/grade appropriate students, any of our programs will work.

 
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National Park Service

Self-Guided Experiences

Would you like to come on your own? Would you like to extend your visit before or after the program? Were all the program slots booked for your available dates? Come on a self-guided visit, and you can still have a wonderful educational experience at the park! Here are some options:

  • Fort Stanwix Junior Ranger Program: This activity book highlights important information in the visitor center, the fort, and along the paths. Once completed, students will earn a badge and certificate to celebrate their accomplishments! To print, please click here.

  • Create a learning packet of your own: Based on your class lessons and the information found on the Fort Stanwix NM website, create an educational packet specifically to introduce or review the history of the site with your students.

  • Self-guide with orientation: Start your visit with a ranger or volunteer historical overview of the site, then explore the park at your own pace.

 
A row of little children standing in a line diagonal of you. All hold wooden muskets on their shoulders. A flag flies over their heads.

National Park Service

Summer Recreation Groups

  • Because of our very robust summer program schedule, we do not reserve specific education programs during Summer Break, but we would still love to have you and your day campers spend some time with us. We ask that you still let us know you’re coming so we can expect you, and we’ll let you know what park programs are available during your visit.

 
A man in 18th C clothing sits at a wooden table inside a fort room. Over his shoulder you see him looking at a modern laptop computer.

National Park Service/Ranger Dan U.

Rangers in the Classroom & Virtual Field Trips

Program Lengths:
Offsite: up to 90 minutes
Virtual: up to 60 minutes

Group Size: No limit
Age/Grade Range: No limit
Offsite Travel Radius: 30 miles

Bring the history of Fort Stanwix to you! Whether you are a mile down the road or on the other side of the country, you can have an education program in the comfort of your own space. If you are interested in an offsite or virtual experience, please contact the education coordinator to schedule your program. If you are interested in a topic not listed here, there is a potential of creating a program based on your group’s interests, so please contact us to discuss what options are available.

Current offsite/virtual offerings include:

  • A Soldier’s Life
  • Women and Children in the American Revolution
  • Music of the Continental Army/18th Century Holiday Music
  • The History of Fort Stanwix
  • From Memory to Monument: The Story of the Creation of Fort Stanwix National Monument
  • Virtual options requiring no reservations can be found below
 
 
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    Last updated: January 5, 2024

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    Contact Info

    Mailing Address:

    112 East Park St.
    Rome, NY 13440

    Phone:

    315-338-7730

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