Join the Portsmouth Historical Society for eight hands-on learning lessons about all different aspects of Seacoast history! These lessons are designed for homeschool families with students from ages 5 to 12, with adults present to help engage with the content and activities. The theme for this year’s lessons is “Intersections,” and we’ll be focusing on the way history connects across different disciplines.
Each lesson is $14/student for Historical Society members and $16/student for non-members. Sign up for all eight lessons and you’ll get one lesson free! Adults are required to attend.
Lessons take place on the third Wednesday or Friday of each month. There will be no December lesson.
Dates and topics:
September: History through Art
Explore how art helps us preserve, examine, and question the past and our relationship with it. We’ll take a look at historic and contemporary paintings, and experiment with artistic techniques ourselves.
October: History through Indigenous Storytelling
How do different cultures pass down their stories and their history? Learn local Abenaki stories and try your hand at Three Sisters planting techniques.
November: History through Food
The types of food we eat and how we prepare them are constantly changing, and artifacts like old recipes and cookware help provide insight into our past. Join us for hands-on artifact investigation and try a historic recipe yourself!
No December class
January: History through Music
With historic venues like the Music Hall, Portsmouth has always been a center of music on the Seacoast. Learn more about our city’s musical heritage and then make your own music!
February: History through Literature
What does literature teach us about the past? We know we can learn from non-fiction, but what about fiction? Or poetry? Take a look at the work of local writers and look for clues about other time periods in their work.
March: History through Textiles
Though our maritime economy meant Portsmouth relied less on the textile industry than cities like Dover or Manchester, in the 1800’s, we became a center for the creation of stockings and hosiery. Learn more about our textile history and try fiber techniques yourself!
April: History through Protest
Visit our new exhibition, “Power to the People,” and learn more about times in Portsmouth’s history when our citizens raised their voices to demand change.
May: History through Museums
For our final lesson, we’ll have a special behind-the-scenes tour of the John Paul Jones House and talk about how museums preserve the past and what goes into maintaining a museum collection!
