Hanford Mills Museum’s on-site educational programs are designed to be engaging, interactive, and to meet New York State and Common Core curriculum standards. We have indoor and outdoor lunchroom facilities, as well as a Museum Shop stocked with inexpensive toys and educational items for groups who wish to visit it.

To book an on-site Education Program, contact Ryan Jones, Education Coordinator.

Click the links below to learn about each of our on-site educational programs, and to access their pre- and post- visit activities. ALL programs (except for Ice Harvest) include a one-hour guided tour of the Mill complex with demonstrations of woodworking machinery. If none of the themed programs meet your needs, please contact us and we will be happy to customize a program.

The Working Mill – a basic one-hour guided tour of the Mill for all grade levels

The Mill and its Community – for grades K-2, play the Community Game and learn about the importance of interdependence in rural nineteenth century communities

Exploring the Industrial Age – for grades K-8, a science and history-based course with simple machine experiments and the use of primary source documents

From Box to Boxcar – for grades 3-8, our most expansive program where students construct milk crates and participate in a math-based railroad shipping activity

Waterpower and the Mill Environment – for grades K-12, learn about trees and their uses, and take part in activities which teach how water and steam power work

Ice Harvesting (Jan-Feb only) – for grades 2-12, students cut ice from the frozen Mill Pond, stock the ice house, and learn about the science and history of ice harvesting.

The Incredible Journey – for grades K-8, follow the path of water molecules as they move through the water cycle on the site.