Initiated in 1993, the Educational Outreach program was designed to bring the real story of the Mayflower Pilgrims to elementary and middle schoolers. The New York Society funds the bi-annual visits of museum-trained educators from Plimoth Patuxet Museum, who make classroom presentations to New York City schools. The classroom experience for these kindergarten to fifth graders has been enriched by hands-on history lessons from visiting Plimoth Patuxet pilgrims. As the Museum’s website states, “the museum educator shares a real person’s life story to frame the one-hour history program. Using reproduction artifacts to enhance the students’ experience, the educator describes the Pilgrim Story – from leaving England and the Mayflower’s journey to the first winter in New England and the 1621 harvest feast known today as the First Thanksgiving.” Since its inception thirty years ago, nearly 40,000 students have been impacted by our Outreach Program!
As the Director of Colonial Interpretation & Trading, Malka Benjamin, states: “as a first-person historical interpreter, my job is to take on the identity of a real person who lived almost 400 years ago in order to create a fun and engaging portal for people to learn about history.” Ms. Benjamin is adept at portraying several female Pilgrims: Mary Brewster, who in 1627 was 17 years old, and Goodwife Constance Snow.
Interested in a classroom visit for fall 2025?
Please contact Plimoth’s Director of Educational Programs, Janet Young, at programservices@plimoth.org
For a full listing of possible educational programs available for classroom visits, please visit the Plimoth Patuxet website.