Education
The Rice County Historical Society offers a number of school tours and youth programs throughout the year.
School Tours and Experiences:
- School Tours
- One-Room School Experience
- Log Cabin Experience
Youth Programs:
- Summer History Camp
- Year-round Museum Apprentice Program
School Tours:
Tours are available for all age groups, at a cost of $1.00 per student for a basic tour and $2.00 per student for a basic tour plus village experience. Extended experiences in the school and log cabin are available at a cost of $5.00 per student. Teachers and chaperones are free. Please contact the museum at least 2 weeks in advance by phone at 507-332-2121 or by email at rchs@rchistory.org.
Please have the following information ready:
- Contact person – name and phone number
- Desired date and time – Museum hours are: Monday – Friday 9:00AM – 4:00 PM
- Age of students
- Size of group
- Length of time desired
- Type of tour
Basic Tour:
A basic tour of one hour will consist of time spent in the Museum. Included 
is a brief video on the history of Rice County, displays on fur-trading; Native Americans from the Palio (10,000 BCE) to the Historic periods; Bishop Whipple; Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, and Vietnam Wars; local industries including Fleckenstein Family and the Tilt-A-Whirl; and a Main Street diorama which includes a general store, barbershop and jail.
Village Experience:
(Includes the above as well as a tour of the log cabin, one-room school, country church, and Harvest and Heritage Hall)
♦ Log Cabin — What would it have been like living in a cabin like this one?
♦ Pleasant Valley School — Who would have attended a one-room school and what would it have been like to have been a student there?
♦ Holy Innocents Church — Why were there so many churches in the county and what did they look like inside?
♦ Harvest and Heritage Halls — Discover how the appliances and machinery have changed over the years.
Extended One-Room School Experience at the Pleasant Valley School:
In this program, students will experience what it was like to be a student in a one-room schoolhouse. Activities will include:
- School lessons as they were taught in schools of this period
- Outdoor games from long ago
- Discussion about how schools have changed
If desired students can eat lunch near the school and compare their lunches to what a former student might have eaten. This is a two-hour experience and can accommodate one class at a time. The fee is $4.00 per student / $10 cap per family, with no charge for adults.
Extended Log Cabin Experience:
Students will step back in time to imagine what life must have been like living in a cabin such as this. By asking questions such as; where would they sleep? What would they eat? What would they wear? Students will come to a broader understanding of what life was like in Early Rice County.
Activities will include:♦ Grinding Wheat
♦ Using a table loom
♦ Washing clothes by hand
♦ Using a “Yankee drill”
♦ Working on a rag rug
♦ Using a bit and brace
♦ Shelling corn
♦ Making butter
♦ Playing old-time games
This is a two-hour experience and can accommodate one class. The fee is $4.00 per student/$10 cap per family, with no charge for adults.
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Youth Programs:
Summer History Camp:
History Camp is RCHS’ summer program for students who have finished grades 3-5.
Camp will run from June 11 -June 15, 2018, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Each day of camp participants will do hands-on activities, play games, and have a light snack around themes in Rice County’s history: Monday & Tuesday – Fur Traders and Native Americans. Wednesday & Thursday – Pioneer Days. Friday – Family Day.
To apply, click on the application link below, fill it out, print it, and either drop it off or mail it and your payment to us at : RCHS, 1814 NW 2nd Ave., Faribault, MN 55021. $65/RCHS Member or $90/Non-Member.
Note: Please contact us if you are interested in applying for a History Camp Scholarship . 507-332-2121
Application: History Camp – 2018
Year-Round Museum Apprentice Program
:
Join us for an exciting volunteer opportunity for students in 8th-12th grade! Apprentices will learn about what it takes to work at a museum. They will:
- Get a behind-the-scenes look at what happens at the Rice County Historical Society.
- Work with RCHS staff and other volunteers.
- Improve communication skills.
- Expand their knowledge of museums and history.
- Discuss museum and history topics as they develop projects.
- Help at RCHS during the Rice County Fair, and at programs throughout the year.Work on projects independently and in groups, such as exhibit design, collections management, or living history demonstrations.