Guides & Policies
Parent's Guide

Making the Most of Your Trip to Plimoth Plantation

A Guide for Parents

ASKING QUESTIONS IS THE BEST WAY TO HAVE A GREAT TIME!
But it can be a bit tricky for children and first-time visitors. Here are hints for asking questions at the different sites:

In the 1627 English Village, the people you will meet are back in 1627! They don't know anything beyond that year. (You can ask modern questions at other places in the museum.)

Sample Questions:

"What ship did you arrive on?"
"How do you get your food?"
"What sort of work does an 8 year old girl do?"
"Why did you want to leave England?"
"Do English children go to school?"

On Mayflower II you will meet role players from the year 1620 as well as modern-day crewmembers. It is always March 24, 1620 for the role players there!

At the Wampanoag Homesite you will be meeting modern-day Native People, in fact many are Wampanoag themselves. At this site the people you will meet are not back in the past. It can be a bit confusing since they will be dressed in traditional Wampanoag clothing and it is a re-created 17th-century Wampanoag site.

Sample Questions:

"How long have the Wampanoag People been living here?"
"Who was Hobbamock, anyway?"
"What does 'Wampanoag' mean?"
"What did Wampanoag children do for fun?"
"Did Wampanoag children go to school in the 1600s?"

OTHER FUN THINGS TO DO
The following are some additional fun ways to focus your children during their visit to the outdoor sites of the museum.

Imagine if...
Have the children imagine what it would be like to live in the 1627 English Village, on board Mayflower II or at Hobbamock's (Wampanoag) Homesite. Where would their food come from? What about their clothing? What might they do for work and for play?

A Roof Over Your Head
When you first enter the Wampanoag Homesite and the 1627 English Village, pause to look at the way the houses are made. Have your children note the differences in the 17th-century houses from your own home or neighborhood. Find out what materials these houses are made from. Ask what tools were used to build these houses.

What's that used for?
Have children look for objects the English or Wampanoag used in their daily lives. Try to find out what these objects were used for and how they were made. Then compare them to objects we use for the same purpose today. If you have paper and pencil, they can make a sketch of an object.

Take a whiff of this!
Take a moment to have your children close their eyes and identify the many smells and sounds they are encountering. Do this periodically as you travel through the museum sites. How do the sounds and smells change at different places in the museum? Do you have those smells/sounds at home? Why or why not?

Learn to make some really old food!
At the Wampanoag Homesite, the 1627 English Village or Mayflower II, have your children find out how to make a common food item that people ate in the 17th century. Write down the ingredients and how it was made. How would you make it at home? Do you eat anything like it already?

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Teaching about Stereotypes
A visit to Plimoth Plantation's provides a great opportunity to talk about stereotypes — particularly the many stereotypes about Native People. At the Wampanoag Homesite, the staff you will meet are all Native. Many children, and even some adults, are unaware that behaviors like making war whoops or saying "How!" are disrespectful and offensive to Native People. But feel free to ask the staff members why this is so.

No Costumes, please
We ask that our guests do not come in either "Pilgrim" or "Indian" costumes. In the 1627 English Village this can be confusing for other visitors. At the Wampanoag Homesite, we ask that our non-Native visitors respect cultural boundaries and do not wear any Native clothing or headdresses.

hours: from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, 7 days a week March 22 through November 30, 2008
address: 137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, MA 02360 USA
telephone: 1 + 508 746 1622