Orchard House remains TEMPORARILY CLOSED due to COVID-19 restrictions
Digital Resources for Educators & Students
Educational Materials
140 Years of "Hillside Chapel" & The School of Philosophy
140 Years of "Hillside Chapel" & The School of Philosophy
Are you an educator, parent, or student who wants to learn about Little Women and Louisa May Alcott? Get useful information from the source with our educational materials.
140 Years of "Hillside Chapel" & The School of Philosophy
140 Years of "Hillside Chapel" & The School of Philosophy
140 Years of "Hillside Chapel" & The School of Philosophy
Begun in July 1879 within Mr. Alcott's Study, The Concord School of Philosophy was housed for the next eight years in a unique and evocative structure that first opened on July 12, 1880
"Maxims of Teaching"
140 Years of "Hillside Chapel" & The School of Philosophy
"Virtual Visit Videos"
Bronson Alcott was a revolutionary educator who challenged established modes of instruction and influenced many others to do so as well. Be inspired by his own words!
"Virtual Visit Videos"
Facebook Live with Director Jan
"Virtual Visit Videos"
Experience Orchard House virtually through a 15-minute guided tour with "Louisa May Alcott" herself and a 20-minute up close and personal presentation of our rooms and selected artifacts
Facebook Live with Director Jan
Facebook Live with Director Jan
Facebook Live with Director Jan
Nearly every Sunday at 2:00 pm, Executive Director Jan Turnquist comes into your living room or virtual classroom to delve deeply into "hot topics" of interest, answer your questions, and interview special guests during what we affectionately call her "Hope, and Keep Busy" broadcasts!
"Eyes on Artifacts"
Facebook Live with Director Jan
Facebook Live with Director Jan
See rarely displayed items from our collection, compare May Alcott's Turner copies with his originals, or uncover the backstories of beloved items and spaces in the House
Little Women Garden
Little Women Garden
Little Women Garden
Be inspired to create your own Little Women Garden at home or when school resumes by reading the description Louisa May Alcott provides in Chapter X of the novel, and then use our detailed flower chart to get started!
Upcoming Adult Education Virtual Events
"Meet Louisa May Alcott" Virtual Presentation
REGISTER FOR THE FREE PRESENTATION
On Sunday, November 8th at 2:00 pm, The Providence (RI) Athenaeum will host a unique, exciting virtual living history presentation featuring Jan Turnquist, Executive Director of Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House!
Due to a “minor carriage accident,” residents of the 21st Century have the opportunity to “meet” Louisa May Alcott via Jan's world-renowned living history portrayal. Explore important 19th Century issues such as suffrage, abolition and the Underground Railroad, and equal education with her; hear details about her friendships with Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson; learn how writing took her "from rags to riches;” and, discover the courage and determination of this unconventional Victorian woman and her unusual family.
Advance registration via The Providence Athenaeum is required to receive a Zoom link for this free event; please visit: https://providenceathenaeum.org/calendar/meet-louisa-may-alcott/
About Jan Turnquist
Since 1999, Jan Turnquist has served as Executive Director of Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, where Little Women was written and set. Over 50 translations of Little Women have created worldwide interest, leading Jan to share the Alcott legacy through her internationally-acclaimed living history portrayals and through Orchard House - Home of Little Women, an Emmy Award-winning documentary that she wrote, directed, and hosted which regularly airs on PBS and is available on DVD.
Reviews
"You ARE Louisa May Alcott. Louisa would have loved this."
~Madeleine Stern, Alcott biographer
“You were marvelous; everyone loved you ...You are a perfect Louisa.”
~William F. Kussin, Alcott descendent
“Charming and authentic.”
~Young Audiences of Massachusetts
“Unique and refreshing ... It was the best!”
~US Dept of Labor Women’s Bureau Conference
“Truly living history at its finest!”
~Mary Peverada, Portland, ME Library
“A huge hit!”
~The Standard Times, North Kingston, RI
Advance registration via The Providence Athenaeum is required to receive a Zoom link for this free event; please visit: https://providenceathenaeum.org/calendar/meet-louisa-may-alcott/
To find out more about The Providence Athenaeum, please visit https://providenceathenaeum.org
Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist portraying Louisa May Alcott
Previous Adult Education Webinars
Concord Festival of Authors Virtual Event: Jan Turnquist and "Little Women From Page to Screen"
On Tuesday, October 20th at 7:00 pm, Emmy Award-winning Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist provided an insider's perspective of the Concord, MA/Hollywood collaboration that turned a beloved book into a film sensation with attention to detail and historic integrity.
In the interest of authenticity, Greta Gerwig, Sony Pictures’ Little Women Director, brought her team to Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House on numerous occasions -- even before location scouts went to work in the greater Boston area. Jan met over 10 times with Greta, Production Designer Jess Gonchor, and the celebrated actors involved with the film. She not only gave tours and answered questions, Jan was privileged to oversee a shoot on Orchard House's property, consult on the construction of a replica Orchard House in Concord, and be an “extra” during four days of filming! Post-production, Jan also worked closely with Sony’s Education Outreach consultant, and hosted two days of press events at Orchard House with the cast and reporters from around the world. Jan shared her personal experiences of the fascinating "wild ride" of a process that brought one of the world’s most treasured novels to life on the screen.
About Jan Turnquist
Since 1999, Jan Turnquist has served as Executive Director of Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, where Little Women was written and set. Over 50 translations of Little Women have created worldwide interest, leading Jan to share the Alcott legacy through her internationally-acclaimed living history portrayals and through Orchard House - Home of Little Women, an Emmy Award-winning documentary that she wrote, directed, and hosted which regularly airs on PBS and is available on DVD.
This event was offered jointly by Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House and the Concord Festival of Authors/Friends of the Concord Public Library
To find out more about the Concord Festival of Authors, please visit https://www.https://www.concordfestivalofauthors.org/
Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist
Concord Festival of Authors Virtual Event: John Matteson and "Civil War Legacies"
The Civil War is routinely figured as a struggle of brother against brother, but its individual stories were often a matter of parent against child as well. On Sunday, October 25th at 7:00 pm, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Professor of English John Matteson revealed details of how three New Englanders — Louisa May Alcott, Arthur B. Fuller, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. — used their experiences of war to come to terms with the expectations and legacies of their illustrious but often difficult fathers. Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist joined John for a lively discussion and to moderate the Q&A.
About John Matteson
A long-time friend of Concord, John Matteson is Distinguished Professor of English at John Jay College in the City University of New York. His first book, Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. John is also the author of the award-winning biography, The Lives of Margaret Fuller, and editor of The Annotated Little Women. His latest book, A Worse Place Than Hell: How the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Changed A Nation, will be published by W. W. Norton in February of 2021.
Reviews of Eden's Outcasts ...
"A double biography is a difficult thing to bring off, but Matteson does it beautifully, giving a vivid but delicate account of two complicated characters inextricably entwined."
~Rosemary Hill, The Guardian
"Carefully researched and sensitively written. Essential."
~Kirkus (starred review)
This event was offered jointly by Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House and the Concord Festival of Authors/Friends of the Concord Public Library
To find out more about the Concord Festival of Authors, please visit https://www.concordfestivalofauthors.org/
Professor John Matteson
"Racism and Disenfranchisement: Then and Now" Panel Discussion
On Sunday, June 14th at 2:00 pm, Orchard House Executive Director Jan Turnquist moderated an extremely timely and vital panel discussion with Dr. Maria Madison and Prof. Sandra Harbert Petrulionis.
Maria Madison is Associate Dean for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity at the Heller School for Social Policy at Brandeis University, as well as Co-Founder and President of the Robbins House, the c. 1800 Concord, MA home of former slave and Revolutionary War veteran Caesar Robbins. She and her colleagues won the Human Rights Council for Freedom Award (2020) and the Concord Museum's Robert Gross Award for History (2019).
Sandra Harbert Petrulionis, Distinguished Professor of English and American Studies at Penn State University, is also author of To Set This World Right: The Antislavery Movement in Thoreau's Concord, editor of Thoreau In His Own Time, and co-editor of other works on Thoreau and Transcendentalism. She has been a frequent Presenter at Orchard House's Summer Conversational Series as well.
To watch this previously recorded webinar, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/-uFzHb2t_CBJW9LWuR6GU4U5NJ7ieaa82yZKrPVbyU9IdOnWrmXUSNnlLS4UI_LV
This event was offered jointly by Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House and The Robbins House, both in Concord, Massachusetts
To find out more about The Robbins House, please visit https://www.robbinshouse
Pictured l to r: Jan Turnquist, Maria Madison, & Sandra Harbert Petrulionis
General Guided Tours
"Welcome to Our Home" Tours
"Welcome to Our Home" Tours
Featuring discussions of the Alcotts' home life and public accomplishments, guided tours help learners of all ages derive a sense of how this remarkable family nurtured one another and what they contributed to literature, art, education -- and society as a whole.
Suitable for Grades 3 - 12; up to 45 students.
30 minutes. $4.50 per student. 1 chaperone per 15 students required and admitted free; $12 per additional adult.
"Welcome to Our Home" Tours
"Welcome to Our Home" Tours
"Welcome to Our Home" Tours
Orchard House comes alive through an interactive, first-person context as Living History interpreters portray members of the Alcott family or their notable neighbors. Students discover how the Alcotts lived and helped make history in their own words.
Suitable for Grades K - 12; up to 45 students.
1 hour. $9 per student. 1 chaperone per 15 students required and admitted free; $15 per each additional adult.
"Time Travelers" Tours
"Welcome to Our Home" Tours
"A Visit with the Alcotts"
A fun, engaging way to introduce students to household tasks and family pastimes of the 1800s. Period artifacts from our Education Collection help students make important connections between the modern and 19th Century worlds.
Suitable for Grades 2 - 5; up to 30 students.
1 hour. $9 per student. 1 chaperone per 15 students required and admitted free; $15 per each additional adult.
"A Visit with the Alcotts"
"A Visit with the Alcotts"
"A Visit with the Alcotts"
A multi-disciplinary experience incorporating history, language arts, and creative arts whereby students step back in time with Living History interpreters who re-create the life and times of the Alcotts. Students discover the elements of a story and write one of their own, play a 19th Century game that also introduces new vocabulary, and take part in an art activity that challenges their spatial perception, imagination, and analytical thinking.
Curriculum Frameworks: History & Social Science Standards 1, 2, & 3; English Language Arts Standards 1, 2, & 3; Visual Arts Standard 3
Suitable for Grades 3 - 5; up to 30 students.
2 hours. $10 per student. 1 chaperone per 10 students required and admitted free; $15 per each additional adult.
"Journey Through Journals"
"A Visit with the Alcotts"
"Journey Through Journals"
Whether a daily record, philosophical outlet, or repository for creativity, journals satisfied the expressive needs of each Alcott family member. In fact, Louisa May Alcott's journal often provided her with material she used to write Little Women. Throughout the house, excerpts from Alcott diaries will be shared with students, and they will be given the chance to record their thoughts and impressions in their own journals as well.
Curriculum Frameworks: English Language Arts Standards 2, 4, & 5; English Literature Standards 8, 9, 13, 14, & 15; English Composition Standards 20 & 22; History and Social Science Standard 3
Suitable for Grades 5 - 12; up to 30 students.
2 hours. $10 per student. 1 chaperone per 10 students required and admitted free; $15 per each additional adult.
"Landscapes & Literature"
"A Visit with the Alcotts"
"Journey Through Journals"
In this interactive writing/discussion-based program, students immerse themselves in an exploration of the man-made and natural landscapes of 19th Century Concord. Focusing on the community of authors, philosophers, and intellectuals gathered here, students examine how each Alcott family member responded to their changing world, and the ways in which their responses were reflected in literature, philosophy, artwork, and social action.
Curriculum Frameworks: History & Social Science Standards 1, 2, 3, & 4; English Literature Standards 8, 9, 15, & 17
Suitable for Grades 10 - 12; up to 45 students.
1.5 hours. $10 per student. 1 chaperone per 15 students required and admitted free; $15 per each additional adult.
"Hand-in-Hand"
Outreach / Distance Learning
Outreach / Distance Learning
Pre-K/Kindergarten-aged children and their adult caregivers will enjoy our unique hands-on program that introduces the home of Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, and life in the 19th Century to our youngest visitors. Victorian dress-up, felt boards, a story, games, and art activity are included.
Conducted for a minimum of 10 and a maximum
of 15 participants. 1 hour; variable cost.
Reservations required at least four weeks in advance. Phone our Education Director at 978.369.4118 x106 for information/reservations.
Outreach / Distance Learning
Outreach / Distance Learning
Outreach / Distance Learning
"A Visit by Louisa May Alcott"
Jan Turnquist of Inter*Act Performances will portray "Miss Alcott" for your school, library, church, community center, or even during a virtual visit!
For groups of any size/age. Variable length/cost.
To book a Massachusetts school performance, please contact Young Audiences of Massachusetts at 617.629.9262 x303 or scheduling@yamass.org;
all others, please phone 978.369.2467.
Customized Experiences
Outreach / Distance Learning
Customized Experiences
Have special needs or a unique program idea?
We are always happy to adapt our existing educational programming or collaborate on new offerings to meet the particular educational needs of your class, school, or group.
Please contact our Education Director at 978.369.4118 x106 or education@louisamayalcott.org
to discuss the possibilities.
DAISIES
BROWNIES
BROWNIES
"HAND-IN-HAND JOURNEY
TO ORCHARD HOUSE"
Daisies are introduced to the historic home of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women and learn about the Alcotts through interactive materials and hands-on activities such as Victorian dress-up, felt boards, a story, games, and artwork.
1 hour program offered year-round. $11 per scout/additional
"HAND-IN-HAND JOURNEY
TO ORCHARD HOUSE"
Daisies are introduced to the historic home of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women and learn about the Alcotts through interactive materials and hands-on activities such as Victorian dress-up, felt boards, a story, games, and artwork.
1 hour program offered year-round. $11 per scout/additional adult. 15-person limit, inclusive of 2 required chaperones (admitted free).
BROWNIES
BROWNIES
BROWNIES
"MY FAMILY STORY" BADGE
During a tour of Orchard House with a Living History re-enactor, Brownies will hear stories about the Alcott girls' childhood, play a game, learn a song from the period, draw their own family crests, and participate in other Alcott-inspired activities.
1.5 hour program offered year-round. $14 per scout/additional
"MY FAMILY STORY" BADGE
During a tour of Orchard House with a Living History re-enactor, Brownies will hear stories about the Alcott girls' childhood, play a game, learn a song from the period, draw their own family crests, and participate in other Alcott-inspired activities.
1.5 hour program offered year-round. $14 per scout/additional adult. 15-person limit, inclusive of 2 required chaperones (admitted free).
BROWNIES
BROWNIES
BROWNIES
"OLD-FASHIONED PLAYTIME JOURNEY"
Learn about popular 19th Century toys, games, and activities enjoyed by Louisa, Anna, Elizabeth, and May, as well as the dolls they made. Brownies also make their own yarn dolls, take them on a tour of Orchard House, and play games along the way.
1.5 hour program offered year-round. $14 per scout/additi
"OLD-FASHIONED PLAYTIME JOURNEY"
Learn about popular 19th Century toys, games, and activities enjoyed by Louisa, Anna, Elizabeth, and May, as well as the dolls they made. Brownies also make their own yarn dolls, take them on a tour of Orchard House, and play games along the way.
1.5 hour program offered year-round. $14 per scout/additional adult. 15-person limit, inclusive of 2 required chaperones (admitted free).
BROWNIES
BROWNIES
BROWNIES
"STORY JOURNEY"
Brownies will have have an opportunity to write in the very room where Louisa May Alcott wrote her most famous book, Little Women, try their hand at a troop “post office,” play "Rigamarole," and make “castles in the air” -- just like the Alcott girls did!
Bonus: This program helps earn the “Hear a Story,” “Change a Story,”
"STORY JOURNEY"
Brownies will have have an opportunity to write in the very room where Louisa May Alcott wrote her most famous book, Little Women, try their hand at a troop “post office,” play "Rigamarole," and make “castles in the air” -- just like the Alcott girls did!
Bonus: This program helps earn the “Hear a Story,” “Change a Story,” “Tell a Story,” and “Better World!” Leadership Awards
1.5 hour program offered year-round. $14 per scout/additional adult. 15-person limit, inclusive of 2 required chaperones (admitted free).
JUNIORS
BROWNIES
BROWNIES
"PLAYING THE PAST" BADGE
Juniors journey back to 1870 to imagine themselves as one of the Alcotts! A Living History re-enactor will relate favorite family stories and traditions, and describe life in the 19th Century. After hearing entries from the Alcotts' own journals, Juniors will make their own journals and write in them, play a game
"PLAYING THE PAST" BADGE
Juniors journey back to 1870 to imagine themselves as one of the Alcotts! A Living History re-enactor will relate favorite family stories and traditions, and describe life in the 19th Century. After hearing entries from the Alcotts' own journals, Juniors will make their own journals and write in them, play a game or sing a song that the Alcotts would have enjoyed, and act out a scene from Little Women in the same place where Louisa and her sisters performed their theatricals for friends and family.
1.5 hour program offered year-round. $14 per scout/additional adult. 15-person limit, inclusive of 2 required chaperones (admitted free).
JUNIORS
BROWNIES
JUNIORS
"SCRIBE" BADGE
Juniors are invited to create a poem, short story, essay, or news report in the very room where Miss Alcott penned many of her stories -- including her most famous book, Little Women. By using events of everyday life, sharpening skills of observation and elaboration, properly setting a scene, and crafting interesting charac
"SCRIBE" BADGE
Juniors are invited to create a poem, short story, essay, or news report in the very room where Miss Alcott penned many of her stories -- including her most famous book, Little Women. By using events of everyday life, sharpening skills of observation and elaboration, properly setting a scene, and crafting interesting characters, Juniors learn just what goes into being a good writer!
1.5 hour program offered year-round. $14 per scout/additional adult. 15-person limit, inclusive of 2 required chaperones (admitted free).
JUNIORS
CADETTES
CADETTES
"MY BEST FOOT FORWARD JOURNEY"
Louisa May Alcott has served as a wonderful role model ever since Little Women first captured the imaginations of people all over the world, and she was especially concerned with girls striving to be themselves in an increasingly complicated world. Juniors will come to understand how Louisa and her sisters s
"MY BEST FOOT FORWARD JOURNEY"
Louisa May Alcott has served as a wonderful role model ever since Little Women first captured the imaginations of people all over the world, and she was especially concerned with girls striving to be themselves in an increasingly complicated world. Juniors will come to understand how Louisa and her sisters struggled to overcome their challenges and capitalized on their talents to become strong, independent women. Through role play, journal writing, creating a “brag bag,” and other activities, Juniors learn to celebrate their own best attributes.
Bonus: This program also helps Juniors earn "The Power of One" Award; they may also work on the "Reach Out!" and "Try Out!" Leadership Awards.
1.5 hour program offered year-round. $14 per scout/additional adult. 15-person limit, inclusive of 2 required chaperones (admitted free).
CADETTES
CADETTES
CADETTES
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Seeking a new and different way to earn
the Community Service Bar or Patch?
Consider a project at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House -- a non-profit organization that depends upon volunteer help for many aspects of its continued operation. We are happy to work with you to create a flexible community engagement experience th
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Seeking a new and different way to earn
the Community Service Bar or Patch?
Consider a project at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House -- a non-profit organization that depends upon volunteer help for many aspects of its continued operation. We are happy to work with you to create a flexible community engagement experience that best fit both your needs and ours.
Interested?
Contact our Director of Education
at 978.369.4118 x106 or education@louisamayalcott.org
to discuss available opportunities