UM to offer day camp ‘Pathways to the Past’

ORONO – The University of Maine Page Farm and Home Museum is scheduled to offer “Pathways to the Past” day camp for children June 25-29.

The program provides a chance for area children ages 6 to 12 to learn about what it was like to grow up in rural Maine from 1865 through 1940.

Children will spend the first part of the day from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. learning about Maine in the pre-Industrial Revolution, when most tasks were done by hand.

They will make cheese and ice cream from scratch with organic ingredients and other healthful snacks, Patricia Henner, museum director, said in a recent news release.

Hands-on activities will include creating folk art such as decorative stenciling, learning about gardening and worm composting, and seeing a blacksmith demonstration.

Children also will learn about wool production through a visit to the sheep pens at UM’s Witter Farm.

The nonprofit museum is dedicated to preserving artifacts, customs and traditions in Maine between 1865 and 1940.

The five-day camp costs $65, which covers the price of materials for activities.

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends for individual visits, group tours, special hands-on programs and other interactive educational events.

For information about the museum and “Pathways to the Past” day camp, call 581-4100.