School Programs

There are 3 ways to connect your students to the Historic Ephrata Cloister. Each offers a chance for hands-on learning to make the past an engaging part of learning.

Reservations for school programs are required. Contact us early for on-site museum visits–April and May are the busiest months. Educators are encouraged to visit in advance and talk with our education staff about your visit.

Our programs are designed for grade 3 and above, but other learning options are available. Please contact the Museum Educator to discuss your needs.

Memberships in the Ephrata Cloister Associates and PA Heritage Society, Library Passes, and Access Cards are not eligible for discounts for school programs.

Community Day

This open house hosts a dozen learning stations on the grounds of the historic site such as writing with a quill, the colonial printing press, and building a chair. The stations are open from 9:30 to 1:00 and you can visit them in any order. This is a popular program for homeschools and organized classes.

DATES: Friday, October 20, 2023

TIMES: 9:30 to 1:00 each day

TUITION: $7.00 for students, 1 free adult with every 10 students, additional adults, or with fewer than 10 students $9.00

Discovery Tours

These focused visits include a look at the lives of Ephrata’s early residents in the Sisters’ House and Meetinghouse followed by your choice of 2 of the following activities:

• a visit to the Printing Office
• a visit to the colonial doctor
• writing with a quill pen
• going to school in 1842
• packing a trunk to travel from Germany to Pennsylvania in the 1700s

This visit lasts about 2 hours. A minimum of 10 students is required for a Discovery Tour program.

DATES: Discovery Tours are available Tuesdays through Fridays from April through October

TIME: suggest starting at 9:00 or 9:30 in the morning, please discuss the starting time at registration

TUITION:  $7.00 for students, 1 free adult with every 10 students, additional adults, or with fewer than 10 students $9.00

Virtual Visits

These Zoom programs bring the Historic Ephrata Cloister into your classroom with stories, pictures, show and tell objects, and worksheets.  Each lesson lasts about 30 minutes. A short pre-visit meeting with the teacher is encouraged before the first visit to work out technical matters. Live real-time two-way communication is required. Please no chat box.

1. Where Ephrata Began: the story of the people who built the early Ephrata community
2. By the Book: making books in early Ephrata including the biggest book printed in the colonies 
3. Good Humors: a look at medicine in colonial America
4. Lessons of the Past: an exploration of learning from 1740 to 1840

DATES: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from January 5 to March 31

TIMES: to be determined at registration

TUITION: choose 2 lessons for a total of $50 for a classroom or $20 for a family, choose 3 or 4 lessons for a total of $75 for a classroom or $30 for a family.