Education

School Tours and Programs

Students in pre-K, K-12, college, and graduate school visit the museum each year. Victoria Mansion’s staff enthusiastically assist individual teachers to provide tours and programs that incorporate classroom-specific curricula. Teachers are encouraged to schedule a free visit prior to bringing students. School programs for students at Victoria Mansion are planned with Maine’s Common Core Standards in mind, but we also strive to meet the needs of individual classes to ensure that each visit is just what the teacher is looking for.

Virtual programs are offered on a limited basis. To inquire about our virtual school programs for 2022, please contact Stacia Hanscom, Director of Education & Public Programs at shanscom@victoriamansion.org or (207) 772-4841 ext. 104.

Education Program

A Century of Change: Victorian Portland is Victoria Mansion’s interdisciplinary education program that brings a Mansion educator to the classroom before students visit the museum. There are 8 lessons to choose from, and each one can be customized for a particular class and grade level. We are always expanding our offerings, so be sure to ask about additional program and lesson options that may not appear in the brochure:

A Century of Change brochure (PDF)

If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover with your class, and you don’t see an appropriate lesson, let us know. We are always working to expand our educational offerings to cover more subjects and to appeal to a wider age range. We are happy to work with you to design a new lesson.

Educational Events

Victoria Mansion has offered events for adults and children alike.

Chilling Celtic Tales

Aimed at our younger audience, storytellers visited the Mansion and tell tales similar to what the Irish servants in the Mansion would have told during Halloween or the Celtic holiday of Samhain.

Victorian Murder & Mayhem

Recommended for adult visitors, this program partnered with Portland Ballet, regional authors, and storytellers to explore the sensationalism of murder in the Victorian period. Visitors had the chance to visit the rarely-seen Victoria Mansion basement while hearing fictional stories of 19th century New England murders.

Stories on the Staircase

This preschool story hour on the Mansion stairs was offered weekly during the holiday season. The event promoted literacy for early learners in a small group setting.

Night of the Nutcracker with Portland Ballet

Members of Portland Ballet performed scenes from the Victorian Nutcracker—the scenery and characters of which are based on the Mansion’s decor and residents—in the stair hall.

Tea Tasting

During the spring, tea purveyors from around the region presented the history and traditions of tea consumption as well as new trends and uses on the Victoria Mansion lawn.

Scholarly Events

The Mansion sponsors public lectures, specialized theme tours, reading and discussion groups, exhibits, and scholarly symposia on a variety of topics related to the museum or the 19th century. While these are designed with an adult audience in mind, they are appropriate for children unless otherwise noted.