Through these programmes, students gain insight into different lives and key events in the history of the early colony, the hardships and achievements of James Ruse, a poor farmer, and the power and affluence of John Harris, a military surgeon. Comparisons will be made between colonial and indigenous ways of life, and how one impacted the other. Activities include seed-planting, early water-carrying techniques, plant identification (native and introduced) and colonial medicine-making and housekeeping.
Booking price includes downloadable pre- and post-visit lesson packs to help you get the best learning outcomes from your excursion to our iconic historic property.
Stage 2 – PLANTS, PILLS AND POTIONS
History – Technology – Geography
Updated December 2019
Visit the very spot where James Ruse’s successful experiment in self-sufficient farming changed the course of Australian history. Participate in crop-growing activities, investigate equipment and technology and consider the challenges faced by the early colonists.
Explore the surgery of wealthy landowner John Harris and examine the medical equipment used in colonial times. Explore our ‘physic garden’ and make a plant-based medicinal remedy used during Harris’s lifetime.
| STUDENTS WILL | AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM | NSW SYLLABUS |
|---|---|---|
| Consider the events and people who lived at Experiment Farm and the contributions they made to the colony. | ACHASSI052 ACHASSI055 ACHASSI073 ACHASSI076 ACHASSK085 ACHASSK110 | HT2-2 |
| Draw connections between their own lives and the lives of those who lived at Experiment Farm. | ACHASSK088 ACHASSI002 ACHASSI026 ACHASSI039 | HT 2-2 |
| Participate in planting, herb identification and consider the uses of herbs in colonial medicine. | ACHASSK088 ACHASSI007 ACHASSI008 | HT2-4 HT2-5 |
| Participate in the creation of poultices (external herbal remedies) and discuss their use during the 18th and 19th centuries. | ACHASSI102 ACHASSI130 | ST2-7MW-T HT2-5 |
| Discuss food scarcity and farming methods of the 18th and 19th century that were used at Experiment Farm. Consider the impact these methods had on the lives of local Aboriginal people. | ACHASSK062 ACHASSK086 ACHASSK088 ACHASSK107 ACHASSK112 ACHASSK113 | ST2-5LW-T HT2-4 HT2-5 |
Booking Information
Maximum number of students: 60
Teachers: minimum 1 to 10 pupils
Cost: $10 per student
Joint bookings with Old Government House programmes: $22 per pupil
Education Booking Enquiry - Parramatta
Booking Enquiry form for Old Government House & Experiment Farm Cottage
