Thank you for your interest in booking an education program at Calthorpes' House & Mugga Mugga Cottage. Please see below for details of the programs we offer. To book a program, please select the corresponding ticket type relating to the program you wish to attend, as well as the number of expected children. Exceeding the number of maximum children will require booking over more than one day.

If you have any questions or require any assistance, please email our programs booking officer here.

2024 bookings available here.

DAWN'S SURPRISE (Yrs P-2)

Maximum capacity is 30 students

What was was it like for children growing up in Canberra in the 1930s? And how does that compare with childhood today? Dawn Calthorpe (with her sister Del) grew up at Calthorpes House during the 1920s and '30s in the then new suburb of Red Hill in the new Federal Capital. Students will imagine Dawn’s world, questioning, evaluating and analysing childhood experiences in the 1930s and comparing it to their present lives.

In this immersive, active and hands on program, students discover the home and environment of 7-year-old Dawn through three activities: a house tour, garden tour and playing games of the era. Students will also consider sustainable living choices and appreciation of the natural world, as aspects of childhood in the past, present and future.

(Calthorpes' House - 2 hours duration single program. Can be done singularly or in conjunction with At The Garden Gate. See ticket types for more details)

(optional) AND

AT THE GARDEN GATE (Yrs P-2)

Double program maximum capacity is 60 students

How has Canberra’s landscape changed over time? What did it look like before it was a city?

In this immersive program, children compare the past and present by exploring Mugga Mugga Cottage, its rural setting and the life of the Curley family who lived here from 1913. Students will take a Cottage tour to see the domestic collection that belonged to the family, take part in a hands-on study of native and introduced plants and complete an interpretive collage. Inspired by the making-do approach of the Curley family who repaired, re-used and upcycled their belongings, students will contrast evidence of the Curley era with the contemporary landscape and lifestyle, deepening their learning in HASS, Geography, History and Sustainability.

(Mugga Mugga Cottage - 2 hours duration. Available only in conjunction with Dawn's Surprise)

Total duration of the double program: 4 hours. Schools will require their own transport to move between each site.