On April 5 and 12, Historic Rock Ford, 881 Rockford Road, Lancaster, welcomed students for a day of interactive learning activities. Through a partnership with Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and Solanco School District, Historic Rock Ford offered fifth-grade students a hands-on educational experience focused on brickmaking and its role in history.

Upon arriving at Historic Rock Ford, the students were divided into three groups; each group was assigned to a different activity. The first group visited the brickmaking station and was given a presentation on how bricks are laid to support the various parts of a structure and how many square feet are required depending on the building. After the presentation, students mixed the ingredients to create bricks and then applied mortar to finished bricks. Students were able to see the proper ratio of materials required to successfully craft a brick. Once the students had crafted real bricks, they completed an exercise in which they replicated the brick patterns of different houses with foam replicas.

For the brickmaking portion of the day, masonry students from Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology assisted Debbie Smith, chair of the school programming committee at Historic Rock Ford, with instructing the fifth-graders. Smith approached Mike Gardner, the director of masonry at Thaddeus Stevens, with the idea to create a joint learning opportunity for elementary school students and college students alike. For masonry students, the program provides an opportunity for them to share their craft with the community and apply what they've learned outside of school. "(Gardner) has been so knowledgeable and energetic about getting his students involved," Smith said. "This is a project that engages people across multiple generations of learners."

While the first group of students was learning about brickmaking, the second group was taken on a tour of General Edward Hand's Mansion and learned about the property's history. Students had an opportunity to see a collection of artifacts around the mansion and ask questions about their historical significance.

The third group of students visited the John J. Snyder Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts. In the gallery, students explored a collection of clocks, chests, cabinets and works of art. Visitors were able to listen to the chimes of the Shreiner clock, a rare musical clock that dates back to the early 18th century. The unusual device plays eight unique tones, which musicologists are attempting to identify today. After completing an activity to learn about how gears work together to make a clock function, students were able to walk through the museum's collection.

"The students love it and they get really engaged," Smith said. "They're learning in immersive environments, and they're surrounded by history. Even the masonry students are transported to another time and get to use their imaginations and a sense of wonder." Each group of fifth-graders rotated through the activities throughout the day.

The brickmaking program is one in a series of school programs offered by Historic Rock Ford, which is designated as an educational improvement organization by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Historic Rock Ford is always looking for volunteers for its programs. For more information, visit https://historicrockford.org/volunteer.