Education

Designed for pre-kindergarten to 1st grade, this program gives students a basic understanding of where food—in this case flour and cornmeal—comes from. Students enjoy a tour of the grist mill, where they can help the miller shell corn, grind the grains, and sift the flour. Then the students help Mill staff bake cornbread with the newly ground cornmeal, after a reading from the Eric Carle book “Pancakes, Pancakes,” which tells the story of how the food we eat every day makes the journey from the field to the table. This program is best experienced as a milling tour.

“Run of the Mill” teaches 2nd to 8th grade students a brief history of agriculture in Chester County, and how technological advances like railroads affected farming in this area. Students will identify different kinds of grains, including wheat, corn, rye and barley, and will learn where they are grown and used today. They will then have the opportunity to help Mill staff harvest, thresh and winnow wheat, and a tour of the grist mill will follow. This tour is available in both milling and non-milling versions.

The Mill offers a unique opportunity for high school and college students to learn about primitive and modern technology and technological development. The Mill is also a rich site for research in the areas of history, economics, technology, and religion. While we are not able to offer funded internships, more than enough education-through-work opportunities are available for an intern at the Mill.