Movie Magic: New Hershey Story Homeschool Program Takes on the Movies

There are certain homeschool lessons I can pull off at the kitchen table.

The history of motion pictures, complete with early movie inventions, DIY sound effects, century-old film footage and a Hollywood-inspired chocolate creation? I am very happy to outsource that one.

The Hershey Story Museum has announced its newest homeschool program for November, Movie Magic: The History of Moving Pictures, and this one immediately earned a spot on our calendar.

Our family has attended The Hershey Story's homeschool programs before, and they are genuinely some of my favorite homeschool outings because they manage to do something that is not particularly easy in a family with kids spanning a pretty enormous age range: everybody gets something out of them.

So, what exactly is Movie Magic?

This time, homeschoolers are going behind the movies themselves.

Kids will discover how the illusion of movement began with novelty amusements and eventually developed into the movies we know today. They'll get to try early moving-picture inventions, learn how movie sound effects are made, create their own moving illusions and write their own storyboard.

They'll also watch clips from early motion pictures to see what everyday life looked like more than 100 years ago, including right here in Hershey.

Which is one of my favorite kinds of history lesson. There is something about seeing actual people moving through places your kids recognize that makes "100 years ago" feel considerably less like an abstract number in a textbook.

And obviously, there is chocolate

This is The Hershey Story, after all.

Every participant will make their own Hollywood-inspired chocolate creation as part of the program.

History, science, movies and chocolate. This is precisely the sort of interdisciplinary education I can get behind.

Don't plan to leave after the class

The Movie Magic program itself lasts about an hour, but I would definitely not plan to walk out the door after 60 minutes.

Your ticket also includes admission to The Hershey Story Museum and an educational scavenger hunt through the exhibits. The museum estimates another 45 to 60 minutes for the scavenger hunt, so plan on at least 90 minutes to two hours for the full experience.

Our kids have done the museum scavenger hunt before, and this is one of those deceptively brilliant additions that turns "walking through a museum" into a mission. Mine become considerably more invested in examining exhibits when there is something they are supposed to find.

There's a brand-new exhibit, too

November's program has particularly good timing because museum admission also includes The Hershey Story's new special exhibit, From Story to Screen: The Making of the Hershey Movie.

So after kids spend the program figuring out how moving pictures work and watching early footage, they can continue the theme by exploring how a Hershey story made its own journey to the screen.

Who can attend?

Movie Magic is designed for homeschooling families. Students, parents, siblings and chaperones are welcome, but everyone age 3 and older needs their own ticket.

Children ages 2 and younger are free. Tickets are non-refundable.

Homeschool groups of 15 or more can also arrange private programs. Contact Elizabeth Lindsay at elalindsay@hersheystory.org or 717-520-5588 for information about private sessions.