Every year our living history museum, Cowtown, has a annual Education Day. They make it sit up like a day at a 1800's county fair.
Cowtown offers this to all students, both public school and homeschooled children. However, they always advise for homeschool children to come to the "Afternoon" session as there is a Afternoon Session and a Morning Session. They suggest Afternoon to homeschoolers because once you are there, and have paid to go inside, you do not have to leave til 9pm. Where the public school children have to get back on their bus and go back to school. We took Cowtown's advice the first year. But, we found you could NOT do all the activities in the afternoon session alone. And if you wanted to do most the activities you needed to go to both sessions. They do not kick you out for the afternoon if you come in the morning. And at 3 pm they shut down all the Education Day activities, and you are only left with looking at things, and no activities at 3 pm, and the afternoon session begins at 1 pm. So literally you barely get in and may only get to do 2 activities, then all the people who are teaching the neat stuff, start packing up and leaving! So I suggest going in the morning and staying. Only focus on doing the special activities til 3 pm, and then after that you can do the every day things they have the rest of the year there all the time.
Simona was still just a baby, we made it but I didn't get as many pictures as I would of liked. But, I was able to get some.
We were able to observe and talk to a family who lives full time in a real teepee. We learned a lot about the deer skins that made the teepee. For instance the parts that let a little more light come in was where the deer was bit by a tick. To allow air flow into the teepee they roll up the bottom. And so on. Very interesting and enjoyable conversations.
Then we bought some snacks and bonnets in the drug store (1800's theme).
We took sewing lessons. Lela was able to help sew part of a real quilt. And RJ and Belle did some smaller hand embroidery.
They ground wheat, made potpourri, hand washed clothes like they would of in the olden days, played tops, and different porch games. Fed goats, and horses. And played baseball just like would of happened in that time.
They were also able to do a form of archery. Provided with photographic proof that homeschooled children do learn to stand in line! haha
And explore a real stage coach. My nephew Declan came along as well. But, his big brother Seamus, jumped off his bunk bed at my parents house and broke his arm right before we left, so he spent the day at Grandma Darla's doctors office being treated for that.
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