(My last up date, I promise that I am now up to date!)
Katrine will be studying pioneers in social studies this coming year. In preparation (yes, I know throughly Heather), we have been reading the first three Little House books (accompanied with ALOT of discussions about how pioneers lived but also how times and views have rightly changed…some pretty heavy discussions have stemmed from these books). Thought it would be great to provide a text to world connection for Katrine by visiting our local heritage village (wow, I really am a teacher aren’t I?). So today we packed up ourselves and our Grammy and headed out to spend the day wandering around exploring the world of pioneers.
I must admit that I was a bit concerned about how the day would unfold for Elspeth. Would she be overwhelmed by the differentness of the place -wooden buildings, animals, people dressed funny? Or, would she take it in stride? The truth was somewhere between the two. I spent a good deal of time carrying my little one around thanking my stars that she is so dainty. From the safety of my arms, she eagerly looked at the carpenter using the table saw, the wheels turning loudly in the mill and the tin smith banging away to create punched squares. Her favourite parts were watching the horse drawn carriage roll by and exploring in the hands on section (as you can see below). All in all, she behaved much better than anticipated. 😮
Katrine also had a great time (which I expected as we have been once before when she was quite a bit younger). What surprised me were the number of connections that she made between what we saw and had read. I mean, I had hoped she would make a few connections herself but had anticipated that I would spend a great deal of time pointing out said connections. What a pleasant surprise it was to see her not only making connections independently but also to see the excitement on her face as the books and history can alive inside her mind.
Oh, I think that the highlights of the day were spending time with Grammy (who, having grown up on a farm, without electricity until highschool, had great, first hand insight into a number of things we saw today) and getting a candy stick at the end of the day.
