Back in Time

Here are a few more pictures from our trip back in time to the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. Peter was not pleased that we were having an adventure. He wanted to stay at home, do his chores, and play video games. That's been his goal all summer. That's why, in part, I've been planning outings. Ornery, I know. Don't worry, by the end he loved it.

I didn't take many pictures at first because I was too busy listening to the presentations. We learned about fancy new inventions like the cooking spider and the rotating toaster. We watched a feather bed get spanked, the proper term for fluffing the mattress. And we learned where the term "sleep tight" comes from. We watched flax get turned into linen and sheep's wool become yarn. Really, it was quite fascinating for all of us.

Then we went to school. Phoebe was sitting next to me, too close for a good picture. We learned that once upon a time kids could advance to the next level of their schooling when they were ready, not when the school year ended. I have a few children that would benefit from bringing that system back. We also learned that students had to memorize everything: poetry, times tables, grammar rules. There were only a handful of books available to the students, so most teaching was done by vocal repetition.

I am extremely grateful to live now and have access to so many books.

This school was a modern addition to the farm, built to hold modern-sized classes. The woman giving the presentation made sure to point out that an actual schoolhouse of that time would have been half the size of this one. The girls had to sit on one side, the boys on the other, hence my picture of Peter and Cooper so far away.

Then we had a little time to fill before our final presentation, so we visited the animals. Sophie really liked the pigs. As we watched them in their pen, Peter announced, "I think pigs are the third most majestic animal." Elephants and otters occupy spaces one and two, in case you were wondering.

The last tour of our day was the barn. We learned about what went in to taking care of the animals so they could continue working on the farm. Before we were led to see the animals, the kids were invited to jump into the hay. The lighting was terrible, but if you look close you can just make out Phoebe, and then Peter, jumping into the huge pile of soft hay. Cooper and Sophie joined in the fun too, but their pictures didn't turn out as well.

Then we met a baby goat that my children all declared to be the cutest thing they have ever seen.

There were also horses.

And sheep.

In spite of a rainstorm that soaked us at one point, we had a delightful time. Actually, the rain took the heat off the day, so it was even more pleasant, though the thunder was worrisome for our tall boy who is bothered by such things. We all had fun and learned a lot, a winning combination.