History In Our Town

On day 2 of our field trips this week, we visited the Haines House, which was a stop on the Underground Railroad.  While this topic was a little above my kindergarten students' heads, the idea of "then" and "now" fit right into what we can learn and understand.  The volunteers at the Haines House, most of which are retired teachers, do a great job bringing this history down to our level.

The Haines House is located about 3 blocks from our school, so it is an easy walk for us.  Students visited 3 different areas of the house during our hour and 15 minute visit.

In the dining room, we learned about a typical day for a child in the 1800s, practiced writing on slate and compared items we use today with what might have been used in the 1800s.

Matching 1800s items to the items we use today.

The kitchen was an interesting experience for us.  We didn't see many of the things we see in our kitchen today.  Students helped make butter and cornbread while learning about life and chores of the house in the 1800s.

After mixing their cornbread, students saw what it looks like when it comes out of the oven- shaped like an ear of corn. They then were able to taste cornbread.

I think their favorite part of the visit was upstairs where we learned about toys and games while visiting a child's bedroom.  Girls wore aprons and boys wore vests as they tried out different toys that children their age would have played with in the 1800s.

This toy taught children the proper motion for milking a cow.

A parent on the trip asked her group at the end, "Did you see any video games while we walked around?"  After thinking about it, a couple of the kids looked shocked to think that no, they didn't see any.  It's all about perspective!

What field trips have you been on or do you have planned this year?