Heritage School

Aidan went to the Heritage School this week. This is a special field trip that the 4^th graders get to participate in every year. Kadie went last year.

Here is what the note said that Aidan brought home describing the event:

As a part of our fourth grade study of Nebraska’s history, your child’s class will participate in a field study immersion experience at Heritage School in Pioneer’s Park.

Heritage school was originally the Cunningham School in Saunders County. It has been restored as an authentic reproduction of a one-room prarie school. Students will experience what a day was like in a one-room schoolhouse in 1892. During this “role play,” students will participate in songs, stories, and other activities that are authentic to the time period.

If your child is bringing his/her own lunch it should be similar to what children would have eaten on the prairie in 1892. This is a very memorable part of the preparation for the Heritage School. The classes will discuss Native American and pioneer foods. Common lunches for pioneer children included:

*Leftovers – cold pancakes from breakfast

*Sandwiches – cheese, jelly, egg, butter, honey, lard, sugar, molasses, or syrup

*Boiled or baked potato (also served as hand warmers in their pockets on cold mornings

*Fresh fruits and vegetables – apples, pears, plums, carrots, cabbage wedges (no bananas)

*Cookies – molasses, oatmeal, sugar, or snickerdoodle (cookies were a special treat)

Lunches were often wrapped in cloth. You may choose to use waxed paper to wrap items (no plastic wrap). They will need a lunch cloth, as well. It will cover the items in their tin or basket and help identify which container is theirs. Students should bring a small can or jar to use as a water glass. Water will be provided. Please avoid all prepackaged food or other foods that would not have been developed in the 1890’s.

Students are encouraged to dress in the style of clothing worn in the late 1800’s . Girls may whish to wear a long skirt or dress, apron, and a sunbonnet or hat. Boys may wish to wear bib overalls, jeans and suspenders, flannel, plaid, or checked shirts and hats of the period. Students will also need a slate rag, which can be any piece of cloth.

Such a lot of instructions. Aidan wanted to take his lunch in a hobo sack (I know, I know, that is not mentioned in the letter, but the teachers told the kids about it at school.) I thought we were all set with a stick to tie Aidan's sack to. After all, the kid collects sticks. I am constantly reminding him that he cannot bring sticks home from the park/camping/church, etc.

Aidan did have a stick. He came trotting in with the stick on the left the morning of his field trip. The stick is 52 inches long...I measured it. (Aidan is only 55 inches tall...I measured him too). Aidan was a little upset when I said no way. He said he didn't have any other sticks he could use. (Are you kidding me?) I sent Ken and Aidan on a stick finding mission while I got the girls to school. Luckily they found a longer version of the stick on the right and were able to cut it down to the perfect size.

Here is the boy. He doesn't look too thrilled, but he was very excited. He packed bread and butter, an apple, and two oatmeal cookies in his lunch.

When I picked him up from school and asked what he did for the day, he said, "We did cursive." That is truly all I got out of him. (What a difference from Kadie last year.) His teacher sent an e-mail though stating that he had taken pictures of the kids throughout the day and if we sent a flash drive to school he would download them for us. Hopefully I'll have some photo documentation soon to see what he really did all day long. I'm sure it must have been more than just cursive.