Learning in action

Today was a perfect, absolutely perfect, day to be outside. Sunny but cool and crisp with just a hint of autumn in the air and a few leaves beginning to scatter themselves on the ground. The fall perennials were showing off their magnificent blooms just daring those summer flowers to say they are the best. It was pinks and purples and oranges and yellows exploding from the flower bed.

So what do we do on the perfect day? We attend High Plains History Fest, of course! A fellow homeschooling mom has set up oodles of field trips for NCHA and this was one of them. The Greeley Centennial Village is transformed back in time 100 years and volunteers come and show the kids how many things were done then. You can never see all the exhibits/demonstrations in one day, it's simply impossible, but we were able to take in quite a few. We did/saw:

• Lonetree School house - experiencing what school would have been like in a one-room schoolhouse, complete an explanation with how early you had to get up to get chores done, how far you had to walk to get there, how there was 1 reader for the entire 6th grade class, etc.
• Trolley - a refurbished trolley and how it would have run
• Telephone - how a crank phone worked
• Fire house
• Printing press - this was fascinating. The man doing this exhibit went into great detail about how printing worked then, all while keeping the kids interested and engaged. They all received a card printed on the press as well
• Blacksmith - always a favorite
• Corn shelling
• Potatoes - a visit to the Monfort house and a short talk on the history of potato farming in CO
• Corn grinding - on rocks with rocks!
• Chuck wagon - a tale of cowboys, their food preparation and branding of cattle
• Washing - everyone washed a sock on a washboard and rung in out in a ringer before hanging it to dry
• Tortilla making - hand made flour tortillas

This was our third trip to the History Fest, but that only made it all the more fun for the girls as they knew which things they for sure wanted to do. They missed out on Rattlesnake Kate's story this time as she was absent when we went by there. Also at the last minute, they decided they wanted to make rope, but alas, it was time to leave. Next year maybe we'll be able to make rope, see the fiber arts and china painting as well as tour some more of the houses they have at the Village.

After the History Fest, the girls got hair feathers from a Groupon deal we had gotten. We made it back home in time to have an hour before we head out to a play at the Library. Greek and Norse mythology in some short plays put on by the Library's Theater Pals, at least one of whom we know. Should be fun. And we should be more than ready for bed tonight!