Field trip to The Frontier Culture Museum

Last Friday, I went along with Jaden's 1st grade class on a field trip to The Frontier Culture Museum. We worried about rain that morning, but it turned out to be a lovely day - it sprinkled just a little bit, causing us to have to move our picnic lunch on to the bus. But it stopped just as we were finished eating.

I love this place, but hadn't been there for quite some time. We didn't tour the whole museum, but visited just the American exhibit. It showed how settlers would have started a farm in the early 19th century - from their initial camp, to building a small cabin, to finally constructing the big farm house, allowing the kids to return to school instead of working on the farm every day. We got to learn about how they would cook, garden, raise animals....it was very hands-on and the kids loved it! The house we toured - the Bowman house - was built by a German settler that originally lived in Pennsylvania. He moved to Virginia after hearing about how much cheaper the land was here. The house was actually moved to the museum from where it was built and stood vacant for a long time in Timberville - where we live! :0)

On our way...

The settlers' camp...

Jaden (and the other 2 boys I chaperoned) helping to begin work on the cabin...

Each kid got to get an ear of corn from the corn crib to feed to the pigs...

Jaden trying out a Jacob's ladder....no video games back then!

Inside the Bowman house - learning to get the wool ready for spinning...

By the fireplace inside the Bowman house...