By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Three classes of Southwest Grade School third graders had a lesson in history, but not from textbooks.
A Pioneer Day was planned by Southwest third grade teachers Michelle Craig, Jacque Kelly, and Tyann Hintgen to offer their students a peek at what life was like at the turn of the century. The “lesson” included a trip to the home of Linda Flatt and her husband, the late Steve Flatt, then to City Park for lunch before a going to Central Theater for a showing of the movie “Little House on the Prairie.”
Southwest School third graders Kendall Galloway and Claire Ptak get a lesson in playing jacks from Lindsey Henry.
Students and teachers were dressed in “pioneer” clothing for their outing.
At the Flatt home, boys and girls were able to take part in living like pioneers and spent time visiting different stations where they participated in activities that included spinning and carding wool, making music on homemade instruments, churning butter and cooking on a wood stove, school room using slates, kneading bread and grinding wheat, churning ice cream and then tasting, laundry using wash boards, hair braiding, shaving, gardening, quilting, games and more.
According to the three teachers, the students learned what it was like to work in a pioneer kitchen and thoroughly enjoyed pretending to make baked goods and pumping water from a hand pump.
After completing a mini-unit on Pioneers and the Westward Expansion, students were able to experience life as a pioneer.
Janelle Minneart is photographed showing third graders Grace Pettie, left, Admire Smith and Novaya Burk how the pioneers did their laundry
Caroline Gramling and Ellie Lenth, both in third grade at Southwest School, are learning how to quilt at the recent Pioneer Day held at the home of Linda Flatt in Geneseo.
Retired Southwest third grade teacher Shawn King, volunteered at the Pioneer Day and is photographed showing Kamdon Bullock, Akif Onder, Dominic Kleckner and Griffin Newton how to church butter.
