Summer Sampler~Day 4

Today was day 4.  Hannah was doing dishes when I arrived.  She really loves doing them.  Today they made potatoes with bacon. OH.MY anything with bacon makes me drool.  Haha.  For their dessert part of it they made Petit Fours.  A small cake that can be made in many different ways.  They can be many different types of flavors and colors.

 

The dishpan filled with soapy water.  There is just something about that, that just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.  <smiling>  Perhaps its the knitted dish cloth.

 

Right after I took this picture Hannah says to me, "Doing dishes makes me happy."  This girl takes right after me.  She loves being home and doing stuff here.

 

Seeing this beautiful smile on her face fills me with such joy.  She is headed out to hang up wet towels. 

 

Now that the housework is done the girls are heading out to explore the museum's kitchens. 

 

The museum has 3 or 4 working kitchens depending on the day. 

The Jones Farm is where they make the cheese and the noon meal. 

 

The Livingston Backus is where they make cakes, cookies and breads. 

 

 

Then there is my favorite The Pioneer Cabin where they make early pioneer meals like Johnny Cakes and Bubble n Squeak.

 

After they did some exploring they headed out to the village square to sit in the shade and talk about what they have done this week so far.

 

Tomorrow is the final day.  It's kind of sad that the summer is coming to a close.  But I'm really looking forward to the colors that come along with fall here in New York.

 

Beginning Cooking~ Day 1

As you may recall a few weeks ago Andrew went to a School of the Soldier at the Genesee Country Village and Museum.  Well now it's Hannah's turn!  She will be doing Beginning Cooking.  She will learn all about cooking in a hearth.  She is SO excited to be doing this.  Last year she missed out because the class was full.  This year we signed her up right away.

So like I did with Andrew I will be blogging this week about her experience.

Here she is in her costume.  I just love the look of excitement on her face. 

Another reason she was very excited was that she was able to take the class with her friend!

She's such a cutie!  She is so much like me when it comes to learning about the pioneers.  Especially when it's centered around Laura Ingalls Wilder.

This is one of my favorite pictures of her!  Next week we will begin reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's books...again!  We just love them so much here. 

Getting instructions from their teacher.  We were surprised she had a male teacher.  We've never seen him at the museum before. 

Off they go to make some yummy treats.  Stop back tomorrow and I'll have more pictures for you.

Summer Sampler~Day 5~Final Day

This was the final day of School of the Soldier.  We found out today that this was the 14th year of it.  It was hot, hot, hot today!!  I can see now why in many of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, she talks about lemonade under a shade tree.  I love spending time at the museum.  There is something about this place that really takes you back to the 1800's.

The boys showed off their skills today.  They showed us the formations, marching and battles.

Lining up, getting ready for the "show". 

Marching into the village square

Pointing the way.

So serious.

Here they are going through maneuvers.  They are showing us how they go from marching into a line for battle.

Ready, Aim, Fire!

Andrew's down again!  But whew, with a smile on  his face.

Being dismissed by the General.  He is really great with these kids. 

In a few weeks Andrew will be taking a ride on....

The "Intrepid" a replica of a Civil War balloon.  So check back for a post on that.  It goes about 300 feet into the air....gulp!

In a couple of weeks, Hannah will be doing her week at Summer Sampler.  She is taking the Beginning Cooking.  She will be learning how to cook in a hearth.  So once again I'll be following her around.

Summer Sampler Day 3~Wilderness Battle

Well today was Day 3 of Andrew's School of the Soldier at the Genesee Country Village and Museum.  I was happy the museum was open today.  I could go in and stalk follow Andrew all day with my camera.  Oh he's loves it! LOL!

Drill time!  You know what I love best about this camp?  Not only are they living history, they are having fun at the same time.  What child actually enjoys learning history just from books? 

The children are put through drills just like back in the Civil War.  The young men who are the officers really do a great job teaching these boys (and a girl).

Here are the officers.  The man in the blue shirt is the general.  I guess he was playing two roles today.  He was also passing out the mail.

Getting ready to get their letters from home.  The girls are in another Summer Sampler class that focuses on what the women/families were doing at home during the Civil War.

Andrew writing his letter home to his wife....wait WHAT?! Why is the mom always the last to know.

School of the Soldier is not all about the battles...although thats what most of them look forward to.  They are learning that a soldier did have down time as well.  There was barn dances, games to play and just plain relaxation. 

Marching to the next battle.  They had a battle in the wilderness...but I was not about to run through the woods to see them.  (smile)

Marching, marching..I told you this was so realistic.  It really give the kids a glimpse into soldier life during the civil war.

Ready for battle!! 

FIRE! 

CHARGE!!  Oh no Andrew is going down!

Down he goes!!  What's a mom to do?!

Job well done boys!! (and girl)

Marching back to "camp".  This was a great day for them.  They march back to the nature center and are given their orders from the General.  Tomorrow is cooking day.  They will learn how to cook over an open fire.  They will be sampling foods from the Union and the Confederate camps.

If your child ever has the opportunity to attend these, you MUST sign them up next year.  It is really worth the money.  It is my experience that children learn best by doing.  There are a number of classes your children can choose from, cooking over the open hearth, Life of Tom Sawyer, Farmer Boy, Civilian Life, Weaving I, Confections (cooking sweets), just to name a few.  In September there is even a whole week just for homeschoolers.

Summer Sampler Day 2~The Battle that Wasn't

Day 2 of Summer Sampler~School of the Soldier~ did not happen for Andrew.  Yesterday the heat really got to him.  He spent the night here really sick.  He had a headache and upset stomach.  So there was no battles for him today.  He asked to stay home today. 

He drank water there, but I'm not sure it was enough.  It really gave Andrew a first hand experience of what the soldiers in the Civil War went through.  It brought up a lot of discussions about what the soldiers really went through.  They didn't have houses with A/C in  them.  They were on their own.

The soldiers did not have access to the things we have today.  Especially when things like heat got to them.  It made Andrew ask a lot of questions.  The main on was, I wonder how many died because of weather related things, like heat, storms, cold ect. 

Andrew is doing much better at the time of this blog post.  He is busy working on his artwork.  It was scary for me as his Mom.  It only made me think about how all those Mom's must of felt during the years of the Civil War.  They had no communication with their son's for a long time.  They didn't know where they were at all, or if they were even alive.

Come back tomorrow and I will have another School of the Soldier post.

Summer Sampler Day 1~Civil War Camp

Each year our youngest children attend Summer Sampler at the Genesee Country Village and Museum.  They get to spend 5 hours a day for 5 days living in the 1800's.  This is Andrew's second year in School of the Soldier. 

They are waiting for the General to come over and inspect them and their paperwork.  It is such a great learning experience for the kids.  They get to live history.

Enlisting in the Union Army.

Signing his life away.  I told you this program is great!  They cover every detail.  By the end of the week the boys will know how to set up camp, cook their meals, march and of course fight!

Getting the once over by the General.  It is so life-like that one little boy started crying.  I felt so bad for him.  The General looked Andrew over hair, mouth , teeth, hands, feet and balance.

Heading over to line up into formation. 

The drummer added to the atmosphere. 

All ready for battle!  Tomorrow there will be no shorts allowed.  The museum is closed today.  Tomorrow with the guests there, they want things to be authentic.  I love that.  It really is like stepping back in time. 

Since the museum was closed today, I couldn't stalk watch Andrew.  Tomorrow on the other hand...haha.

I think he had enough of me following him around with the camera.

I will have more pictures tomorrow.