Pioneer Harvest Festival

We took a group of kids from our church to the Pioneer Harvest Festival on Saturday. Although only two from my family went, we had an enjoyable time. It was a nice day for it, perfect weather. Personally, I love history, so I really enjoyed myself. It was a good history lesson for my son too, seeing the people dressed in period costume, hearing them explain what they were doing, seeing what life was like in that time period. I think his favorite thing, aside from the animals of course, was the blacksmith shop. All the volunteers did an excellent job portraying their role, but the "smithy" really took the time to explain to everyone exactly what he was doing and why. Here's our day in pictures.

on the hayride from the parking lot to the Pioneer Village

asking this lady some questions about quilting

this lady showed us all the steps involved in taking wool from the sheep to the loom

enjoying watching this little girl make candles

inspecting her handiwork

at the smokehouse, learning how pioneers preserved the meat the father provided for his family's food 

taking a turn at sawing wood

at the blacksmith shop, the kids all had a turn at being a "bellows boy", keeping the fire at a high temperature

by means of pumping air into the fireplace with a hand-cranked bellows or forge

probably the funnest part of the day for him, meeting all the animals on the homestead, learning about their care and upkeep, and why they were needed on the farm

feeding the goats

a tunnel built onto the side of a tobacco barn, we never learned of its purpose...

mom & son

sitting on the back porch of the cabin, just outside the kitchen

We had a great time learning about the pioneers and their way of life. We watch Little House on the Prairie at our house, so he knew a good bit already as we were making our way around the village. In the HOD curriculum this year, we will read A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840, by Barbara Greenwood. I can hardly wait to get to it! I just love history, and seeing how everything weaves together for God's glory. After all, it is HIS-story.