Recently, we went on a superb field trip to Riley's farm. It was a gold rush tour, and from the time we stepped on the property, all the people there were "in character". The kids tried to explain how they got to the farm, but the woman didn't understand how an engine, that ran on something like kerosene, could work with a mule : )
After all the kids were assembled, they were given instructions on how a gold tour worked: what supplies they should take, what food should be taken etc. We then embarked on a 50 mile hike to the gold fields. Fortunately, it was a short 50 miles and we were there in about 10 minutes!
From there, we were given a quick history of how gold towns sprang up when there was a "gold strike", and how they went from small tent cities, to shacks, to more solid/permanent cabins, and then sometimes, to ghost towns. They also explained how the quest for gold worked, how the kids might be able to earn money in order to buy supplies to get gold, how to take gold to the assay office. . . . . and then, the kids were turned loose, with the words "go get rich!".
For the next couple hours, they learned to work for gold nuggets, trade those nuggets for supplies (shovels, pans etc) in order to get more gold, how to stake a claim, and some even learned about claim jumpers! Hannah was delighted when she went to trade her gold, to find that the assay office worker was Irish! He said that since she had that red hair and blue eyes, she must be Irish too, and so should get extra money for that gold!
At the end of the trip, they all got a "miners ration" for lunch. Corn bread, beef jerky, a slice of cheese and an apple. To go with it, all the gold town people discussed all that had gone on. I knew they were getting through to the kids when one of the men opened by saying "how many of ya'll did I rip off today?" What a lot they all learned, without realizing it was more than just play.
but I digress. I have no pictures of that day, because my camera battery was dead, and my OTHER camera, only had dead batteries, and a spare set of dead batteries. ugh. When we got home, I couldn't find the battery charger.
So yesterday, I searched and searched, and FOUND that battery charger in the "safe" place where I had put it. Unfortunately, the camera is now in a safe place. Yes, a safe place that I can't find. I'm hoping that one day, the camera and battery charger will meet, and have a happy reunion. Until then, no pictures!
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