February 9, 2012

Foreword / August 2009 / What Would Laura Do?

What Would Laura Do?

Growing up in the seventies my older sister Cris was the devoted Little House on the Prairie fan. I remember falling hard for the Boxcar Children and Encyclopedia Brown. But after a visit to Old World Wisconsin in Eagle for Laura Ingalls Wilder Days this summer, I am beginning to see the fascination kids, especially girls, have with Laura and her life stories.

We began our rural history adventure … in the gift shop, which I usually avoid until the bitter end. But my friend Kerry is a very smart woman. She knew a Laura bonnet for her daughter was a foregone conclusion, so she negotiated the hat purchase in advance. Resigned to a similar fate, I stuffed the visor we brought in my purse, bought the pink floral bonnet for my eight-year-old, and both girls skipped merrily out of the store and down the trail to catch the tram and head back in time. It was the best seven bucks I ever spent.

The day turned out to be a picture-perfect one to spend outdoors and the annual weekend event an incredible hands-on activity for two rising third-graders. They sang hymns in the relocated St. Peters, the first Catholic Church in Milwaukee, and took a lesson in a one-room schoolhouse; they sampled freshly made ice cream and worked the butter churn; they flailed grain and tumbled in haystacks; they practiced needlework on a quilt and darned wool from sheep raised on site. Just like Laura herself would have done on a busy day in the prairie. 

Old World Wisconsin is one of ten Wisconsin Historical Society sites around the state. It is beautifully maintained and staffed with friendly, knowledgeable employees and volunteers ready to share the stories of the pioneer settlers who would have inhabited the homes, churches, artisan shops and farmsteads of early Wisconsin. I had a lovely chat with a couple dressed in period clothing and enjoying a leisurely ride in a horse-drawn carriage through a village crossroads. They live nearby and volunteer their time re-enacting the old-world lifestyle. In the modern world where water parks and video games rule, Old World Wisconsin is a refreshing alternative, a place where kids are having so much fun they don’t realize their learning, too. 

Next year, when our girls are in fourth grade, they’ll connect their day of exploration to the state history lessons in school. The Wisconsin Historical Society has a hand in this classroom learning experience as well—they’ve published a new fourth-grade textbook called “Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story” written by Bobbie Malone and Kori Oberle and edited by John Motoviloff (also a talented area writer and poet).

WHS pulled out all the stops for the textbook, using its arsenal of knowledgeable historians and writers and access to photos and other archival documents to the fullest extent. The pictures and graphics are colorful and engaging, and the text is well written and to the point. Not to be biased, but the layout feels more like a magazine you WANT to read for pleasure than a textbook chapter you HAVE to read for a quiz the next day. For an in-depth look at the book and how to order it visit wisconsinhistory.org/textbook.

History has entered the digital age, which is a good thing. Not only does the virtual environment enhance classroom learning, it complements the hands-on, eye-opening experience of a living museum like Old World Wisconsin. Together, they are helping to raise a smarter, healthier generation of kids who understand and care about where they came from, making their journey into the future that much more rewarding.

And speaking of the future—the very near future—take a trip back in time yourself with an outdoor concert and picnic dinner on August 29 featuring music and stories celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. Other late summer and fall activities include a barn dance, vintage baseball, and a Halloween dinner theater. For the complete calendar visit http://oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org.