American Heritage Festival

Carly's 2nd Grade class got to go on a field trip on Friday Nov. 14th. I got to be a Chaperon woohoo! We had a great time. We went to Schnepf Farms where the American Heritage Festival was visiting. This day was a unique learning experience. We got to tour through history and interact with many sorts of interesting characters ranging from Colonial times through the 20th Century. We learned about civilian and military aspects of historic American life as portrayed by an experienced group of historic interpreters....Let the fun begin!

The Bus ride was great! Carly and I shared a seat along with friend and classmate Myles. I haven;t been on a school bus since 5th grade! They are squishy. Man I forgot! My legs were too long, good thing I got the Aisle seat!
Carly's class was first greeted by the Famous Abraham Lincoln & General Lee. The kids were a bit speechless. They were not sure what to ask these great leaders. It was funny :)
Next we met President Theodore Roosevelt & General George Washington. Pretty Cool stuff. Their little speech was inspiring about how important History is and how we need to learn it and learn from the good and bad choices of our leaders so we can make even better choices about our future. These young kiddos will be our future leaders!
My Little Group...Zakari, Damien, Myles, Amber, Carly & Dayanara
Posing with a British Solider
We waited in a long line to go inside of this Tipi or Tepee or Teepee ( they are all words and spellings for this Native American home. )

It is custom to enter a teepee from east to west. sunrise to sunset. We sat on some Buffalo rugs and learned how they made tepee's out of animal skins. It was pretty cool inside and roomy.

Team Zito...I named my team this so it would be easier to stick together and if i said TEAM ZITO I would have all ears! My team was great! Loved the Tepee!

We got to watch a Revolutionary War Skirmish. It was pretty neat. The kids were all so excited. We waited A LONG time for this battle to begin. The kids were starting to lose it, but then BOOM!!! The Cannon went off and we watched George Washington and his men defeat the British.

The formal meeting before the skirmish

The battle begins...

The cannons were LOUD and pretty entertaining. The crowd became silent when one would fire.

YAHOO USA. We won!! the Kids were all chanting USA USA! it was cool.

We visited a Prairie School House/Tent from 1860. The kids got to write on parchment with ink & quills.

They got to check out some original books from the 1800's. They had to wear gloves to keep them protected.

My Little Pioneer Girl. Carly gives this bonnet a try. She looks so cute! She's a Keeper! :)

The American Heritage Festival also had displays of more recent wars. Here we are visiting the Vietnam War exhibit. I love all the kids salute! They are a crack up!

We got to watch one last battle before we had to head back to school. This time was a reenactment of a Civil War Skirmish between the Union and The Confederates.

This is the Confederate Army

This Solider was "killed" right away and all the kids thought it was for real. This actor didn't move a muscle. We watched the whole battle and they were all relieved when he jumped up and joined his men when the battle was over. It was a very informative day. The kids enjoyed their time and wished they could have stayed longer. I can just say that I LOVE BEING AN AMERICAN! I am so grateful for the men and women who fight for our freedom, which we get to enjoy! May God Bless America!