Third Grade Teachers Jessica Lloyd and Meg Mottl took their students on a trip back in time to Faust Park’s historic village and Thornhill Mansion as part of their history and social studies lessons. “In third grade, we study immigration and migration at the beginning of the year—causes and effects, challenges faced during the process of starting life in a new country, how societal groups form in terms of location and structure, and more,” said Mottl. “Later in the year, we focus on regions long ago, regions today, and the state of Missouri. With our Missouri focus, we learn about significant historic events, Missouri before and after statehood, important people in the history of our state, and the rights and responsibilities of Missourians.”
Lloyd added, “Visiting Faust Park in the fall allows us to have that shared experience, learning about immigration, what life was like long ago, and Missouri history. We refer back to these lessons for the duration of the school year.”
This year’s visit included a variety of experiences. At the Faust Park village, students toured the Mertz family immigrant home, learned about daily life and responsibilities of children long ago (which included hauling water from the creek, building fences, cleaning, cooking, and gathering vegetables from the kitchen garden), churned butter, and experienced a one-room schoolhouse, allowing them to compare and contrast the school experience from then to now.
At the Thornhill Mansion, the residence of Missouri’s second governor, Thomas Bates, students toured the mansion and learned about the importance of home placement (on a hill, near a water source, and in a direction that maximizes sunlight and minimizes wind and storm exposure).
After returning to campus, the third graders recorded all their learnings on a graphic organizer, contrasting daily life long ago to today. They then wrote an opinion paragraph about life in Missouri two hundred years ago. Was it easier? Harder? More interesting?
The children enjoyed being able to peek into the past. Want to join them with a fun activity? Tim Emmons of Faust Park offers this suggestion: Put cream in a jar and gather your family together. While sitting at the table, one person shakes the jar. Whoever has the jar gets to talk. When they get tired of shaking the jar, they pass it to another person. That family member then gets to talk and shake. “When they get done, they have homemade butter, and everyone has a chance to participate,” said Emmons. “Nothing better than one person talking at a time and homemade butter!”