Field Trip Favorite

One great highlight of elementary school is the day-long field trip to the one-room school house in Perry. It was a great learning experience when Kami went (and I had my camera fully charged), and Ellie loved it too, (but my battery lasted all of two and a half minutes, Dang Technology!). So my pictures are few but the memories are many. (which pretty much kills me by the way - the picture part that is...)


Ellie is more of a prairie girl at heart (remember the summer of Laura Ingalls Wilder?) and she soaked in the bridge of time, the school marm, the strict learning environment, the lessons on the slateboards, the spelling bee and the kid who had to put his nose in the circle on the chalkboard. For a day, no smartboards, no intercom announcements, no lunchables and no smart-mouthed boys (for this is the age when the boys really smart noticing the girls and their way of getting attention? Smart-mouthing. Ellie knows. It happened again today).


So glad that Ellie could experience just a taste of what her very own Great Grandma Ida lived in her childhood. Kami's post contains an interesting interview with Granny about her schooling, and this time my sister and I went over and got Granny on film. I would love to post snippets of her when I can so you can get to know her better and go back into time yourself to a time when things were simpler and humbler and... cold! Granny says the only bathroom was God's green earth and that when it was cold, then so was your hiney! Cold hineys aside, the "good" old days are a'calling my name.

OKC Memorial

I am ashamed to admit that I live an hour and 1/2 from the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and in the 15 years since the horrific event that claimed 168 lives, I have never visited the stunning memorial that was built. Stop #3 - OKC Memorial and Museum

This is the edge of the Survivor's Wall that we saw when we first arrived.

Bolded sections from Wikipedia:

Survivors' Wall: The only remaining original portions of the Murrah Building are the southeast corner, known as the Survivors' Wall, and a portion of the south wall. The Survivors' Wall includes several panels of granite salvaged from the Murrah Building itself, inscribed with the names of more than 800 survivors from the building and the surrounding area, many of whom were injured in the blast.

This is the truly beautiful reflective pool that was built in the center of the memorial site.

Reflecting Pool: A thin layer of water flowing over polished black granite, the Reflecting Pool runs east to west down the center of the Memorial (also see reflecting pool) on what was once Fifth Street. Visitors who see their reflection in the reflecting pool are supposed to see "a face of a person changed by domestic terrorism."

And here are 168 chairs for the 168 people who were killed.

Field of Empty Chairs: 168 empty chairs hand-crafted from glass, bronze, and stone represent those who lost their lives in the tragedy. A bombing victim's name is etched in the glass base of each chair. The chairs represent the empty chairs at the dinner tables of the victims' families. The chairs are arranged in nine rows symbolizing the nine floors of the building, and each person's chair is on the row (or the floor) on which the person worked or was visiting when the bomb went off. The chairs are also grouped according to the blast pattern, with the most chairs nearest the most heavily damaged portion of the building. The westernmost column of five chairs represents the five people who died but were not in the Murrah Building when the bomb went off (two in the Water Resources Board building, one in the Athenian Building, one outside near the building, and one rescuer). The 19 smaller chairs represent the children killed in the bombing. Three unborn children died along with their mothers, and they are listed on their mothers' chairs beneath their mothers' names.

The fence where people left mementos is still standing. New mementos have been added, but there is something powerful if yet strange about this fence.

The Memorial Fence: A ten foot tall (3.05 m) chain link fence was originally installed around the area that is now the Reflecting Pool and the Field of Empty Chairs to protect the site from damage and visitors from injury. The Fence stood for more than four years and became famous itself, with visitors leaving stuffed animals, poems, keychains, and other items there as tributes. During the construction of the Outdoor Memorial, 210 feet (64 m) of the Fence was moved to the west side of the Memorial, along the 9:03 side or the 'healing' side. The remainder of the Fence is in storage. Visitors may still leave small items along and in the Fence; the mementos are periodically collected, catalogued, and stored.

Children painted tiles for the entrance of the museum. This is one that spoke for me.

More than 5,000 hand-painted tiles, from all over the United States and Canada, were made by children and sent to Oklahoma City after the bombing in 1995. The tiles are now stored in the Memorial's Archives, and a sampling of those tiles is on the wall in the Children's Area, along with a series of chalkboards where children can draw and share their feelings. The Children's Area is north of the 9:03 gate, on the west side of the Museum

The entrance to the museum also has a chalkboard area where people can write their thoughts.

I think that's a cool idea. It did appear that the children might fry like eggs, but they sweated it out and each wrote a message.

Luke composed one all by himself: "You are in the hands of God."

Finally, the rememberance tree, a perfect ending to our visit.

The Survivor Tree: An American elm on the north side of the Memorial, this tree was the only shade tree in the parking lot across the street from the Murrah Building, and commuters came in to work early to get one of the shady parking spots provided by its branches. Photos of Oklahoma City taken around the time of statehood (1907) show this tree, meaning it is currently at least 103 years old. Despite its age, the tree was neglected and taken for granted prior to the blast. Heavily damaged by the bomb, the Tree ultimately survived after nearly being chopped down during the initial investigation, in order to recover evidence hanging in its branches and embedded in its bark.
The force of the blast ripped most of the branches from the Survivor Tree, glass and debris were embedded in its trunk and fire from the cars parked beneath it blackened what was left of the tree. Most thought the tree could not survive. However, almost a year after the bombing, family members, survivors and rescue workers gathered for a memorial ceremony under the tree noticed it was beginning to bloom again. The Survivor Tree now thrives, in no small part because the specifications for the Outdoor Memorial design included a mandate to feature and protect the Tree. One example of the dramatic measures taken to save the Tree: one of the roots that would have been cut by the wall surrounding the Tree was placed inside a large pipe, so it could reach the soil beyond the wall without being damaged. A second example is the decking around the Tree, which is raised several feet to make an underground crawlspace; workers enter through a secure hatchway and monitor the health of the Tree and maintain its very deep roots.
The inscription around the inside of the deck wall around the Survivor Tree reads:
The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us.
Hundreds of seeds from the Survivor Tree are planted annually and the resulting saplings are distributed each year on the anniversary of the bombing. Thousands of Survivor Trees are growing today in public and private places all over the United States; saplings were sent to Columbine High School after the massacre there, to New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, and various other times.

Pops!

Stop #2 on our trip to OKC....
Pops, near Edmond, Oklahoma

My friend Jessie introduced us to this in-the-middle-of-nowhere spot, so we wanted to introduce everyone else to the fun of Pop's!

Pops lives up to it's name by stocking over 500 different varieties of pop! Pick up an empty six pack box and fill it up with whatever tickles your tongue.
I felt like strangling Luke right before this picture was taken. Ok, not REALLY, but he was getting a kick out of pretending to knock down the thousands of bottles that line the shelves of the store. Yes, the bottles are glued down, but I don't think that small detail would stop him from ruining the display. Aargh!!

Once we got outside, the kids (my 3 plus 6 cousins) ran off some steam while we waited for dinner. The menu was pretty much what you'd expect at a truck stop, but yummy burgers and fries and onion rings, and of course, POP!

Looking at all the different kinds of pop was fun; Luke discovered a bottle of pop called Ramune' that has a marble in it. Not sure if he likes the taste of the pop or the marble. Ellie likes that kind and the classic Coke in a glass bottle. Me, of course, Pepsi, and Kami found a gourmet cream soda called "Hank's!"

At night, the 66 foot neon pop bottle glows for all to see, and this is another MUST see near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma!

Gotta Go to Gilcrease

Gilcrease Museum, that is.

Ok, so the kids weren't jumping up and down frothing at the mouth to do this summer field trip.
However, I would say they had an enjoyable day despite the thought of going to a place where you cannot run and yelling is out of the question.

At Gilcrease Museum, they do their best to make this adult experience friendly to kids.

My favorite things about Gilcrease?

1. Free to children under 18! 2. The Artifact Room where literally thousands of artifacts lay in drawers under glass. Kids are free to pull out the drawers at their leisure, and my girls enjoyed typing the number that accompanied the artifact into one of the 16 computers in the room. This allowed them to find out information about that artifact, such as place found and time period. This room was a big hit!

3. The Western Wing - I am in love with Western Art. I can't help but let my teacher side jump out.... "so, kids...." I ask in a sing-songy voice, "what do you think is happening in this picture?" When I can actually get their attention focused on a scene, I love to hear the wheels turning inside their heads. Just take a look at the detail in this one titled "Breaking Through the Line" by Charles C. Schreyvolgel. Wow!4. Frederic Remington - In the Western Wing sit several Remington bronzes that are just fabulous. Each one tells it's story, and let me fill you in on the time Luke first saw the sculpture below. **It was last summer, and he was just 5 years old. This one is called "Last Drop" and I didn't get a very revealing shot of it, but it's an old cowboy offering his hat to his horse. Inside the hat is the precious "last drop" of water that he's sacrificing for his beloved animal. Luke was touched by this sculpture, so much so that he cried quietly for about 30 minutes and talked about it for a whole year. He didn't have any tears left this summer, but we revisited the sculpture and had some more great conversation.

5. Please Touch - Even though most of the art is definitely HANDS OFF - they do have the occasional sign that encourages "please touch!" Fun for little hands. (but don't think we were touchin' the one below!!!) 6. Kids Zone - though this room was a meat locker, (I was freezing!!), it had some great things for kids to do. Here they could create their own impressionistic picture.

7. I Spy - You can pick up these backpacks for kids.... they hold free activities that the kids can use throughout the museum. Most of it was unrealistic for us - too involved, but one cool thing was a card that challenged the kids to find certain images throughout the museum..... not an entire painting, but maybe a bird in a painting or a certain element of a sculpture. This got the kids excited and focused.

8. The Arts and Crafts Room - at the end, we converged on this free experience, where the kids were able to choose from about 8 different and fun activities. 9. Childhood Memories - my parents took me here growing up!

10. Gets us out of the house and enjoying a cultural experience!!! You can make it through the museum part in less than an hour - and the kids stuff probably lasts about an hour too. That with the half-hour one-way makes it a good 3 hour outing for us. Then we go hit the pool, culturally enriched!

Totally Tahlequah

You woulda thought we had taken them to DisneyLand.

But it wasn't Disney.

It was Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

We went to Tahlequah with Granny to visit the cemetery where her son Jimmy is buried. It is an old and intriguing cemetery where the kids enjoy reading the gravestones, making gravestone rubbings, and walking the grounds.

I personally become obsessed with exploring the late-1880's family plots, like the one of James and Leila Staples, who had 5 children in 8 years, only two of them making it to the one year mark. It sure makes me appreciate antibiotics and modern medicine. I only need think of the Staples babies next time I become impatient in my doctor's waiting room.


"Fire-powa!" (You'd have to have seen Night at the Museum to get this one.)
Then, we spent the rest of the day at the creek that runs through Tahlequah.
The water was blue blazes cold! But once our feet were numb, it didn't matter anymore.
We caught minnows and crawdads and looked at all the wonderfully and crazily shaped rocks.

Granny's comment? She looked at me with a smile and the sun shining in her eyes and said, "It's a beautiful world!"
We discovered a tire swing down the way that we had never found before. It was a fun surprise.



We had a great day with Granny, Nana, Papa, Kiki, Ronda, Ana and all the kiddos.
It was a totally Tahlequah way to start the summer.

Even if it wasn't Disney Land.

October 10, 1910

On October 10, 2007, Kami (far left) went on a field trip to Rose Hill School in Perry, Oklahoma. When they walked over the "bridge of time," they were taken back to the old days, when girls wore bonnets, boys said "yes ma'am" and teachers rode their horses to school. They got a glimpse of the time when teachers called students by their surnames (ex. Miss Hankins), students stood with respect when they addressed their teacher, and kids carried their lunches to school in a metal pail. No, there were no ziplock baggies or cold packs. Kami took 3 biscuits with butter and jelly, two hard boiled eggs and an apple. Quite different than what she's used to. The kids learned how to use ink wells, copy books and writing pens. They didn't smile a whole lot until recess, because Miss Rupp, their teacher, was quite strict, a no-nonsense kind of lady. But at lunch, they had fun playing marbles and enjoying the "flying Jenny." Before the field trip, Kami's teacher required the students to interview someone who had gone to school many years ago. Here is Kami's interview with Grandma I:

Interview with Ida Pondarae Reynolds, 96 years old

Q: What year did you go attend school?

A: 1917 at Etta School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Q: How did you dress?

A: I wore a cotton dress that was very simple. It was long sleeved and was made of a plaid or flowered material. Underneath the dress, I wore an underslip, and under that I wore long handle underwear. The shoes we wore buckled up.

Q: How did you get to school?

A: I walked 3 miles through the woods.

Q: What kind of food did you bring?

A: I brought a biscuit with butter and jelly.

Q: What did you do that was fun? What did you do at recess?

A: We didn’t have a playground or swings, so we played Ring Around the Rosie, Drop the Handkerchief or Marbles. We made up games a lot of the time.

Q: If you could, name one of your teachers.

A: Mrs. Mertle was my teacher. She was very nice and I loved her very much. She rode her horse to school. She would tie up the horse on a post every day.

Q: Did you like school?

A: I loved school. When we had to take a break from school to pick cotton, I was always sad.

Q: What was your classroom like?

A: It was one room and it had wood floors. We had desks and a chalkboard. We had to bring our own books and pencils. There was a wood stove in the room to keep us warm, but no bathroom. When it was time to go to the bathroom, we would raise our hand. When the teacher said to us, “you are excused,” we would go outside. On our way out, we would put our book in the door as a sign to the other children that they couldn’t come outside. There was a girl hill and a boy hill and we would go up and go to the bathroom on that hill. No matter what the weather!

Q: What was a punishment like if someone did something wrong?

A: Well, one time we were reading a story called “One Eye, Two Eye, Three Eye,” and we were supposed to learn our spelling words from the story. Two of my spelling words were “sister,” and “forehead” and I did not know them. So, Mrs. Mertle made me sit on the floor. That was my punishment and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned those words quickly! I never got punished again, but some people, when they got punished, had to put their nose in a circle that was drawn on the chalkboard.

Q: How many people were in your classroom?

A: less than 15 kids who were all different ages. Olin Sweatston had a crush on me and when I was punished that time, he tried to give me his coat to sit on.