Harn Homestead Field Trip

Last week, I got to go with Noah’s class to Harn Homestead for a field trip. Harn Homestead is a historic homestead and farm from the Oklahoma Land Run days. Located right down the street from the state capitol, the farm was donated by the Harn family and turned into an event center and children’s museum.

 

The students split up into three different groups and we got to explore different parts of the farm together.

 

The Barn

Our first stop was the barn where the kids got to mill corn, gather eggs, ride stick horses, rope a hay-bale cow, muck a stall, and make rope. The kids especially enjoyed milling the corn. There were several different ways to mill the corn, including hitting the corn with a rock or putting it through a hand-crank mill.

 

The rope-making was also fun for the kids. Each one of them got to turn the crank five times and when it was all said and done, they’d made a pretty decent piece of rope.

 

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The Farmhouse

 

Our next stop was the Harn Farmhouse. Our Farmhouse guide told the kids about how families lived in a farmhouse like this one and read them a story. After the story, they got to walk around and explore the farmhouse. The guide took them through each room and explained what all the different things were and how they worked.

 

One of the things that got the biggest reaction was the pot that was used as a bathroom during the night and how whoever used it had to clean it out. I don’t think the kids had any concept of all that might involve.

 

After the lesson, they got to play in the house. They had some authentic wooden toys and quite a few things to play with in the kitchen. And of course, the piano was a big hit with the kids.

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The Schoolhouse

 

After lunch in the rock barn, we headed over to the one-room schoolhouse for our daily lesson. Our schoolhouse guide walked the class through a typical day in the one-room schoolhouse and even made them all stand beside their desks until she was ready for class to begin.

 

One of the interesting things the teacher shared was the original Pledge of Allegiance and how the original author didn’t want it changed and actually would not allow it to be changed during his lifetime.

 

The kids got to write on chalk tablets like the pioneer children and got to read from authentic books from that time period.

 

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Original Pledge of Allegiance

by Francis Bellamy

I pledge allegiance to my Flag

and the Republic for which it stands,

one nation, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

 

 

I thought it was a really fun and interesting field trip and I think the kids really enjoyed it. It’s always fun for me as a parent to hang out with my children and their friends and see how they interact.

 

I’m so glad we got to spend the day together.