RELIVING  THE  PAST

October 28, 2008

    Blissfield Elementary students enjoyed walking the halls of the school and stopping to hear exhibitors tell of handicraft, hand-machines, garments, and a myriad of other items as well as the stories surrounding them from our heritage.   Just like going back in a time machine, students helped crank or pound butter churns, shell corn in a hand sheller, sample homemade butter, and watch a woodworker whittle a small toy.   Watching a blacksmith pound a hot, metal rod into a new shape as he stoked the fire with a bellows was an awesome, engrossing sight.

Students couldn't believe how Civil War soldiers and women could stand the cold and smoke as they sat around a campfire and cooked their meals.   The cherry pit-spitting contest to hurl the pit the farthest, monitored by Ms. Lajiness and Mrs. Todd, was a favorite classroom choice.   Students came away from that eye-opening experience with an appreciation for their heritage and for their present comforts and privileges.