6 Miles

A Solo-Soccer Saturday! (James was still at the HS Youth Retreat and gone all weekend). I tried to make lots of fun plans for today to help us get through. 

First, we had to do some chores. The boys had to clean their room and I needed to clean up the kitchen and fold lots of laundry and put it all away. We got that done and had an early lunch and then we were off to the soccer fields.

Will scored TWO goals–one for his team and one for the other! I’m glad he’s with a group that either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care with something like that happens. He knew it was wrong and laughed about it. He was thrilled that he got the goal and that he kicked the ball OVER some of the kids heads.  It was tricky to watch both him and Alex so I missed Will’s kick over the other kids heads. With all the rain we had last week (we had some kind of rain every day from Sunday through last night) I didn’t want him playing in the dirt/mud pile (where I can easily watch him + the game) because we had big plans for the afternoon.

Yesterday was a free day at several local museums. We printed off a coupon to get 2 people in free to Conner Prairie, a local “Living History” museum. I’ve wanted to go since we moved here (4 years now!) and this was finally our chance!

We started in the Indiana camp area, this is Alex in a wooden canoe that was not completely carved on the bottom (meaning the bottom looked like a log, not a typical canoe, I think it was to show how the log becomes the canoe. But wtih paddles right next to it, it was obvious you were meant to climb in! The kids didn’t sit in it because it was wet/muddy on the bottom). This area had cool things to do but there were a LOT of kids there so the boys moved on pretty quickly.  We got to see a trading post and feel beaver, skunk, bear, deer, river otter and mink fur.

Then we went to the Animal Encounters Barn, where the kids got to brush a cow, pet a baby goat, pet this larger goat and see some sheep. We walked across the path to see the William Conner Homestead (yes, name sake of the place).  We got to walk through the downstairs of the brick house, see the spring house, loom house (shed), and I got to have a glance at the gardens as we walked by (the kids wouldn’t let me stop).  After the tour of the house, we went around back…

…where there was a GREAT hill for running/rolling down. We had to stop and try that. I just had to laugh. Alex told James today “We rolled down to the tippy bottom!” (That would be the area behind the small bushes/trees you see in the background.)

Then we walked down to the next major section, skipping the candle making hut (I would have loved to have done that but they were NOT intersted and there was a large group there. So i didn’t push it.)

This is Prairietown, a typical 1836 village, in the school house (there is another one in a different part). We learned the kids only went to school for 3 months (Jan-March) and the parents had to pay, so not many kids went to the schools. They went 6 days a week! After this we visited a few other houses but the blacksmith barn, where a blacksmith was working on making a trigger guard for a rifle, held the boys attention the longest.

Part of how I sold doing this to Alex was telling him how there was an old-fashioned baseball field there. Of course it was at the FARTHEST point out, so he kept asking about it as we explored. Finally we got there, in the portion of the park that is set in 1886. (Here there was another school house, a church, a large farmhouse and barn and the baseball field/covered bridge you’ll see below–I wish we had more time to explore this area!)

There were already some older kids playing and the boys watched them for a bit (while I enjoyed sitting a bit in the shade).  The kids were really nice and gave Alex and Will a chance to bat, and kept pitching to them until they each it. Both boys had fun running around the bases. Alex would have like to played more, but I told him the bigger kids got to have a turn. We went over to a house that had a croquet set. He was going to play that but another activity was more exciting–

–a working well, with actual buckets to fill! Each kid got to fill some up and then we went to water the horses!  Alex didn’t help fill the first time (he was playing croquet, but obviously he had to come with us), so he helped the farmer carry his big bucket.

Pouring water in for the horses.

And heading back to the pump (Alex picked up some buckets other kids left). The kids then took water to the cows and then got to help feed the chickens. Then it was getting close to time for the park to close. There is an indoor play area for smaller kids and the boys wanted to visit that on the way out, so that was our incentive to head back to the main entrance. 

Farmer Alex, planting some carrots.

By the time we got home, got showers in, supper made and eaten, it as 6:30. The kids were tired! So we read some stories and they went to bed. I realized I’ve not been walking much because all the walking around the park really wore me out as well!  I’m looking forward to taking the kids back when they’re older and they want to hear more of the history from the “characters” (the people dressed up).  Will is interested enough in Little House on the Prairie I know he found it interesting and Alex enjoyed all he was able to do as well. I was impressed with how well they made the park for all ages–it’s so interactive, it’s not a typical “museum”. I was just sad we could only go for a few hours, but it was great how much we got to do.  It was a really fun afternoon!