Stepping Back in Time

Our Bay of Plenty central students (ages 7-15) attended our Term 2 Keep in Touch (KIT) Day. Te Amorangi Settlers Museum was the perfect place to learn about living and working in the Past, Present, and Future. We spent the morning walking around the site, learning about how the early settlers lived, what their homes might have looked like, how they cooked their food, listened to music, shopped, and spent their time. We used various water pumps and saw a working forge, steam engines, and the local timber history. The boys were fascinated with the era's technology but admitted that modern technology makes life much easier - chainsaws, tractors, and telephones. They were shocked to learn that teachers had such a strict set of rules to live by in 1915, such as lighting the fire by 7 am, not getting married, and wearing long dresses with at least two petticoats.

After a quick break for lunch and some old-fashioned games, it was time for some hands-on activities. We sent messages using Morse code, adding to our repertoire of communication skills.  We got tired from making butter from cream, which we enjoyed on freshly made piklets. After learning that our ancestors had to heat the water, hand scrub on washboards, and wring out all the washing before hanging out to dry, our girls are pleased to have automatic washing machines at home. However, this was our boy's favourite activity of the day.