I don't think general stores really sold Angry Birds wallets in 1871, but whatever

It's that time of year again - kids everywhere are setting off on their year-end field trips. Our school may have cancelled the Grandparents' Tea and the kindergarten graduation photos and who knows how many other 'extras' this year, but I was glad to see the field trips did not get the axe. 

For Liam and his friends, this meant a trip to Fanshawe Pioneer Village. I'd never been before and Liam wanted me to sign up to chaperone, so I made the trip with him. It turned out to be a very fun day.

I think it was fun for Liam, though I am sure he wondered what he had gotten himself into when we first arrived. The first order of the day was a trip to the local dance hall where the kids were taught how to dance like pioneers. All the bowing to the girls business earned a lot of snickering. After that the kids went outside and had to wash a load of tea towels by hand - another "You must be joking!" moment.

There was eventually some fun to be had, like when the class played tug of war... boys against girls. Unfortunately, the girls won. Probably due to the fact that our group consisted of the boys from one classroom, and two classrooms' worth of girls. The numbers weren't exactly fair.

Then again, life's not exactly fair. Another good lesson learned!

The kids went to school in an old one-room schoolhouse with a very strict schoolmaster. Here Liam is during hygiene inspection. He was ordrered to go wash his hands. That wasn't too bad; some of the kids had to stand in the corner.

Everyone had to sit straight up, hands folded, feet flat on the floor. You could only raise your right hand to get the teacher's attention. He led the class in singing the national anthem and the kids were bewildered when he launched into a rendition of "God Save the Queen". This was 1871, after all.

Penmanship and arithmetic lessons on a slate. No iPad or Smartboard in sight. Not even a sheet of foolscap!

Liam and his buddies on their lunch break.

Back to work... grinding corn into chicken feed, and then feeding the animals. This was a big hit. Those boys still love chickens!

The biggest hit of the day was saved for last: a trip to the general store. There's nothing like turning a huge group of little kids loose in a gift shop! Man, that was madness. Liam chose a giant lollipop and a piece of fudge to take home for the rest of the family. Ever the thoughtful little lad. The general store was mostly stocked with gifts appropriate to the era, like cast iron skillets and slingshots (many boys chose these... ugh... sorry, parents!)... plus a weird selection of Angry Birds themed wallets. Not sure how those got into the mix.

All in all, it was a great day. This was the grade 3 class trip, which Liam made it into because he's in the 2/3 split. However, I hear there is no 3/4 split, i.e. Liam will likely be a straight grade 3 next year. Which might mean another trip back to Pioneer Village next June. While it was a fun day, I hope for his sake that they get to go somewhere else.