This year we went to the western Michigan old engine club education day. When we got there I was exited!! we got to pick out a shingle we used as a clip board. My favorite part was when I got to chop wood. We put a wedge in then we pounded it in and then we used a sledge hammer to brake the piece of wood in half. I also liked doing laundry how they did it in the old days having corn muffins. At lunch time we learned about electricity. Going the the western Michigan old engine club was fun!!! ~Kylie G.

This week my class and I went to Scottville River Side Park. It was so fun. First I got to school and talked to all of my friends. Then it was time to go. When it was time to go I was happy but scared at the same time. So then I hopped on the bus and played with all my friends. When we were on the field trip we grabbed this thing called a shingle. The first station we went to was goats. They were so cute. Then we went to the apple juice station. What we did was get an apple, clean it off and then we would put it in this machine. After that we chopped wood. It was so fun. It was hard though. was so heavy and the would was really thick. Then we hit a few more stations. Then we ate. Once we got done eating we went to one more station. Once we got to the bus we went to our school.  I loved this field trip. ~Savannah

On September 19, 2012 my class and I went to the Western Michigan Old Engine Club on a field trip. We learned about all kinds of stuff people did years ago. It was a lot of fun. My favorite part was watching logs go through the sawmill stages witch were the edger, planer, buzz rig, and the sticker. I also liked the blacksmith, it was cool watching them make stuff out of metal. I also liked making apple cider. It was one of my most favorite field trips I've had. ~Taylor B.

Education Day was so much fun. When we got there we got off the bus and we want to the cook stove. They show us many things like fire box, stove top, oven, water resevior. The next thing we did was the telephone. Ella and Kolin tried it but I didn't. Then we want to the quilting. the girl asked us if we wanted to help her so we did. it was fun to help her. Then we what to the bus and get our lunch. we went outside to eat. I had so much fun at the field trip and I hope my friends had fun. ~Griselda

I went to Education day. It was so in Scottville at River side park. My favorite thing was when you got to split the wood. It was fun When Aaron and I cut The log with the cross cut saw. It was fun. ~Justin Z.

A LOOK AT LIFE LONG AGO
Onekama Students Enjoy Old Engine Club Education Day

On September 12, 2012, the fifth grade students of Onekama School had the opportunity to step back in time, thanks to the Western Michigan Old Engine Club’s annual Education Day event in Scottville.

The Western Michigan Old Engine Club is dedicated to the restoration, preservation and education of old engines large and small. The club has over 200 members from all walks of life and of all ages. Each year the club conducts an annual Youth Education Day where it invites the fifth and grade classes of area schools to the show grounds to learn about machinery and processes used in the early days of America's growth.

At the event, the students received a grounds map and a list of questions they could ask the volunteers at each of the stations. These were working displays, and many of them provided the children with the opportunity to actively participate in the experience.

The students observed activities such as the use of crosscut tools, rope making, sawmill in production, threshing and baling straw, cooking on a wood stove, making apple cider, grinding various grains and producing flour, quilting, basket weaving, and many more displays. In all, there were more than 50 different areas of interest represented.

During the lunch hour, Great Lakes Energy also provided a “Safety with Electricity” program.
“I thought it was fun getting to try the crosscut saw and chopping wood with an ax,” commented Onekama fifth grader Kolin Cook.

Added student Dalron Gray, “The sawmill was really neat. We watched a giant log go through the mill with a circular saw, an edger, a planer, and a sticker, and the machines turned the logs into boards. It was loud, but cool.”

It was a full day, and the Onekama students enjoyed the hands-on features of the event, as well as the opportunity to witness what daily life was like in our area many years ago.

I love education day. It was so fun! I got to split and chop wood with my group. My group was Mrs. Exo's. We got to pet pigmy goats. Pigmy means small (or tiny!). Also, I think corn hates me because it keep on attacking me. I wish I could go again. ~Maggie M.

Mrs. Brown's Pages
for 2012-2013