Today was the first day of Land Run at The Job. For those of you non-Okies, most of the original white settlers in Oklahoma obtained their land by lining up on April 22, 1889 at high noon and rushing out at the sound of a gunshot to stake their claim on the first piece of open land they found. Much of the teaching I do at The Job centers on what life was like at that time (And yes, I do most of the teaching in costume-don't you wish you could dress like that for work? No sarcasm intended there, I love dressing up like that.) Once a year we commemorate the first Oklahoma Land Run (held April 22, 1889) by re-enacting it daily with school kids from around the metro area. (We used to do that at our local schools when I was a kid, but it's not as common anymore.) Part of our opening spiel at The Job is that for today you will go back in time 100 years. We ask kids not to bring iPods or cell phones and just to leave the modern world at the museum gates.
My day today was spent teaching kids about hitching up a wagon and deciding what you were going to pack before you headed west. The kids had a great time justifying to me why they would need a china plate or a toy in their wagons and seeing which group of the four I taught could make the longest list of uses for one piece of rope. (My second group, a home schooler's association, came up with the most.) While I have been teaching field trip groups pretty much every day since mid-March, Land Run is special and a fun change in routine for all of us. After letting kids make rope, play outdoor games, practice staking tents, and a lot of other activities; we lined them up to run. At the sound of a small gunshot, they raced to stake their claims as we parents, teachers, staff, and volunteers laughed and cheered them on while they ran. We were all completely unaware that just minutes before running footsteps and horrific gunshots of a different type had just been silenced at Virginia Tech. And for that, I thank God. Sometimes it's good to be oblivious to the world outside.
Life is short, hug your kids, celebrate, and enjoy every minute of it just like we did today.
2 comments:
I'm sad I'm missing Land Run Days...especially this year! Have you been up here to the Winter Quarters Visitor's Center? I think you'd really like it and you'll always have a cheap place to stay if you want to come!
Christy-I would love to visit Winter Quarter's. I looked it up on the church website years ago and I can tell it's my kind of place. We'll make it there someday. I promise.
Post a Comment