Field Trip: Fort Hunter

 We attended one of Fort Hunter's annual homeschool days, and learned about local Native American history, as well as the history of Fort Hunter itself.

We started out by playing some Native American games.

A lot of the games involved hand-eye coordination, and practiced skills needed for hunting. Did you know that lacrosse originated from Native Americans?

Next, we visited an exhibit and listened to a talk about the Susquehannock, the people group that originally lived in this area. The kids got to see what a wigwam would have looked like, as well was what other tools and clothes would have looked like.

After lunch, we toured the mansion there, and learned what life was like for those who lived there during the 1800s. I think I enjoyed this part more than the girls did, and took notes for my own home decor.

For the last session of the day, we talked about ways that we learned about history, such as photographs, journals, newspapers, and other primary sources. Then we read excerpts from the diary of one of the ladies who lived in the mansion, over a century ago. The kids were encouraged to infer what we can learn about history, just based on the few sentences we read from her diary.