Nov. 4, 2011 at 10:01am
Hands-on-History
Early Settler Life
Think you know your history? What about the history of daily life for early Washington settlers - maybe not so much? Luckily Eastside Heritage Center will be at KidsQuest tonight for some hands-on learning. Read on to refresh your history knowledge and then join us tonight from 5-8pm!
There were no electric washers or dryers in pioneer days, so early settlers filled a tub with clean water and using handmade soap, scrubbed laundry on a wash board. Clothes were then hung to dry in the wind. It was hard everyday work!
Another daily task was making butter. There were no refrigerators like we have today, so what you made, you used. Cream was collected from milking a cow and scooping the heavy cream from the top of the milk. Large butter churns, either wood or pottery, were used to churn the cream into butter and butter milk.
As part of this Free Friday Night special event, kids will be able to pump water, scrub clothes and hang them to dry, and churn cream into butter – just like the early settlers. Other activities will include kneading bread (play dough), cleaning a hanging rug, and grinding coffee beans.
Join us to explore, play and learn with historical hands-on fun!
Eastside Heritage Center will be providing Hands-on-History experiences as part of Free Friday Nights at KidsQuest Children's Museum from November through April. The programs are made possible through the support of 4Culture.
What kinds of things did early Washington settlers have to do each day?
One of the most important was getting clean water for the various daily uses. Water was needed for everything from drinking and cooking to washing and cleaning dishes. The settlers usually dug a well on their property and established a type of pumping system.There were no electric washers or dryers in pioneer days, so early settlers filled a tub with clean water and using handmade soap, scrubbed laundry on a wash board. Clothes were then hung to dry in the wind. It was hard everyday work!
Another daily task was making butter. There were no refrigerators like we have today, so what you made, you used. Cream was collected from milking a cow and scooping the heavy cream from the top of the milk. Large butter churns, either wood or pottery, were used to churn the cream into butter and butter milk.
As part of this Free Friday Night special event, kids will be able to pump water, scrub clothes and hang them to dry, and churn cream into butter – just like the early settlers. Other activities will include kneading bread (play dough), cleaning a hanging rug, and grinding coffee beans.
Join us to explore, play and learn with historical hands-on fun!
Eastside Heritage Center will be providing Hands-on-History experiences as part of Free Friday Nights at KidsQuest Children's Museum from November through April. The programs are made possible through the support of 4Culture.
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