This year, Emmy took her turn attending Heritage School—a beloved Norris tradition for all 4th graders. The field trip takes the kids to Homestead National Historical Park in Beatrice, where they spend the day stepping back in time. Everyone has to dress in clothing from the era, which could have been a challenge for Emmy… but Grandma came to the rescue. She made Emmy the softest prairie dress imaginable, ensuring comfort and historical accuracy. A win for everyone.
The day starts with a tour of the Homestead museum, where the kids learn about old farm equipment, the toys children played with long ago, and the types of food families ate. They even get to walk through an actual prairie house—a tiny space where a family of ten once lived. Thankfully, the weather cooperated, and we enjoyed walking the trails and exploring the tallgrass prairie.
In the afternoon, the group heads to the one-room prairie schoolhouse. The same teacher has been running this program since the boys went, and she hasn’t changed a bit—mildly intense but fantastic at what she does. She keeps the kids sitting up straight, shuts down any whispering, and makes the boys handle the schoolhouse chores. The students spend the afternoon living a day in the life of a pioneer child: writing on chalkboards, holding spelling bees, and reciting memorized passages.
One of my favorite parts of the whole experience is seeing what the kids pack for lunch. They’re supposed to bring food that would have been available at the time, carried in a small pail. Emmy brought cheese and summer sausage wrapped in butcher paper, an apple, a tin cup for water, and a cookie—because surely cookies existed back then. And of course, there were always a few kids who showed up with fruit roll-ups or a Lunchable, which never fails to make me laugh.
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