The Ball Drops

Friday afternoon a local camp gave a free performance of a play they had worked all week on with an alternative theatre group from the area. The play focused on our town's namesake and the settlers who created the town. The performance was both informative and entertaining.

The audience was physically lead through each of the acts, which took place at different locations in the heritage village here.

The children used song and dance (great cabaret style), puppets, art, shadow work, audience participation, historical information and original ideas. The shadow work presented in the barn showed how the travels took a ship, trains, wagons and when the roads ended they were on foot. Using overheads for different backdrops on the shadows gave it a really polished effect. My kids walked away from this portion of the performance talking big plans using this method.

It was interesting to learn that the original settlers were offered 200 free acres, with the agreement they would build a small home and clear 2 acres off of every year for 5 years. This area was advertised as prime farming land, ridiculous considering the layers of rock. Many people came and left, only 1 in 4 made their homes here. The mosquitoes and black flies, the lack of roads and poor farming conditions were obstacles.

But for those who made their homes here, they embraced the winter, the bugs, found ways to garden, and many have a left long line of family still here today.

A friend of mine describes the type of learning that often happens in homeschooling as "following the bouncing ball". It can be a crazy zig zag path as you follow what inspires and interests, never knowing where it may lead or land. The play really has been a new ball dropping for us. We have been inspired to learn more about the local history, Captain Hunt the town's namesake, and how time has changed things.