Jamestown Rocks

Emma's Kindergarten class went on a field trip to the Jamestown Settlement here in Virginia.
Mia stayed home with her beloved Mrs. Erin and I went along with Emma!

Here are some of the highlights.

No Williams Sonoma back then!  You had to make your own pots out of local clay.

Corn grindin' was done in a hollowed log and mashed with a stick!
Guess which lucky gender got this chore.

This handsome lad was in charge of the basket showing.   

Another devilishly handsome worker.  Where do they recruit these guys?

Sweet Mrs. Tucker stands with the Kindergarten class as they listen to another (no doubt attractive) Jamestown employee explaining life long ago.

This would have been your home, if you were a Powhatan Indian.

The darling woman leading our group explained to stunned kindergartners that this deer skin would have been cured by rubbing a smashed up bowl of deer brains into it with an oyster shell.  

The Europeans flaunted their cotton garments and the glamorous life they led...

Fences made of weaved sticks... 

Boats with sails...

axes made of metal... (don't forget those sweet outfits)

fishing nets...

Barrels to hold their fishing gear.

Our guide was especially thrilled to display the fish trap.
Fish cannot swim backward.  So when the trap was brought into the river, the fish would swim in but could not get out.

Lovely lady out shopping for... uh... some dried up stuff.

Here's a hollowed out canoe that the Powhatan Indians would have been seen cruising around in.

Large trees were partially burned and then hollowed out with oyster shells.
Something tells me the men were out hunting while the women folk enjoyed this one.

Loads of fun.

More work for the women.

At least the Europeans had metal hoops for their buckets.  

The Europeans also had covered sheds were they worked on their boats.

And sharp pointy fences with peep holes.

To protect their fort.

Sweet Mrs. Tucker standing by a canoe.
She is one amazing Kindergarten teacher.

I somehow remember reading about starvation and the like.  But, whatever.

A garden!  Whose job was gardening, you ask?
If you guessed the women's job, you were right again.

Speaking of women... 

Let's move onto the cannons.

The peep holes were less for peeping, more for blowing the asses off of anyone who threatened the fort.

Next was a trip through the indoor museum where photography was prohibited.
Shame that.  One of the Kindergartners took sick once inside and threw up everywhere.
Whew!  Enough learning already.  Let's go get some lunch.

Hooray for Jamestown!  And hooray for field trips!