Elementary students learn about life in Gold Rush era

To learn about the California Gold Rush era, students at John C. Fremont Elementary went “back in time” Wednesday to experience life in the mid-1800s, according to the Merced City School District.

Third-graders panned for gold, made quilts, churned butter and cleaned clothes using a tub and washboard, the district said in a statement. They played horseshoes, a clothes-pin game and a pony express relay race while wearing outfits typical of the time period.

“What I really love about it is that children get to experience what it was like to be a person who lived 150 years ago, a pioneer. … And through all these different experiences they get to find out that pioneers weren’t that different than us,” teacher and event organizer Lora Wheeler said in a statement.

The school provided students with bonnets, cowboy hats and bandannas, the statement said. Instead of lunches wrapped in plastic bags or other modern material, the third-graders used dish cloths.

The activities correlated with what the third-graders are learning in social studies, the statement said, and helps them learn about the county they live in and how modern-day lives compare to those of the mid-1800s.

“It’s just the technology that was different,” Wheeler said. “They begin to appreciate all of the conveniences they have like a microwave or TV. So it’s fun for kids to learn and compare.”

Every year Wheeler organizes this event with the help of other teachers, parent volunteers and administration. Community groups, the Gateway Quilters Guild and the Merced County Historical Society also helped.

This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Elementary students learn about life in Gold Rush era."