Edifying the New Pioneers
May 27, 2022 12:00AM ● By By Debra Dingman
Children raise their hands and talk to a Trapper who can explain about the various animal furs and how they kept warm during snow and cold weather during their trails into California. Photo by Debra Dingman
Montessori Students Learn through Living History
DIXON, CA (MPG) - A living history rolled up on a life-sized wagon and by Thursday morning, the backgrounds of Dixon Montessori Charter School looked similar to any camp of pioneers back in 1846, complete with dozens of elementary school children skipping around in costumes of the times.
Girls in long skirts and bonnets or braids visited and boys in breeches wearing wide-brimmed hats scattered around numerous tents of bleached muslin to explore carpentry, a tinsmith, and the barrel-making work of a cooper.
A group of tall boys gathered around one display, an Apothecary, where a costumed woman, Xina Frawnfelter from Redding, showed them leeches in a large water-filled glass container and talked about the creation of medicines from root, bark, and herbs. The boys were anxious to watch her pick up one of the leeches with the silver tongs.
And it wasn’t just 4th through 6th grade students who wanted to learn how butter was churned or how to bake bread from these early settlers. Younger children from the other DMCS classes filed out to the campsites to learn from a trapper how he made his hat from a fox and what trappers did to keep warm when travelling across mountains into California.
The many volunteers were from the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma, a California state park that marks the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, sparking the California Gold Rush and from The Trans California Mining Company as well as several independent historians. The wagon was provided courtesy of the Dixon History Museum.
Parent volunteer Stephanie Baltz, a professional costume designer and seamstress, organized the event. The Mills College graduate was a history major and “fell in love with the 19th Century” particularly the time around 1846. She explained that she first made a couple costumes for children and wound up soon building enough for the entire school and over the years also built up her adult collection.
“I love doing this, the clothing, the social element, the history, and the stories,” she said enthusiastically while visiting with Jerrie Beard and Jen Rogers near the Trading Post where pictures of children taken in costumes at a dress rehearsal were for sale as well as simple toys. Youth used plastic coins to purchase them.
Principal Ben Ernest was more than impressed.
“This is amazing,” he said, adding that Baltz is “phenomenal.” There didn’t seem doubt that this was the inaugural ‘Pioneer Days.’
The lunch served up for students and staff included roasted chicken, brownies, and apples.
“I liked the gingerbread best,” said 4th grader Alex Aguilar. “I want to do this next year, too.” His buddy, Maximo Arellano said he really enjoyed learning about the way Pioneers wrote the alphabet (calligraphy.)
“I love the letters and the way they wrote them. They were very different,” he explained. Students also liked making flags for the Bear Flag Revolt, making rope, and ragdolls.
The Montessori School students learned that although their lives were very different, Pioneer children wanted the same things as children do today. They liked spending time with their families, learning new things, and playing with friends.
