Columbia fourth-graders see, touch life of early Americans at Burritt

MADISON – A field trip to Burritt on the Mountain sent Columbia Elementary School fourth-graders back in time to early America.

Marwan El-Sotouhy inspects a moose jawbone in one of the exhibits at the International Heritage Festival. (CONTRIBUTED)

About 100 Columbia fourth-graders, along with students from across Madison County, traveled to the Burritt property atop Monte Sano for the International Heritage Festival on Oct. 17.

“They learned about Native Americans and early settlers in the United States,” Columbia media specialist Stephanie Nguyen said. The young visitors observed methods of these early people for cooking, making their own clothing and building tools.

The Burritt presentations also included the types of animals that early people hunted and how they used their catch. In addition, the Burritt staff and local volunteers from varied cultures discussed festivals, food, geography, people and wildlife from other countries.

Students toured many of the park’s buildings, including historic cabins, Burritt Mansion and museum, farmland, church, forge and gazebo.

Columbia fourth-graders Emma Parmenter and Princess Howard check out dream catchers at Burritt on the Mountain. (CONTRIBUTED)

“We chose this trip because students had the opportunity to learn about other cultures, experience their foods and ways of life,” fourth-grade teacher Karen Jump said. “Also, by seeing how early Americans lived, hunted and cooked, students have a better idea of what life was like for them and how different it is compared to today.”

Columbia fourth-grader Nyan Lynch said, “I learned about Belgium paintings and enjoyed seeing the arrowheads the most.” Greyson Davis witnessed a demonstrator forging metal. “I enjoyed the blacksmith the most,” Davis said.

Emma Parmenter and Princess Howard checked out handmade ‘dream catchers’ made of beads, feathers and leather. Marwan El-Sotouhy personally inspected the jawbone of a moose.

“I learned that kissing the Blarney Stone gives people a gift,” E.J. Robinson said. “I enjoyed going to the blacksmith’s forge.”

“Students learned how to do an Irish folk dance,” Jump said. “The instructor played a drum as students clapped along.” The visitors browsed Native American jewelry, tools, weapons, musical instruments and toys.