Apple Valley Days

Our school participates in the coolest program called Apple Valley Days where the kids go back in time and attend school for the last month of 3rd grade as if they were pioneer children in the 1850s.  They assume new names, ages and identities, dress in clothes of the time period, learn to square dance and have a ton of fun.  Natalie's name in school now is Caroline Jackson.  One of her good friends is now her little six year old sister and another boy in her class is her fourteen year old brother.  They sit in rows in the classroom with the youngest in front and the oldest in the back and sometimes break into family groups to do certain projects.  Natalie made a quill pen to use at school and is keeping a daily journal "in character" so I know she'll never forget these weeks of school.  So fun.  The Laura Ingalls Wilder fan in me would have LOVED this as a kid.

I bought her one dress and then she got creative with my first communion dress (adding a sundress over the top to look like an apron) so she has two outfits now to wear until the end of school.  It has drastically cut down on laundry around here...it's awesome!  Such a fun way to end third grade!!!

 Her whole class is very into it.  They get points each

day for dressing up that all go toward their 

Apple Valley graduation ceremony near the last

day of school.  They also get points for bringing

the teacher an apple.  She has collected probably

4 dozen apples by now!  

 This is the creation she made from my 

1st Communion dress and a sundress.

So creative, this one. I cut it off in the photo

but if you look closely you can see the tip

of her quill pen (a turkey feather she found 

in MI one summer) and an inkwell (a 

beaded, blingy box of Audrey's).