June 01, 2023
Chippewa Nature Center to Host Homestead Sundays June-August
Step back in time at Homestead Sundays at Chippewa Nature Center (CNC) for a free, family-friendly afternoon, Sundays June-August from 1-5 pm. Staff and volunteers will be on hand at the log cabin and one-room schoolhouse to answer your questions, give tours of the farm and teach lessons from long ago. Kids of all ages can try activities such as grinding corn, pumping water, making rope and playing historic games. Cows, pigs, chicken and sheep greet visitors at the Homestead Farm. Experience Midland’s rural heritage as you ring the bell, use a slate board and enjoy recess at the log schoolhouse to complete your trip to the past. Visitors can visit the animals, explore historic buildings, enjoy hands-on activities and explore the heirloom gardens. Each Sunday will feature a special theme and activities:
June 4 – Get to Know the Homestead – With spring in the air, a visit to the Homestead Farm will connect you to our local natural resources and rich history.
June 11 – Meet the Farm Animals – Farm animals are an essential part of life on the farm.
June 18 – Simple Machines on the Farm – Stop by and learn how simple machines helped them to complete their many tasks.
June 25 – Bees and Pollination – Discover the different pollinators that visit the garden on the farm and learn how to help them flourish. Beekeeper Will Sears will offer a presentation from 2-4 pm.
July 2 – Leisure Activities and Games – Come relax with us and try your hand at graces and stilts or enjoy a leisurely walk through the garden.
July 9 – A Day on the Farm – What kind of chores had to be completed on the farm? Stop by and help out!
July 16 – Fiber, Folk Arts and Textiles – Try your hand at carding or spinning wool, learn how fleece is processed into yarn and create your own! The Fiber Arts Guild will be onsite to demonstrate various fiber arts such as spinning and weaving.
July 23 – Visit the Gardens – Learn about Heirloom vegetables and how settlers used herbs and plants in the 1870s.
July 30 – Shelter and Timber Tools – Visit the barn and shelters for farm animals that were constructed before the age of power tools.
August 6 – Schoolhouse – What was it like to go to school in the 1870s? Visit the one-room school house to find out.
August 13 – Day at the Cabin – Experience what life was like for a farm family in the 1870s by exploring the Homestead cabin.
August 20 – Preserving the Harvest – Explore the root cellar and visit the cabin to see the many ways food was preserved.
August 27 – Celebrate the Coming Harvest – Summer is winding down. Join in on traditional games and activities the family might enjoy while at the fair.
The Homestead Farm takes us back to a time when people lived closer to the land. Chores were done by hand, community was essential and nights were dark. Homestead Sundays, offered June-August from 1-5 pm, free of charge, to explore the past and our connection to plants and animals on the farm. For more information, visit www.chippewanaturecenter.org.
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Chippewa Nature Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect all people with nature through educational, recreational and cultural experiences. Enjoy free admission to 19 miles of trails from dawn-to-dark, 365 days a year. Our Visitor Center, located at 400 S Badour Rd, is open 8 am-5 pm Monday-Saturday and 12-5 pm Sunday and select holidays. Learn more at www.chippewanaturecenter.org.
Contact:
Jamie Hockstra, Director of Marketing & Communications
jhockstra@chippewanaturecenter.org, (989) 631-0830
