45 junior students from Holy Family Wanaka visited us this morning to learn about the past. It was very busy as the students split into two smaller groups so they could have an 1800's school room experience with Miss Gray and so they could also explore the museum.

In Miss Grays classroom, students were frightened out of their wits by grumpy Miss Gray. Miss Gray had a cane on her which she used to cane naughty children. The schoolroom was very bare, with the desks and chairs made out of wood and a chalk board that Miss Gray wrote on.

In the Museum, students got to handle artefacts such as a Moa bone and pounamu mere! It was amazing to think about how old some of these artefacts were. Afterwards, everyone explored the Museum. Everyone saw the long drop (the lavatory), and the blacksmiths. The streetscape of the Museum was everyone's favourite place to visit.

We finished the day with gold panning. Students learned about different methods for gold panning, and about Jack Tewa who found the gold in the Arrow river. Some kids even gold! Were YOU luck enough to find gold?

Why don't we have a blacksmith anymore?

How big was a Moa's skull?

What did you use for handwriting in Miss Gray's classroom?

Do you think learning was harder 150 years ago? Why?

Is it easy or hard to go gold panning? Why?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below!