Nostalgic Rockford: Remember the Old Stone School Experience at Midway Village Museum?

One of my favorite elementary school memories is when I attended class for a week at Midway Village Museum's Old Stone School in Rockford. Is this something you experienced as a kid too?

Historical Experiences at Midway Village Museum

This weekend, (4/26 and 4/27),  Midway Village Museum in Rockford will be hosting their popular Great War event that features 200 reenactors reliving the sights and sounds of World War I. This is a fully immersive historical experience that people of all ages are fascinated by, so if you've never gone to it before, you totally should!

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While talking about Midway Village's The Great War event this morning it took me back to another awesome experience I had in the Living History Village at Midway Village. Specifically, the Old Stone School.

Old Stone School at Midway Village Museum

For a week when I was in 4th grade, we went to class at Midway Village's Old Stone School, and everything we did there was of the time period...from the lessons to what we ate.

For the entire week we went by one our old ancestors names, (I was Albertina), we dressed in period clothes, (I wore a white bonnet and my dress was red with little blue flowers), our lunches were carried in brown sacks and filled with the same foods they ate back then, (I ate a LOT of cornbread), and we wrote with pens we had to dip in ink.

Somehow I managed to stay away from wearing the dunce cap that week, but the things we did and learned during our time at Old Stone School remain engraved in my memory. (I just wish I could find some pictures to share with you!)

Does Midway Village Still Host Classes at Old Stone School?

Since I have such fond memories of the week I spent at Old Stone School, I couldn't help but wonder if classes are still held there?  I think the answer is yes.

There are several field trip options to choose from on Midway Village Museum's website, from short tours to day-long experiences. Under the Old Stone School option it says this;

History comes alive as students experience life and learning in a turn-of-the-century one room schoolhouse. Options include leading your own class with recommended activities, or having our costumed school teacher use historic materials to teach the students as they spend a day in the past.

Well over 30 years later, classes are still welcome at Old Stone School, BUT it doesn't look like they can spend the whole week there. Tour options are listed as 1-5 hours.

If you are an elementary teacher in the Rockford area, I highly suggest you look into taking your class on a learning adventure at Midway Village's Old Stone School. It will be a field trip they'll always remember...even when they're old and gray like me! LOL!

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