Writing with quill, math via abacus: Mahaffie welcomes kids who are home-schooled

With everyone settling into the new school year, the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm’s latest event fit right into the mix. Sept. 1 and 2 marked the site’s annual fall home-schooling event. Its theme this year was focused on what school would have been like in the 1860s.

“The idea is to capture things that are not only (what is) being taught in a traditional classroom but also things kids are learning at home,” said Katie Lange, daily programs coordinator for Mahaffie.

She’s found that the home-school crowd is often eager to embrace new experiences in the community.

“Home-school families tend to be a little bit more adventurous when it comes to trying things on their own. … They tend move at their own pace and explore things in ways that some of our groups don’t,” Lange said.

Not only did kids learn math on a giant wooden abacus in Mahaffie’s outdoor picnic shelter, but they also got a chance to split fence rails and sew on buttons. Site director Tim Talbott was on hand to show the kids how to use a yoke for oxen.

Also on the agenda was getting a chance to attempt writing in the style of the 1860s. There were slates and slate pencils for the math lesson, but for handwriting, kids had an opportunity to give quill pens a try.

“For little kiddos who’ve never done a lot of writing before, just using the quill pen will be their activity, whereas a high-schooler who perhaps has been introduced to 21st century cursive might be looking at the Spencerian script and getting something different out of that activity,” Lange said.

Six-year-old Isabella Swanson of Olathe gave it a shot with some gusto.

“She’s read all the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ books, so she’s fascinated with this era,” said Amy Swanson, Isabella’s mom.

Many of the people at the event shared a similar affinity for either the ‘Little House’ books or the TV show.

To encourage families to try every activity station around the farm, Mahaffie staff stamp each child’s report card as he or she finished an activity, redeemable for a reward of merit certificate when it was full.

With the variety of activities, Lange hoped there was something for everyone to enjoy.

“I have become a huge fan of rail-splitting. It is wonderful to pound wood with a giant mallet. It’s fun to watch adults test their strength against each other, and it’s delightful to watch the kids whack the log and listen as the wood cracks into a fence rail,” Lange said. “It really makes you appreciate why everyone got so excited about barbed wire in the 1870s.”

The hands-on nature of the activities appealed to Ashley Foy of Kansas City, Kansas.

“It’s tactile. They can see and feel it. She learns that way,” Foy said.

Many of the families attending the event came in groups with other homeschooling families.

“We just joined a new group of homeschool friends. This is our first field trip,” said Carrie Holder of Overland Park. “This is great. My kids are having a great time.”

The two-day event drew 648 attendees from Gladstone to Gardner, as well as families from places further afield, such as Topeka and Manhattan.