School Tours and an Evening in the Emergency Room

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Breakfast items used in price guessing game, Smith Sherlock Company Story, South Pass City, Wyoming

I walked down to the office and archives this morning and worked for a bit before today's 4th graders arrived. The overall number of students was low, so we decided to double the number of students per station- instead of four rotations with 2-3 students each, we went to two rotations of 6-7 students. This worked well and everybody was happy to not tell the same stories eight times for no real reason.

I have been having fun with the 4th graders in the Smith Sherlock Company Store, which is set up to look like it did in the 1920s. First, I demonstrate that the clerk retrieved items, rather than the customer placing them in a basket or cart. I pull the items about out and put them on the counter. We talk about a few things and then order the four items, bacon, eggs, bread, and baked beans from most expensive to least expensive- based on 1920s prices. This is always fun. Almost everyone places the bacon as the most expensive and baked beans as the least expensive or second least. In fact, the correct order is bacon ($0,15 per lb), bread ($0.25 per loaf), eggs ($0.30 per dozen), baked beans ($0.45 per can). Bacon was a cheap food, whereas the baked beans were a luxury item that commanded a relatively high price. Kids and teachers are always amazed.

We finished up early and went to the trailer. We read, did computer work, etc., and decided to go into Lander for dinner at Cowfish. Dinner went well, but on my way out my right foot caught on something and down I went.  The fall was controlled until a chair came out of nowhere. Wham. A cut above the left eyebrow, the kind of cut that bleeds and bleeds, etc. The chair was unscathed.

So we were off to the emergency room for a long wait for a few stitches.  We got back home a bit before 11. Kind of ruined a nice day. 

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