For Teachers

All students are welcome to attend the show free of charge on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of the show. Registrations are required so that we can adequately plan for your class.

School Visits

Mark your calendar! You're invited! Join us for Wilson County Old Iron Days, held the last Wednesday - Saturday each September,(Sunday of the show must fall in September), in Fredonia, KS, as we celebrate the farming and rural ways of life in the past, through hands-on learning. Demonstrations of wheat threshing, sawmill operations, corn processing, rock crushing, rope making, broom-making, apple cider pressing, old laundry methods, open-fire cooking, blacksmithing, and much, much more begin each day at 8:30 a.m.

FFA Chapters will find a direct link to their student activities and programs already in place. Advisors from the Fredonia and Altoona FFA chapters, have had their students involved for many years in supporting the demonstrations given for the school children attending the show. We believe that your students would benefit from seeing the old farming ways, and making comparisons to current and future practices in the field of agriculture. As you well know, knowledge of the past often drives the best decision making of the future.

Kansas Social Studies standards are directly addressed by demonstrations of the ways that pioneers and farmers in the '20's, '30's, and '40's provided for their daily life. Teachers can easily link this learning opportunity to reading and writing standards, as well as expanding student learning with follow-up research projects.

Students will also have an opportunity to learn about and observe the "soft skills" required in today's job market. Cooperation, reliability, communication, thinking and working as a team, and more were all required to successfully live the rural life in the past - both in individual families, as well as with neighbors. Many schools today are actively working to educate their students in these important life skills, and this is another opportunity to see them in action.

The cost to your district for participation is minimal, as there is no admission charge for students on Thursday and Friday.

Note: Student lunches will NOT be provided. You will need to make your own arrangements to feed your students.

To Register:

Email us at: [email protected]
We need to know:
- School/District name
- Name of teacher(s) and grade taught
- Email addresses for each teacher attending so we can provide any needed instructions
- Number of students
- Number of adults attending (plan on 1 adult for about every 10-15 students)
- Show date you plan to attend

To print a flyer to share with other educators, click this link:

Show Flyer

Old Iron Days Instructions:
NOTE: PLEASE READ - there are some changes from previous years.

Parking/Unloading for Buses:

Do not stop at the front gate. Proceed directly to the south parking lot.
Park and unload in the south parking lot.
All parking is in the south lot with the exception of vehicles with handicapped tags.
There is an exit at the south end of the property.

Welcome and Instructions:

After unloading, students and staff will assemble on the bleachers near the parking lot entrance for welcome, lunch time assignments, and instructions for proceeding through the demonstrations. Please patiently wait your turn if several groups arrive at the same time.
Please follow the number order on the map for smoother student traffic flow.
We are making some minor changes in an attempt to make this a great experience for all. Thank you for your cooperation.

Safety:

NO CLIMBING on the tractors! If they slip out of park, they can start to roll. AND, they are expensive private property. Thanks for being respectful of others property.
Please do not climb on the train! It is not designed for that.
Advise your students to wear closed-toe shoes.
If the forecast is for hot and sunny weather, consider sunscreen, hats, etc.

Education:

Thank you for preparing your students with discussions about the historical time-frame that most of the items are from (1900’s-1940’s). Of particular note is the Wessels Living History Farm site: http://livinghistoryfarm.org
Our club website has lots of additional information and web links. There are also some suggested teacher activities.

Thank you for helping to make this a great experience for all!

Enhance Student Learning with some of these activities before/during/after the show!

Farm & Shop Coloring Book

Book List for Students

Bial, Raymond
    Frontier settlements / Raymond Bial. -- New York : Children’s Press, c2004.

Cobb, Mary
    The quilt-block history of pioneer days with projects kids can make / Mary Cobb, and Jan Davey Ellis. -- Brookfield, Conn : Millbrook Press, c1995.

Collins, David R.
    Pioneer plowmaker / David R. Collins, and Steve Michaels. -- Minneapolis : Carolrhoda Books, c1990.

Draper, Allison Stark
    What people wore during the westward expansion / Allison Stark Draper. -- New York : Rosen Pub. Group’s PowerKids Press, c2000.

Gunby, Lise
    Early farm life / Lis Gunby. -- Toronto : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1992.

Ichord, Loretta Frances
    Skillet bread, sourdough, and vinegar pie / Loretta Frances Ichord, and Jan Davey Ellis. -- Brookfield, Conn : Millbrook Press, c2003.

Kalman, Bobbie
    The blacksmith / Bobbie Kalman, and Barbara Bedell. -- New York : Crabtree Pub. Co., c2002.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Classroom games / Bobbie Kalman, and Heather Levigne. -- New York : Crabtree Publishing Co., c2001.

Kalman, Bobbie
    The early family home / Bobbie Kalman. -- Toronto : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1992.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Early schools / Bobbie Kalman. -- Toronto : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1991.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Early pleasures & pastimes / Bobbie Kalman. -- Toronto : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1992.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Games from long ago / Bobbie Kalman, and Barbara Bedell. -- Nw York : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1995.

Kalman, Bobbie
    The general store / Bobbie Kalman. -- New York, NY : Crabtree Publishing Co, c1997.

Kalman, Bobbie
    The gristmill / Bobbie Kalman. --Toronto : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1994.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Home crafts / Bobbie Kalman. -- Toronto : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1993.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Homes of the west / Bobbie Kalman. -- New York : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1999.

Kalman, Bobbie
    In the barn / Bobbie Kalman. -- New York : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1997.

Kalman, Bobbie
    The kitchen / Bobbie Kalman. -- Toronto : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1993, c1990.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Old-time toys / Bobbie Kalman, and David Schimpky. -- New York, NY : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1995.

Kalman, Bobbie
   A one-room school / Bobbie Kalman. --New York : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1994.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Pioneer Projects / Bobbie Kalman. -- New York, NY : Crabtree Publishing Co., c1997.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Pioneer recipes / Bobbie Kalman, and Lyna Hale. -- New York, NY : Crabtree Publishing Co., c2001.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Schoolyard games / Bobbie Kalman, Heather Levigne, and Barbara Bedell. -- New York : Crabtree Publishing Co., c2001.

Kalman, Bobbie
    Tools and gadgets / Bobbie Kalman. --Toronto : Crabtree Publishing Co, c1993.

Kalman, Bobbie
    The woodworkers / Bobbie Kalman, and Deanna Brady. -- New York : Crabtree Pub., c2002.

Morley, Jacquline
    You wouldn’t want to be an American pioneer! / Jacqueline Morley, and David Atram. -- New York : Franklin Watts, c2002.

Purnell, Ann
    Apple cider making days / Ann Purnell. -- Brookfield, Connecticut : Millbrook Press, c2002.

Raabe, Emily
    Pioneers / Emily Raabe. -- New York : Rosen Pub. Group’s Powerkids Press, c2003.

Rounds, Glen
    Sod houses on the Great Plains / Glen Rounds. -- New York : Holiday House, c1995.

Sutcliffe, Jan
    John Deere / Jane Sutcliffe, and Big Time Attic. -- Minneapolis, MN : Lerner Publications Company, c2007.

Walker, Barbara M.
    The Little house cookbook / Barbara M. Walker. --New York : Harper & Row, c1979.