4th Graders Step Back in Time
First, we visited the Island Farm. Island Farm was fun. The Etheridge house was fantastic. The house had black drapes because they were remembering when Mr. Etheridge died. We also learned that back then people kept a chamber pot under their bed just in case they went to the bathroom during the night. That was a new idea to us.
They had a north parlor and a south parlor rather than a living room. The kitchen was awesome. They would grind corn to make corn meal cakes and grits. They preserved food with salt. They didn’t have a kitchen attached to the main house in case a fire would start and burn the whole house down. The farm also had a blacksmith. The blacksmith is where you make nails and swords. We learned how to make “S” hooks. They are made for carrying stuff from above. We learned about how to make nails. First, you put a long piece of steel in the stove. Then you heat it up. Finally, you shape it.Island Farm was a fantastic place to visit. We learned so much there. (Written by: Alyssa Bryan, William O’Neal, and Christian Stevens)
Fort Raleigh is filled with history. We walked down the trail and saw the beach next to Albemarle Sound. We found some cool rocks. When we were walking up the trail, we saw some berries and toad stools. We saw other items from nature like squirrels and birds. We learned that on this site, English settlers built colonies in the late 1500s. One of the groups to settle here included women as well as men. John White was the leader of the group. His daughter gave birth to Virginia Dare who became the first English baby born in the new world. Her mother was John White’s daughter. We saw the area where the fort was where she was born. She was named after Queen Elizabeth I, or the Virgin Queen. When John White returned to the colony on Roanoke Island with supplies and food, no one was there. It is still a mystery what happened to them. We saw some cool artifacts like a clay pot made by Native Americans. We also saw a water bucket and a special necklace that was made for the tribe’s chief. We saw an old ax that a visitor came upon on the beach. We also saw a movie about the Lost Colony. We now know all of the theories about what happened to the colonists. One theory is that the Native Americans killed most of them. Another theory is that they died from disease. When some of the colonists returned, they saw the letters “CRO” and “CROATOAN” carved on a tree. Twenty years after the colonists’ disappearance, some Native Americans were found to have blue eyes and light hair. So it’s also thought that the colonists found new homes with other Native Americans. (Written by: Daymon Esham, Elsie Kattenburg, Ronald Contreras, and Mariah Temple)
Another stop on our field trip was Festival Park. Festival Park is very historical. First, we learned about the blacksmith. The blacksmith uses iron and steel, which is a metal. He makes tools for all the people. Maren got to be an apprentice. Next, we learned about the canoes. The canoes are made out of wood. The people put hay in the middle to burn it out. Oyster shells were used to dig out what was burned and make the canoe hollow. The third thing we learned about was the ship Elizabeth II. The ship carried fifty men. Christian got to be the captain of the ship, Alyssa was the navigator, and Quinten got to be the helmsman. We even learned a song. Last, we visited the museum. The class got to do a scavenger hunt. There were lots of artifacts. There was also Native American and early settlement information. (Written by: Quinten Brooks, Yuletzy Ibarra, and Emilia Jordan)
Our final stop on the field trip was the North Carolina Aquarium where we experienced underwater animals. The stingrays were interesting. When someone touches a stingray’s tail, it will sting you. You have to touch the stingray with two fingers. When you feel them, they are really slimy. They have sand in their tank so they can hide under. We also looked at the otters. The otters were fast and flexible. They were also very cute. The otters played with their toy balls.
Sharks were one of the scariest sea creatures we saw. We liked when the sharks swam behind us when we took a class picture. One of the sharks was staring at us like we were his lunch! The shark we liked was a big, gray shark with really sharp teeth. Finally, we got to see a new fish in the aquarium called a Lion Fish. It was camouflaged so it blended in with its surroundings. The fish looked a lot like coral. The shape was not natural at all. It looked like an oval with a bunch of little tiny spikes that had white and red stripes on them. We loved the lion fish, it was one of our favorite sea animals there. We had a fun time at the museum. (Written by: Maren Donlon, Dibanhi Santiago, Silas Trethewey, and Alexis Villanueva)
The 4th graders ended their day at Garden Deli Pizzeria in Manteo where they ate delicious pizzas, subs, and fries and talked about the day’s events. A special thanks to our 4th grade parents and to everyone in and outside of our Ocracoke community for helping with and supporting our fundraising efforts to make this trip possible. We look forward to more field trip adventures this school year!
