Classroom Zoo #31 - Rendezvous

Every now and then, I am reminded of and reminiscent about me days teaching 4th grade. With the social studies curriculum focusing on Wisconsin history, I was truly entertained and excited about continuing to learn more about the Badger State so I could impart that wisdom (or at least attempt to) on the students in my class. I had an affinity for the fur trade era and one of my favorite moments to share with the kids was the rebndezvous.Basically, this is where fur traders and voyageurs got together to trade and celebrate the end of a hard season of toil and tribulation. Ultimately, this was a fur trading party. But kids learn better when they experience the learning, not have it spewed to them. For one afternoon, we were fur traders. We endured a voyageurs river race, suffering unimaginable and unexpected hardships in order to get to a trading post where maybe, just maybe, you'd find a willing trading partner to help you reach your end goal: the acquisition of certain goods. It was not an easy task, but when they made the trade, the educational payout was so much more important than the pelts or tools they received.