Dee Ann Patterson
Lawton Public Schools
What an Oklahoma Fun Day it was. There were stick horses to race, steers to rope, stories to read, animal pelts to examine, games to play, and chickens and ducks to pet.
It was a typical day on an Oklahoma farm 100 years ago except that it took place in the gym and classrooms of Learning Tree Academy last week so students could enjoy things that are all about Oklahoma.
“They get an opportunity to have hands-on activities here at the school, because each teacher has their own way of teaching it, and we all do different activities to encompass the whole Oklahoma spirit. So it's very exciting, and it also gives them opportunities to enjoy things that they may have never seen before, like we have some farm animals, ducks, geese, chickens,” said pre-kindergarten teacher Sarah Blasengame.
Rain forced the activities indoors this year and led to the cancellation of the pony rides, but no one under the age of 4 seemed to notice or mind. Classes rotated among several stations playing games children would have played 100 years ago, trying to rope a plastic steer head attached to a chair, or competing with one another in stick horse races. Then it was time to pet the chickens and duck, listen to a cowboy story and complete a coloring sheet on Oklahoma state symbols.
Learning Tree teachers rely on community members to help put on Oklahoma Fun Day. Blasengame said the Lawton Rangers usually show up with a pony for pony rides, a school family brings its feathered friends for a small petting zoo and volunteers from a Fort Sill battalion help wherever they are needed.
This year, they were needed in several different places. Because early-morning rain forced the festivities to be moved indoors, the 30 soldiers from Bravo Battery 3/6th Air Defense Artillery helped set up tables and make other last minute arrangements. Then they hung around to read a book to the youngsters, taught them how to rope a steer and spent a few minutes coloring with them.
A lucky few, including Pfc. Lance Howard, participated in the stick horse races, going head-to-head with the students.
“I have a kid of my own and I would have done it for her,” Howard said of his 6-year-old daughter who lives in Houston. “I can’t be there for her, so this is the next step.”
Pvt. 2 Eisela Robles was standing in the hall cuddling a chicken.
“My mom has chickens back home,” she said as she held the hen while students petted it.
Laila Delacruz, 4, held a guinea and gave it a kiss.
“It feels soft,” she said.
The chickens and a duck were provided by Rosa Carr and her family, who have a hobby farm and four children at Learning Tree.
“They give so much to our kids that we have to give back to them,” Carr said of why they provided the animals.
Trevor Williams and Vincent Wolf, both from the Museum of the Great Plains, were dressed in period clothing and were teaching games to the students. The most popular seemed to be Drop the Handkerchief, a variation of Duck, Duck Goose.
“Drop the Handkerchief is close enough to a game they play, so they understand the rules," Williams said.
Students also played Blind Man’s Bluff and Chuck-farthing, where an object is tossed into a can. Williams said the original game was played with rocks, but he brought pennies instead.
At the end of the day, it was all about learning something about the state where the children live, according to Blasengame.
“What I hope they learn about Oklahoma Day is just be proud of where you’re from, learn about things around you that you may not have ever wanted to learn before and things that they may not have ever had a chance to look at or hear about,” she said.