Step back in time at Homestead Sundays at Chippewa Nature Center (CNC) for a free, family-friendly afternoon, Sundays June 2-August 25 from 1-5 pm. Visit  the pigs, sheep, cows and chickens that call the Homestead Farm home in the summer. Explore the cabin, one-room schoolhouse and timber frame barn, and learn how life was different in the late 1800s. Speak with volunteers about families that lived right here on CNC property, explore artifacts and tool sheds, watch rural living skill demonstrations and even attend a mini school lesson! Sort beans, dress a scarecrow, pump water, sweep the barn or cabin, wash clothes, strike up a band, grind herbs and spices or even work in the fields and gardens! Visit the heirloom garden and walk amongst varieties of vegetables older than us all! Roll up your sleeves for hands-on opportunities in the children’s garden!

Each Sunday will feature a special theme and activities:

June 2 – Get to Know the Homestead – With spring in the air, a visit to the Homestead Farm will connect you to our local natural resources and rich history.

June 9 – Meet the Farm Animals – Farm animals are an essential part of life on the farm.

June 16 – Simple Machines on the Farm – Stop by and learn how simple machines helped them to complete their many tasks.

June 23 – Bees and Pollination – Discover the different pollinators that visit the garden on the farm and learn how to help them flourish.

June 30 – A Day on the Farm – What kind of chores had to be completed on the farm? Stop by and help out!

July 7 – Leisure Activities and Games – Come relax with us and try your hand at graces and stilts or enjoy a leisurely walk through the garden.

July 14 – Fiber, Folk Arts and Textiles – Try your hand at carding or spinning wool, learn how fleece is processed into yarn and create your own!

July 21 – Visit the Gardens – Learn about Heirloom vegetables and how settlers used herbs and plants in the 1870s.

July 28 – Shelter and Timber Tools – Visit the barn and shelters for farm animals that were constructed before the age of power tools.

August 4 – Schoolhouse – What was it like to go to school in the 1870s? Visit the one-room school house to find out.

August 11 – Day at the Cabin – Experience what life was like for a farm family in the 1870s by exploring the Homestead cabin.

August 18 – Bountiful Gardens – In the 1870s, gardens were an important source of food for the farm family.

August 25 – Celebrate the Coming Harvest – Summer is winding down. Join in on traditional games and activities the family might enjoy while at the fair.

The Homestead Farm takes us back to a time when people lived closer to the land. Chores were done by hand, community was essential and nights were dark. Homestead Sundays, offered June-August from 1-5 pm, free of charge, to explore the past and our connection to plants and animals on the farm. For more information, visit www.chippewanaturecenter.org.