It was to a Mennonite community in Tennessee. It was a bit of a drive for us, but so worth it.
The first time I went on this field trip was when Colt was little…..maybe 6 years old or so. At that time, they had a dairy farm. As a matter of fact, I found pictures of Colt helping to bottle feed a calf while we were there. He was in first grade!
We also visited the bakery at that time and had lunch at the Mennonite school with their students and were able to tour the classroom and observe the class in action.
The second time we went was the fall of 2010. Luke had only been home with us a few months. Again, we visited the bakery, visited and fed the animals on the farm behind the bakery, visited and toured the cabinetry shop, and ate lunch with the Mennonite children at their school and our children had the opportunity to play a game of volleyball with them during their recess time.
The third time was just last week. We visited the bakery, where the kids were given homemade cookies and fresh milk. We visited the cabinet shop, where they were given a special piece of wood crafted into the shape of the state of Tennessee, and again we met at the Mennonite school where we enjoyed lunch with their children and again our kids played with their kids on the playground, including a game of volleyball. The moms toured the classrooms and talked with the teachers.
And by the way, I asked if it was okay to take photos and they said yes.
 |
| I just love the colors of the girls dresses! |
 |
| That's Joy serving.....she said the Mennonite students are really good team players and were very friendly and encouraging......naturally too! |
 |
 |
| I love how the older kids play with the younger ones! |
 |
| My carload of kiddos.....that's Michael & Zachary with Luke and Joy |
 |
| On the seesaw...... |
 |
| Luke's friend, Jenna |
 |
| The boys posed for me for a moment.......they were on a snake hunting expedition. :) |
 |
| Just because he's SO adorable....I had to include Hudson! Love those cheeks! |
 |
| Just hanging around..... :) |
They are the kindest people, and answered our many questions. I was worried about offending them with so many questions, but they reassured us that they didn’t mind at all. We came home talking about the field trip to Jason all last weekend. We’ve decided that our family will make a trip back to the bakery and especially for Jason to visit the cabinet shop one weekend. I know he would love it, being the carpenter that he is. The owner told me to bring him for a tour! And we’d love to visit their church, especially on the evening that they have a singing service.
If you didn’t already know, the major difference between Mennonite and Amish is their use of technology. Years ago in the early part of the century, there was a peaceful agreement where the Amish opted to keep things the old-fashioned way and not push forward with the use of technology and the Mennonites chose to use technology (such as electricity), but they do still shy away from the media (TV, radio, and computers). They did tell us that they use computers for their business, but not the internet. Their dress is closer to ours, especially for the men, although the ladies do dress a little more similar to the Amish. I think they look beautiful!
Everyone at the bakery shop, cabinet shop, and school were so kind and most gracious to us. Joy is now a pen pal with one of the girls from the school. Very good people, they are!
They wondered what we found interesting enough about them to make a field trip out of it………and I told them not only were they interesting, but it was my favorite field trip, hands down!
Hope you enjoyed “going on this homeschool field trip” with us through the pictures!
♥ Tammy ♥
