Ravenstone Press - Teacher & Librarian Resources for "Izzie"

Ravenstone Press *Stories of Kansas and the Great Plains*
Teacher/Librarian Resources for *Izzie - Growing Up on the Plains in the 1880s*

*Extending Izzie* in classrooms or libraries**
The history connection	What was going on in your town, the USA, and the world during the 1880s when Izzie was growing up? What would people have read in the newspapers her older brother Johnny delivered early in the morning or your home town newspapers? How did Izzie and her family, and all the others who moved to Fergus Falls, or to your town, in the 1870s and 1880s, get there? Why do you think people moved to Fergus Falls or to your town then? Who started your town, and when?
A sense of place A sense of continuity Izzie's first day of school. Izzie going to church.	What can you find out about the kinds of places Izzie mentions? How many ways can you think of that your town was different in the 1880s than it is now? The Grand Hotel - Did your town have a hotel in the 1880s? When was it built? Does it, or the building it was in, still exist? What happened to it? How many people could stay there? What was it like inside? Izzie's School - What was the first school in your town? Who was the teacher? What kind of schools did your town have in the 1880s? Where were they? When were they built? What happened to them? How many students, teachers, classes were there? What were they like inside? What did students do for lunch? Did kids' grades get published in the newspaper in your town? How would you feel about having your grades published? Izzie's Churches - What was the first church in your town? What kind of churches were in your town in the 1880s? What did they look like? Where were they? What happened to them? What were Sundays like in your town, then and now? Downtown - What did your downtown look like in the 1880s? What kinds of stores and businesses were there? Was there a theater where people could see live actors in plays, like Izzie saw in Fergus Falls? Was there a library? Around the Neighborhood - Were there barns with farm animals in your town in the 1880s? Did a train line run through your town? Did it go through residental neighborhoods? Did children play in the snow in any special places? How was milk delivered in your town?
Celebrating the holidays with Izzie	A Valentine party Make old-fashioned lacy Valentines Serve white cupcakes with red frosting hearts, and hot chocolate. Christmas with Norwegian foods, Decorate a tree with paper ornaments, strung popcorn, and lights that look like candles. (Real candles are too dangerous!) Serve Norwegian Christmas cookies (See Izzie's Cookbook)
Play Izzie's games	Games Run My Good Sheep Run Blind Man's Bluff Drop the Handkerchief Find the Thimble Button, Button, Who's Got the Button (If you need instructions, see Fun for Kids - 1880s activities) Go Out to Play Play circus with make-up and circus acts Go ice skating Play in the snow and go sledding Swing and climb trees
Make Izzie's Toys & Crafts	Make stone "outline farms" and dried clay animals. (If you have time, this is fun to do in boxes lined with plastic or in plastic tubs filled with a layer of sand and then soil. Plant grass seed and when the grass grows, make farms. You may want to use a scissors to clip the grass to the desired length.) Play with dolls Have you ever seen a doll with a wax or china face and a cloth body? If not, perhaps someone in your class has one they can show, or you can find one in a museum. "Fancy work" - learn to embroider.
Izzie's Money	Did money look the same? What did the pennies Izzie and her friends found have on them? (Were they "Lincoln head" pennies or was something else on them?) How was the money different in the 1880s than it is today? (Did dollar bills look the same as they do now?) Is money worth the same amount now as in the 1880s? How much does milk cost now? How much it has it increased in cost since Izzie's time? (But was 6 cents worth more than it is now?) How much would Tella's $10.00 be in today's dollars?
Girls' Clothing in Izzie's time	How long do you think it would take you to get dressed if you had to wear these? A petticoat Long stockings A dress with buttons (no zippers) High top shoes with lots of buttons? Would you like to dress like that? Would you be able to do everything you like to do in those clothes? Women wore long skirts and long petticoats. Would you like to wear long skirts? How would you keep them clean when the streets weren't paved and you didn't have a washing machine?
Boys' Clothing in Izzie's time	Would you like wearing these every day? Buttoned trousers (no zippers) Buttoned shirts Boots Wool socks A hat A wool jacket when it was cool or cold Do you think they would be as comfortable as jeans t-shirts or sweatshirts sport shoes?
Preserving your own history	What would YOU save/tell about your childhood? Pretend that you are all grown up and a grandparent. Life has changed! What would you tell children, perhaps even your own grandchildren, about your life in 1998-1999? What is most important to you? If you could save 3 things that you could show to children 50 or 100 years from now to show what your life is like, what would you choose? Do you think these things will still be in use in 50 or 100 years?
The generation connection	Your parents and grandparents If you can, ask your parents and grandparents (or an older relative, friend or neighbor) what they remember from their childhood. What games did they play? What kind of clothing did they wear? What did they like to eat? What did they do on Sunday? What were their schools like? Did they have chewing gum? What kind of transportation did they have? Can you think of more questions? "Show and tell" Does anyone in your family, or anyone you know (perhaps your local historical museum), have things from the 1880s you can bring to show? High-top buttoned shoes? A slate? Photos? Clothing? Dolls or toys? Maybe you'd like to write and illustrate a book about their childhood, or your own.
Using your imagination	Izzie and her friends liked to use their imagination. Remember how they played circus and made farms with stones and clay animals? After you've read *Izzie, read* Roxaboxenby Alice McLerran. Marian Doan and Izzie each wrote down stories about their childhood that were later published in books by their daughters. Do you think Izzie and Marian would have enjoyed playing with each other? What did your parents play when they were children? Can you imagine writing a book about your parents' or grandparents' childhood? Roxaboxen happens later in time than Izzie, and in a different part of the country. What differences do you think you'd find between Izzie's life and that of Marian Doan and her Roxaboxen friends? Would you like to play the imagination games that Marian and Izzie played?
A Norwegian Heritage Jerri Garretson & Marion Kundiger in Hardanger costumes they made.	Izzie's Norwegian Family Background: Izzie was born in Minnesota. She and her family dressed like everyone else in their town but they kept some Norwegian customs and used some Norwegian language (remember the story about her Norwegian Sunday school lessons?). Her parents learned English as a second language. In Norway, each area of the country has a special colorful costume adorned by intricate embroidery. They were more common in the 1800s than they are now. They are family treasures. Some people, both in Norway and here in America still make them. They are worn for special occasions like holidays, weddings, and Norway's Constitution Day, May 17th. Izzie's parents came from the Hardanger Fjord area of Norway, This costume has become one of the most popular in Norway and is one of the ones seen most often. In the photo at left, Izzie's granddaughter, Jerri, and her daughter, Marion, are wearing Hardanger costumes they made because of their love of their Norwegian heritage. Jerri's costume won a national prize in a needlework contest judged by a judge from the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. The blouses and aprons feature a special kind of cut-work called Hardanger embroidery. Jerri's bodice and belt are embroidered with wool cross stitch. Marion's bodice has a beaded insert in which the design is made of glass seed beads. Her apron was a family heirloom brought from Norway before the Civil War. Marion and Jerri are also wearing the traditional jewelry that goes with these costumes. This jewelry is still made in Norway and is also sold in Scandinavian stores in the USA. People who don't have costumes wear it on their regular dress-up clothing. Explore more about Norway and Norwegian Americans.
Don't forget to take a look at the Kids' Fun page for more ideas.
Izzie Shop on CafePress Purchase lovely items featuring Marion Kundiger's Izzie watercolor paintings

More about Izzie and her family
How Izzie came to be written
Marion Kundiger's original watercolors for Izzie - Growing Up on the Plains in the 1880s
Izzie's family album - photos from the past
Izzie's cookbook
Fun for Kids - 1880s activities
Marion S. Kundiger
Jerri Garretson
Izzie themes - links
Links to Fergus Falls, Minnesota websites - Izzie's home town
Izzie Shop on CafePress - Purchase lovely items featuring Marion Kundiger's Izzie watercolor paintings

Last updated September 15, 2007