We had a really great time! We started out the day running quite late, but since we were not meeting anyone, it didn't matter. It was very easy to find, and when we got there, it was such a beautiful site, hidden away in a clearing in the trees, that I thought it would make a great place for a picnic. We hurried through the gift shop, paid, and skipped the museum and informative video. We probably would have checked out the museum, but my daughter has an aversion to dummies in costume. I imagine it has more info on the settlement than what we gleaned from the pamphlets.
Schoenbrunn was the first Christian mission settlement in Ohio. It was created for the Indian converts to Christianity. There are 17 reconstructed log buildings that you are free to wander in and out. Each is filled with typical furnishings and artifacts from the period, but they are not all the same. I really enjoyed seeing different styles of homes. There are informative "signs" or "plaques" located at many of the interesting sites with descriptions and some quotes from the original founder's diary. I found these quite interesting, but my daughter preferred looking around. We did not spend as much time as we would have in the buildings if we had arrived earlier, because we were very interested in finding the hands-on activities available.
We did find activities to get involved in, including: corn grindling, butter churning, fresh butter tasting, and authentic Indian games. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. When we entered the house where the butter was being made, we were immediately offered a taste of the butter made earlier that day, and were encouraged to help ourselves to more.
It was very good, by the way. Even the little one enjoyed it and asked for another cracker. My older daughter offered to help churn butter and was allowed to do so as long as she wanted. The two older women dressed in period clothing there were very kind and slightly humorous as they tried to figure out how to get the finished butter out of the churn. They eventually decided it wasn't quite ready yet and went back to churning.We toured a few more buildings looking for more activities, met up with another HS family, who were on the same quest, and had almost given up, considering the late hour. Our moods quickly changed when we saw the trapper who we had seen leading games earlier. He quickly agreed to start some more games, and spent the next half hour delighting our little group and quite a few others who joined in. He talked to all the children about being a trapper, let them add wood to his fire and instructed them all in a game similar to bowling out on the green in front of the cabins.
The buildings themselves were a lesson in observation. The primitive tools and furniture and the sheer minimalism all show us a lot about the life they lived. We also made a point to walk out to the actual cemetery where 40 of the Indians are buried. The markers are still there, but some of them are quite eroded and hard to read. Many of them were children, so it's a little sobering, but very interesting. It's also a very pretty place in the park. My little one enjoyed running around the fields more than anything because she's usually confined to the stroller. I felt free here to let her get out and stretch her legs since there was nothing for her to upset or break. In the buildings, I kept her in my arms most of the time to protect the artifacts.
I would like to go back to see the video and spend a little more time strolling instead of rushing, but we really enjoyed the time we had there. I don't think that the activities are there normally, because this was a special "Home School" day, but it would still be fun to go again.
The gift shop had many lesson-enhancing books and extras for sale. We have been studying Native Americans, and there were many items to go along with our learning. We picked up a birch bark canoe for $1.50 and a Native American cookbook for about $3.00, so the prices were pretty reasonable.
I highly recommend it.
