Special Section

History Quest

Chippewa Valley Museum lets kids step into shoes of historical Northern Wisconsinites

Some good fun at the Children's Museum of Eau Claire
 
Some good fun at the Chippewa Valley Museum.

In the rush of day-to-day life, how often do our kids think about or appreciate life’s modern conveniences? If you are seeking an opportunity to compare the past to the present without starting a sentence with, “When I was a kid …”, then you may want to make a trip to the new History Quest exhibit at Chippewa Valley Museum. Nestled in the heart of Carson Park next to one of Eau Claire’s most recognized landmarks, Paul and Babe, the museum exhibit provides kids an opportunity to learn how children grew up years ago. And it does so by creating an experience, as kids do day-to-day activities vicariously through the lives of six historical people who lived in Northwest Wisconsin: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Anton Venski, Neng Vang and Jou Lor, Gilbert Chapman, and John Vodacek. The hands-on exhibit gives insight into each family’s lifestyle, including the type of house they lived in, the food they ate, the clothes they wore, and the toys they played with. Kids get to dress themselves in period-style clothing, practice fishing with a cane pole, and use a butter churner. In addition, there are multiple “I spy” games throughout the area, which provide both the fun of finding the item as well as information about what the item was used for. After spending time there with my kids, the appreciation for modern-day was pretty evident. While attempting to lace shoes before the timer ran out my daughter exclaimed, “This one would take forever. There are so many buttons and they so easily come undone!” For some reason, the shoe with Velcro straps didn’t present as much of a challenge …

History Quest • Tuesdays through Sundays • Chippewa Valley Museum, 1204 Carson Park Dr., Eau Claire • adults $5, ages 5-17 and students $2, members and under 5 FREE • 834-7871 • www.cvmuseum.com